Appeals Court Upholds Danny Masterson's Rape Conviction

An appeals court has rejected Danny Masterson's challenge to his rape conviction and kept his prison sentence in place. Variety reported the ruling on 27 October 2026.

Masterson is an actor best known for playing Steven Hyde on That '70s Show. In 2023, a jury found him guilty of raping two women at his home in the Hollywood Hills in 2003. Jurors could not reach a verdict on a third charge, which involved an alleged rape of a former girlfriend in 2001.

At sentencing, the two women described in court how the crimes had affected them. BBC News reported that Masterson received a sentence of 30 years to life. That means he must serve at least 30 years before he can be considered for release.

The appeal was heard by a three-judge panel, which issued an 89-page ruling. The judges rejected Masterson's argument that the trial judge, Charlaine Olmedo, was biased against Scientology, the religious movement. They also turned down arguments about the statute of limitations, the legal time limit for bringing charges, and about how certain evidence was handled at trial.

The panel also rejected a separate habeas corpus petition. Habeas corpus is a formal request asking a court to examine whether a person is being held lawfully. In this petition, Masterson argued he did not receive an adequate defence. The court denied it without a full hearing. Masterson had filed a petition in November 2025 asking for both convictions to be thrown out over alleged errors by his lawyers.

Masterson has been behind bars while his case moved through the courts. In January 2024, a Los Angeles judge denied him bail pending the appeal, according to Deadline. He is serving his sentence in a California state prison, as USA Today reported at the time.

For a case that has run for years, the outcome of this appeal is clear. The conviction stands, and so does the sentence. The two women whose accounts led to the 2023 verdict now have a final appellate ruling on the case in front of them.