Karen#1
Well-known member
Early morning session.
Chynna Phillips has joined her sister Bijou this morning in the Masterson family section. We had heard she might be coming to court today. Chynna has an evangelical Christian vlog at YouTube, "California Preachin'," and she is married to Billy Baldwin, who came to one afternoon session of the trial.
Judge Olmedo is here. No jury yet. We're on the record.
She says that defense attorney Philip Cohen has something he wants to bring up, and he asks for a sidebar. No, she says, we can do it in open court.
Cohen: I was trying to get some specifics from the People about what they are going to ask Jane Doe 2. There's a previous ruling about a prior incident and we want to know what the parameters are and that the witness is admonished before taking the stand.
Olmedo says the two sides can talk it over.
Cohen and Mueller compare notes.
Judge Olmedo: Did you work it out?
Cohen: I think so.
Deputy DA Reinhold Mueller has the next item for the court.
Mueller: We have a stipulation as to juror 10. (Seat 10, actually Juror badge number 16)
Olmedo: You both are stipulating to remove him?
Cohen and Mueller: Yes.
This was the juror that on Friday they were talking about because he seemed to be nodding off. Olmedo cites that both parties have raised issues about Juror 10 and they have stipulated that he can be removed and an alternate seated.
Defense attorney Karen Goldstein has the next item.
Goldstein: As of Nov 1, yesterday, Leah Remini has tweeted 36 points about this trial. She has commented on defense strategy. She has commented on Scientology. She was at one point a victim advocate in this case. She was at JD1's interview in 2017. She has met with Det Vargas multiple times. The tweets emphasize the points made several times, but the defense says this makes it exceedingly difficult for Mr. Masterson to get a fair trial. She is asking the media to cover this trial even more, and it refers to a "multimillion dollar cult." Wants to lodge it on the record in case the jurors have been influenced by this.
Mueller: I'm not aware of any of that being tweeted by Ms. Remini. I do believe there are a number of other media reporting on this case and podcasts going on. So I imagine this isn't the only information about this trial going on.
Olmedo: I've not seen it. Certainly Ms. Remini's views don't influence my legal rulings. I follow the case law, and so whatever she is tweeting about certainly has no bearing on the court. As for our jurors I have significantly admonished them not to pay attention to social media and we assume they follow the court's admonition. I don't think any of them indicated that they followed Ms. Remini at all. I know some indicated they had seen her show. But I don't know any of them have been exposed to that. But if you want to lodge it to lay a record, you are certainly welcome to do so.
Goldstein: Thank you, your honor.
Olmedo: So we'll just wait for the jurors to come in. And we'll replace Juror 10 with a random person chosen from the alternates. And their chances are significantly higher than playing the Powerball.
Cohen: And a higher payoff!
There's then a discussion about the lottery in general. And welcoming back bailiff Officer Contreras, who had been on a vacation.
Mackenzie Phillips has arrived. The front row at the Masterson section is Bijou, Chynna, and Mackenzie Phillips. Behind them is Chris Wadhams. (It's still early, more will likely arrive. Just four reporters in the back row and one person in the public section.)
After waiting for a while, Judge Olmedo calls the attorneys up for a short sidebar.
Danny's mother Carol Masterson arrives with Danny's siblings Alanna and Christopher Masterson.
Four jurors are a little late.
A reporter just sat down next to me, complaining that the Weinstein trial is boring today. Her publication has her shuttling back and forth between the two.
Cohen's sartorial splendor today: Grey three-piece suit, green and white polka-dotted shirt and matching handkerchief, orange tie with black polka dots. He's chatting with Bijou.
Ten reporters in the back row now. Masterson section full with ten people. Public section has five people, including Mona the sketch artist.
Juror is in, except for empty seat, #10, who has been excused.
Random selection of an alternate: Juror 44 in seat 15. Younger white woman.
She now joins the main jury, which is now 6/6 men and women.
Prosecution calls Jane Doe 2 to the stand.
Jane Doe 2 arrives. She is sworn in and takes the stand.
Mueller: I want to begin by asking you if you know someone named Daniel Masterson
I do.
Do you see him here?
I do. He's wearing a navy blue blazer and a tie.
How did you first become acquainted?
We were in the same church togetehr, and there were cliques of our age range, just peers. And we wouuld all hang out. Different gatherings, parties.
Which church is that?
The Church of Scientology.
When did you first become acquainted, what year?
Could have even been 99, 2000? Sometimes in around that time. Maybe even earlier than that. Probably earlier than that becasue I was put inthe church by my mom when I was 16. But I didn't start going to Celebrity Centre until I was about 17. So in there 18, 19 years old, in 1998, 1999 in there. It's hard to say exactly.
That's fine. You first got involved at 16?
Yes, but I was seeing a field auditor at the time and I would go to her home and receive services first through her and eventually she took me over, because I was becoming an actor, to the Celebrity Centre. She was more of an introduction. I worked with her a little more than a year.
Your mother, father, were they are prrt of it?
My mom did it so long ago. She was like 19, a case supervisor in London. She wasn't doing it anymore when she had me. I was in high school and struggling with some normal anxiety, and I didn't know anyting about Scientology and I aske dher if I could take medicine for my anxiety, detpression. And even though it had been so long since she was in Scintology, she still was against that.
Mueller shows a photo. Recognize this?
Yes.
What is it?
That was me and the cast on a sitcom on ABC in between Dharma and Greg and Drew Carey. Around 2000.
This is you in the red pants?
Yes.
You mentioned the Celebrity Centre. Is that a part that you became involved in because of acting?
Right, that's where they deal with actors and artists and celebrities of any nature. Actors in particular go there.
You're no longer a memeber?
Absolutely not.
Tell us about your first interactions with Masterson.
All of the young group, in our 20s, we got to know each other and sometimes people would have parties, sometimes Danny or his brother would have parties. We would see each other at gatherings or CC all the time. Just casually.
I want to bring you to a period time between Oct, Dec 2003 in that time period.
Where we you living?
I was in between places, staying with a dear friend, my best friend Ilaria. Very close to Danny's house. We were on Argyle. I was staying with her a few months while I found my own apartment.
While you were staying with Ilaria, was there a time when you had contact with Mr. Masterson whre Ilaria may have invited you?
Yes. One night she said, why don't you come with me to see Danny. At this bar called the Well. It was popular then, this place. I was a little reluctant becdause I have really bad anxiety and I just, but I went, and we were sitting in kind of a VIP booth of some kind. We were drinking a little bit.
Who was at the Well that evening?
Luke Watson, Danny Masterson, Ilaria Urbanati and myself. Just the four of us that I recall.
Who was Luke Watson?
He was very close to Danny and part of, you know, Danny's clique. They had a group of people who sort of circulated around him.
Had you met Watson?
Oh yeah. He was a Scientologist and he was always at these parties. He was a fixture.
And you had met Masterson?
Yes, but in such a casual way, 'hey, how are you, are you working?' No deep conversations.
[Mueller shows a photo of the Well.]
Do you recognize this?
Yes, it's a picture of the outside of the Well.
Is this close by to where you were living then?
Yes.
How did you get there that evening?
To the Well? I think Ilaria drove us. Or I drove? I don't know.
[Mueller shows a photo inside the Well.] Was there anything going on at that time that you felt was unusual?
Yes.
What is that?
Danny was staring at me so intently, in such a laser-focused way. And he was boring a hole into my head, staring. And I was drinking this water. When I stopped drinking the water, I wasn't looking at anyone. I guess I was really into drinking this water. When I stoppoed, all three of them were staring at me. And Danny was really watching me. A kind of predatory stare.
Had you had the experience with him before?
One other time, but I just had brushed it off.
Was Masterson he making any comments to you that got your attention?
Not really. It was just very focused attention on me.
How did you feel at that moment?
It was intimidating, to me. I've had anxiety for so long, and it's hard for me to tell the difference betewwen excitement and nervous. But I found him intimidating.
Were you feeling nervous?
Yes. I had probably had a little vodka to quell my excitement.
Had you had any alcohol before you went there?
I probably had a little vodka. I was not allowed to have medication for nervousness in the church, so I would have a little vodka to deal with feeling intimidated by people. I wasn't allowed to take anything.
You also mentioned excitement.
I think I was a little flattered, just from the attention of it from him. But it was a real amalgam, a mixture of emotions. I was very young and anxious and flattered and trying to enjoy myself and trying to enjoy that level of attention. In this moment it was very intense, focused.
How old were you?
I think I was around 23. Maybe late 22.
And you were working as an actress on a show?
No, it ended a year and a half, two years before that. But I was still up for network shows.
As this evening went on, how did it end?
Oh. Well, we kind of shuffled out, all of us. And Danny was very direct and said, "Give me your number." Like that. (Said fast.) So I said, OK, and I gave him my number.
Did he say anything else that night?
Not particularly.
Did he say anything about contacting you or going out?
If he did I don't remember the phrasing to tell you. But that was the idea. I'll call you, OK.
And did he contact you?
Yes.
When was that?
It was a couple of days after, could have been the next day. I don't know exactly. But Ilaria had said to me afterwards... (Obj., sustained)
When he did reach out, how was it
He was texting me very rapidly and directly and very aggerssive. And I was surprise. He started demangin, commanding that I come over, right now. And I was like, ask me on a date, dude.
Do you remember the words?
"Come over right now. YOu're getting in my jacuzzi. Bring a bikini. You're coming over now." It was like that.
How did you feel about that?
I thought it was obnoxious, aggressive. I texted him, "No, you can take me on a date. I don't know what you think of me, that I'm so impressed with you. Take me on a date." He said no, you're coming over now and you're getting in my pool and you're getting in my jacuzzi. And I said no, I am not bringing a bathing suit. And he said something about having a bathing suit I could use. And I said if I come over we can talk a little bit, but I'm not getting in your pool. I'm not taking my clothes off.
What were your thoughts?
I just didn't grasp there was so much agression and commanding. I thought amybe that was his way of talking. I also thought because of something someone had said, "he really likes you." (Obj, overruled.)
So you had that thought?
Ilaria said to me, He likes you so much. I have never seen him being like that with a girl ever, the way he was at The Well. You should go out with him.
How did you feel about oing to see him?
I think somehow I had justified the aggression, maybe this is his way of flirting. And someone he's close to is telling me I should trust him. I was very concerned about being used in a way that was disrespectful.
Why did you have those concerns?
Because he was so aggressive, like I'm some floozy. That's why I was afraid of being used. That's why I was saying you can take me on a date. I was not how he was thinking. I was newer to sex.
This is continued on Substack
