The Church of Scientology has launched a massive counterattack against a lawsuit filed by the four accusers of convicted rapist Danny Masterson, who alleged they were stalked, harassed and threatened by the church after they came forward with their allegations.
In a barrage of new filings in Los Angeles Superior Court obtained by DailyMail.com, the church’s team of lawyers vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “meritless” and “patently false.”
The attack comes a month after Judge Upinder Kalra, at the insistence of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, lifted a stay on the civil case that had been in place since it was filed in August 2019.
The case was put on hold pending the outcome of the Scientologist actor’s criminal rape trial — which last month resulted in two convictions and a prison sentence of 30 years to life.
Danny Masterson’s four accusers – proven and alleged – sued the Church of Scientology in 2019, claiming they were harassed and intimidated after publicly accusing him of rape
Two of the women were later identified as Masterson’s ex-girlfriends, Chrissie Carnell Bixler (left) and Marie Bobette Riales. The other two remain anonymous, known as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2
New court documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that the Church of Scientology has now launched a counter-attack against the women following Masterson’s conviction
The civil lawsuit against the That ’70s Show actor – who also names the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige – was filed by four women – who say Masterson drugged and raped them.
Two of the women named in the lawsuit were Masterson’s ex-girlfriends – Chrissie Bixler, 45, and Bobette Riales, 42 – while the other two are listed as Jane Does 1 and 2.
Masterson was ultimately charged with raping three women, but was only convicted of raping Jane Does 1 and 2 in the criminal case.
The jury could not reach a verdict on Jane Doe 3, who turned out to be Bixler. He was never accused of raping Riales.
According to the civil lawsuit: “When those women came forward to report Masterson’s crimes, the defendants conspired and stalked, systematically invaded their and their families’ privacy, and deliberately inflicted emotional distress to silence them to impose and intimidate.’
Scientology leader David Miscavige was named as a defendant in the civil suit alongside Masterson
Lawyers for Scientology and Masterson opposed lifting the stay on the case, arguing that it should be postponed at least until his criminal appeal is resolved.
But after Judge Kalra rejected that argument and scheduled the case for trial in September 2025, the lawyers launched their aggressive counteroffensive against the four women, calling for large parts of their testimony to be stricken and dismissed by the judge.
The plaintiffs “make many allegations that undoubtedly relate to acts of free speech by the Church defendants,” Scientology lawyers dismissed.
“Furthermore… the allegations omit critical facts that demonstrate the merits of their claims.”
One of the cornerstones of the lawsuit is that the three ex-Scientologists — Riales was never a Scientologist — waited 20 years to report Masterson for rape because they feared retaliation from Scientology, which they say had a strict doctrine that banned church members banned the reporting of crimes by fellow Scientologists to the police.
In a barrage of new documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by DailyMail.com, the church’s legal team vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “meritless” and “patently false.”
Danny Masterson and ex-girlfriend Bobette Riales. The actor was never charged with sexually assaulting Riales, but she is a plaintiff in the civil case filed against the church in 2019.
Danny Masterson’s ex-girlfriend Chrissie Bixler accused the church of poisoning and killing her dogs in retaliation for the actor’s outing
Attorneys for the church have attacked this claim in their new court documents, calling it a “blatant” misinterpretation of church practices. They added: “Church doctrine does not prohibit individuals from reporting crimes.”
As for the women’s allegations that they were threatened and intimidated by other Scientologists, the lawyers maintained that none of the named people accused of making the threats were an “agent” of the Church, nor were they ever had worked for the Church.
Scientology lawyers rejected the alleged victims’ claim that any member who leaves the Church or goes against its rules is “fair game” for harassment.
“There is no doctrine of ‘fair play’ within the Scientology religion,” they said.
They attacked the four plaintiffs for “spreading falsehoods” and “misquoting Scientology religious texts.”
And they emphasized that Scientology’s teachings are “protected by a constitutional right to free speech.”
The Church’s legal team argued that some accusers did not have “independent corroborating evidence” or could prove that they “reasonably feared” for their safety.
Nor could they prove that Scientology had “made a credible threat,” the lawyers added.
All four women in the lawsuit allege that after reporting Masterson — a major player in the Church of Scientology who has now been excommunicated — to police, they became victims of a campaign of harassment and intimidation orchestrated by the Church.
The disgraced actor (pictured in court in 2020) is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being found guilty of raping two women last month
Danny Masterson was supported during his trial by his wife Bijou Phillips. However, she has now filed for divorce and he has been expelled from the Church of Scientology
In her report to police, Bixler said her dog died mysteriously. An autopsy revealed that the dog “died of unexplained traumatic injuries to her trachea and esophagus.”
Bixler also claimed she was run off the road by a car following her.
And she accused one of Masterson’s friends of threatening to release nude photos taken of her when she was underage.
Riales claimed that after reporting Masterson for alleged rape, she experienced threats to silence her, including being followed and watched and having her trash stolen.
She told of a neighbor who saw a man in her driveway taking pictures and chased him away, but added that her 13-year-old child’s bedroom window had been smashed.
Jane Doe 1 said that after she reported Masterson to the LAPD, the Church of Scientology “mobilized” against her.
Jane Doe 2 claimed her phone and computer were hacked, her car vandalized and she was harassed on social media.
And she said she ‘rarely left the house’ in the two years after reporting her assault to police.”
Lawyers for Masterson and Scientology will have the opportunity to express their opposition to the four women’s lawsuit at the next hearing in the case, scheduled for November 22.