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Actor Danny Masterson (l.) With his defense attorney Tom Mesereau in a courtroom in Los Angeles
Photo: LUCY NICHOLSON / POOL / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
The US actor Danny Masterson appeared in court on Friday after being charged with rape.
He was accompanied by star lawyer Tom Mesereau.
This rejected the allegations.
Three women accuse Masterson of rape.
The actor is said to have used violence to force the alleged victims to have sex at different times and separately from each other in his Hollywood home.
The women were between 23 and 28 years old at the time.
The incidents are said to have occurred in 2001 and in April and October 2003.
The allegations became known in 2017.
After three years of investigations, prosecutors finally brought charges in June.
Masterson was arrested and released on bail.
"Absolutely not guilty"?
Masterson attorney Mesereau has defended celebrities like Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby.
"He is absolutely not guilty and we will prove that," he said of his new client.
The charge is the result of an "unfair media hype".
There are also attempts to politicize the case, since District Attorney Jacky Lacey is campaigning.
Lacey's Vice Reinhold Mueller described this as "pure speculation".
The three alleged victims are not named in the indictment.
They reported through their lawyers that they had experienced "harassment" and "re-victimization" after the brief arrest of Masterson, and that they had also felt "shame".
They are grateful to the investigators for finally striving for justice.
Up to 45 years in prison
Maserson faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty.
The 44-year-old Masterson has been married to actress Bijou Phillips since 2011.
The couple have a daughter.
After the allegations of sexual assault became known, the streaming service Netflix kicked him off the set of the series "The Ranch".
Masterson firmly denied the allegations and saw himself as a victim of a witch hunt.
The actor became known with the comedy series "The Wild Seventies", where he played Steven Hyde from 1998 to 2006.
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jpz / dpa / AP
