The Harvey List

[Vandal]

‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson gets 30 years to life in prison for rapes of 2 women

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge sentenced “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo handed down the sentence to the 47-year-old Masterson after hearing statements from the women about the trauma they experienced and the suffering caused by the disturbing memories in the years since.

The actor, who has been in custody since May, sat in court wearing a suit. Masterson watched the women without visible reaction as they spoke.

https://apnews.com/article/danny-master ... d4c7053eb6

[BackInTex]

‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson gets 30 years to life in prison for rapes of 2 women

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge sentenced “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo handed down the sentence to the 47-year-old Masterson after hearing statements from the women about the trauma they experienced and the suffering caused by the disturbing memories in the years since.

The actor, who has been in custody since May, sat in court wearing a suit. Masterson watched the women without visible reaction as they spoke.

https://apnews.com/article/danny-master ... d4c7053eb6

Wow, the testimony must have been pretty convincing to the judge. If he'd had any doubt I would hope he'd offer a lesser sentence. If Maserson did what he is accused of, it is a good sentence, but some in the CoS should be held accountable, also. Perhaps Masterson could parly his turning on the church into a few less years.

[Bob Juch]

‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson gets 30 years to life in prison for rapes of 2 women

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge sentenced “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo handed down the sentence to the 47-year-old Masterson after hearing statements from the women about the trauma they experienced and the suffering caused by the disturbing memories in the years since.

The actor, who has been in custody since May, sat in court wearing a suit. Masterson watched the women without visible reaction as they spoke.

https://apnews.com/article/danny-master ... d4c7053eb6

Wow, the testimony must have been pretty convincing to the judge. If he'd had any doubt I would hope he'd offer a lesser sentence. If Maserson did what he is accused of, it is a good sentence, but some in the CoS should be held accountable, also. Perhaps Masterson could parly his turning on the church into a few less years.

The judge gave him two consecutive sentences of 15 to life.

[jarnon]

Spain prosecutors accuse Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion for World Cup kiss

[silverscreenselect]

Michigan State University has suspended head football coach Mel Tucker without pay pending the resolution of an investigation of sexual harassment charges against him. Brenda Tracy, who operates a company that tries to raise awareness of sexual harassment issues, claimed that Tucker began sending her unsolicited gifts and asking her out after she addressed the team on the issue last December. He also supposedly engaged in certain sexual activity while on the phone with her. He admitted the activity but claimed it was consensual. The school hired an investigation who issued a report in July,, but it was only made public yesterday. The school will hold formal hearing in October. The school still owes Tucker $77 million on his contract.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... sment-case

[jarnon]

Comedian Russell Brand denies allegations of sexual assault published by three UK news organizations

[silverscreenselect]

Tim Ballard’s Departure From Operation Underground Railroad Followed Sexual Misconduct Investigation

Tim Ballard’s exit from Operation Underground Railroad earlier this year followed an investigation into claims of sexual misconduct involving seven women, according to sources with direct knowledge of the organization. Sources familiar with the situation said that the self-styled anti-slavery activist, who appears to be preparing for a Senate run, invited women to act as his “wife” on undercover overseas missions ostensibly aimed at rescuing victims of sex trafficking. He would then allegedly coerce those women into sharing a bed or showering together, claiming that it was necessary to fool traffickers. Ballard, who was played by Jim Caviezel in the hit film Sound of Freedom, is said to have sent at least one woman a photo of himself in his underwear, festooned with fake tattoos, and to have asked another “how far she was willing to go,” in the words of a source, to save children. These sources requested anonymity because they fear retaliation.

The total number of women involved is believed to be higher than seven, as that would only account for employees, not contractors or volunteers. One source close to OUR has detailed knowledge of Ballard making sexual advances to a volunteer using methods similar to those he allegedly used with OUR employees. Those methods are also consistent with his conduct toward another former volunteer who spoke to VICE News.

In response to a detailed request for comment, a spokesperson for Operation Underground Railroad told VICE News:

Tim Ballard resigned from O.U.R. on June 22, 2023. He has permanently separated from O.U.R. O.U.R. is dedicated to combatting sexual abuse, and does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination by anyone in its organization. O.U.R. retained an independent law firm to conduct a comprehensive investigation of all relevant allegations, and O.U.R. continues to assess and improve the governance of the organization and protocols for its operations. To preserve the integrity of its investigation and to protect the privacy of all persons involved, O.U.R. will not make any further public comment at this time. O.U.R. is confident in its future as the leading organization committed to combatting sex trafficking and saving children who have been captured and sold into slavery.

The information from the sources with direct knowledge of OUR corroborates an anonymous letter that’s been circulating in the Utah philanthropic community for the past several months, which accuses Ballard of sexual harassment. VICE News first reported on the letter in July; the journalist Lynn Packer published it in full on Sunday.

“Several weeks ago, an OUR employee who accompanied Tim on an undercover operation filed a sexual harassment complaint against him with OUR’s HR department,” the letter, which was sent this summer to donors to anti-trafficking causes, reads. “This resulted in an extensive internal investigation into Tim and his individual operational tactics and led to more women speaking up as part of the investigation process.

“It was ultimately revealed through disturbingly specific and parallel accounts, that Tim has been deceitfully and extensively grooming and manipulating multiple women for the past few years with the ultimate intent of coercing them to participate in sexual acts with him, under the premise of going where it takes and doing ‘whatever it takes’ to save a child.”

The letter further said that OUR’s board and lawyers had made agreements preventing executives from discussing the circumstances of Ballard’s exit from the organization he founded, making it “virtually impossible for them to defend the organization against Tim’s false narratives.” The author or authors of the letter did not respond to requests for comment. An OUR spokesperson did not dispute what was in the letter when asked about it by VICE News In July, or respond further when told that reporters could only take this as confirmation of its accuracy.

Ballard, an ally of Donald Trump—he held an appointed post on a public-private anti-trafficking council in the Trump administration, and recently hosted the former president on his podcast—has said he’s strongly considering a run for the Senate seat set to be vacated by Mitt Romney. Speculation in the LDS community indicates that he’s planning to announce his bid on October 10. Last week, a spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement to VICE News that contained a pointed rebuke of Ballard. The statement accused Ballard of inappropriately using the name of a church elder, President M. Russell Ballard—the two are not related, despite sharing a last name—“for Tim Ballard’s personal advantage and activity regarded as morally unacceptable.” The church did not specify in its statement what activity it regarded as “morally unacceptable.”

Over the weekend, Ballard responded to VICE News’ reporting by giving an impassioned speech to a small crowd in Boston in which he said, “It’s not true, nothing you hear is true.” He also said he outright did not believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints condemned him in a statement issued to VICE News—something that did in fact happen, as has been confirmed by multiple Utah news outlets.

I would comment further, but this is supposed to be a non-political thread. Has anyone seen Flock lately?

[silverscreenselect]

Michigan State University has suspended head football coach Mel Tucker without pay pending the resolution of an investigation of sexual harassment charges against him. Brenda Tracy, who operates a company that tries to raise awareness of sexual harassment issues, claimed that Tucker began sending her unsolicited gifts and asking her out after she addressed the team on the issue last December. He also supposedly engaged in certain sexual activity while on the phone with her. He admitted the activity but claimed it was consensual. The school hired an investigation who issued a report in July,, but it was only made public yesterday. The school will hold formal hearing in October. The school still owes Tucker $77 million on his contract.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... sment-case

Michigan State made it official yesterday and fired Mel Tucker.

[Bob Juch]

Michigan State University has suspended head football coach Mel Tucker without pay pending the resolution of an investigation of sexual harassment charges against him. Brenda Tracy, who operates a company that tries to raise awareness of sexual harassment issues, claimed that Tucker began sending her unsolicited gifts and asking her out after she addressed the team on the issue last December. He also supposedly engaged in certain sexual activity while on the phone with her. He admitted the activity but claimed it was consensual. The school hired an investigation who issued a report in July,, but it was only made public yesterday. The school will hold formal hearing in October. The school still owes Tucker $77 million on his contract.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... sment-case

Michigan State made it official yesterday and fired Mel Tucker.

Talk about self-destruction!

[jarnon]

Gov. Shapiro’s top aide’s resignation comes amid sexual harassment claims

[Vandal]

Trevor Bauer, woman settle dispute in sexual assault case

Former major league pitcher Trevor Bauer and a woman who accused him of beating and sexually assaulting her in 2021 have settled their legal dispute, Bauer's attorneys said Monday.

"Both of their respective claims have been withdrawn with prejudice, effective today," attorneys Jon Fetterolf and Shawn Holley said in a statement.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was placed on administrative leave by MLB in July 2021 after the allegations were made by the woman, who said Bauer assaulted her on two occasions during what she said began as consensual sexual encounters between them.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/385 ... sault-case

[silverscreenselect]

Actress Julia Ormond has sued Harvey Weinstein for sexual battery, claiming he assaulted her in 1995. She's also suing Disney, Miramax, and the Creative Arts Agency (her agents at the time) for negligence. She claims that Weinstein told her he would only discuss an upcoming film project in his apartment, where he assaulted her. She says she reported the assault to her agents at CAA, who cautioned her against speaking out because Weinstein could damage her career. She said that her agency, which dropped her shortly after, knew of Weinstein's reputation, as did his employers Miramax and Disney, and they failed to protect her.

https://ew.com/movies/julia-ormond-sues ... 4ac26d84a0

[jarnon]

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of rape and abuse in lawsuit filed by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura

[silverscreenselect]

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of rape and abuse in lawsuit filed by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura

Cassie has reached a settlement with Combs the day after she filed the lawsuit. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/mus ... rcna125820

[silverscreenselect]

Jamie Foxx and Axl Rose were accused of sexual assault in separate lawsuits filed Wednesday in New York. Recently, New York passed a law giving sexual assault victims a one-year period to file claims that would otherwise have been barred by statutes of limitations, no matter when the alleged assault occurred. That filing deadline was Wednesday, so we may learn about other celebrity suits filed near the deadline.

In Foxx's case, the woman, a Jane Doe, claimed the assault occurred in 2015. She first posed with Foxx for a picture, then he took her to a secluded area and began fondling her. In Rose's case, the alleged assault occurred in a hotel room in 1989. The plaintiff there is Sheila Kennedy, a former Penthouse Pet of the Year, whose boyfriends have included Leif Garrett, Ray Mancini, and Scott Baio. Kennedy had previously revealed her claim in an interview in a 2021 British documentary about the sexual abuse of young girls in the rock music industry.

https://people.com/jamie-foxx-accused-o ... 4ac26d84a0

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/22/entertai ... index.html

[silverscreenselect]

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of rape and abuse in lawsuit filed by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura

Cassie has reached a settlement with Combs the day after she filed the lawsuit. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/mus ... rcna125820

Combs has been sued by another woman whose suit was filed just before the New York deadline for this type of lawsuit. The woman, who appeared with Combs in some clips of a music video, accused him of assaulting her in 1991, when she was a student at Syracuse. She said he persuaded her to have lunch with him, then when she left to go the rest room, she thinks he spiked her drink. He then took her to where he was staying and assaulted her. She added that he videotaped the assault and showed other people. Combs denies the charges.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/23/us/sexua ... index.html

[jarnon]

One more suit as the legal window closes:

NYC Mayor Eric Adams accused of sexual assault 30 years ago in court filing

Adams is already under federal investigation as an alleged foreign agent for Turkey, and he said the influx of asylum seekers will destroy the city. His popularity is down to 33%.

[silverscreenselect]

A former aide to ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo has sued him under the New York Adult Survivors Act. She was one of eleven women whose claims about harassment by Cuomo were verified by the state attorney general's report in 2021.

[silverscreenselect]

Jonathan Majors, co-star of the current Creed III and Antman: Quantumania films, has been arrested in New York on domestic violence allegations. A 30-year-old woman filed the complaint against Majors, alleging that he assaulted and tried to strangle her. She had minor injuries to her head and neck and was admitted to a hospital in stable condition. Majors denies all the allegations. Ironically, in Creed III, he plays a boyhood friend of Adonis Creed who is released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence.

A New York jury found Majors guilty today on two counts of assault and harassment, but acquitted him on two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment. He faces up to a year in prison. Sentencing will be in February. Disney has already pulled his latest movie, Magazine Dreams, from the Disney+ streaming schedule (it was due to be released this month) and his status as a "major" villain in upcoming Marvel films (the same character he played in Quantumania) is up in the air.

[silverscreenselect]

Jonathan Majors, co-star of the current Creed III and Antman: Quantumania films, has been arrested in New York on domestic violence allegations. A 30-year-old woman filed the complaint against Majors, alleging that he assaulted and tried to strangle her. She had minor injuries to her head and neck and was admitted to a hospital in stable condition. Majors denies all the allegations. Ironically, in Creed III, he plays a boyhood friend of Adonis Creed who is released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence.

A New York jury found Majors guilty today on two counts of assault and harassment, but acquitted him on two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment. He faces up to a year in prison. Sentencing will be in February. Disney has already pulled his latest movie, Magazine Dreams, from the Disney+ streaming schedule (it was due to be released this month) and his status as a "major" villain in upcoming Marvel films (the same character he played in Quantumania) is up in the air.

Marvel Studios has now cut all ties with Majors. His character, Kang the Conqueror, was supposed to be the main villain in some upcoming Marvel movies, but the writers are now working on ways around that. No word yet on whether they will recast the role or just write him out somehow.

[silverscreenselect]

Vin Diesel has been sued in a California state court by a former assistant who claims Diesel sexually assaulted her in his hotel room in Atlanta in 2010 during the filming of one of the Fast and Furious movies. She says she was hired by his production company in Los Angeles and flew to Atlanta to work with Diesel. After the assault, she was fired. She has also sued the production company and Diesel's sister, who is the company's president. Diesel denies the charges.

[Bob Juch]

Police have reportedly obtained a second sex video involving Sarasota School Board member Bridget Ziegler and an unidentified woman. Ziegler is the co-founder of the far-right organization Moms for Liberty, and her husband, Christian Ziegler, is the chair of the Florida Republican Party. Police obtained the video as part of its ongoing investigation into allegations that Christian sexually assaulted a woman.

According to the Florida Center for Government Accountability, the second video was obtained during a search of Christian Ziegler’s cell phone and Google account, and will not be released to the public. It is not known whether this video involves the same woman who filed the complaint against Christian Ziegler.

In late November, a woman alleged that Christian Ziegler went to her apartment and raped her after his wife bowed out of a scheduled get-together. These allegations revealed the hypocrisy of the conservative power couple, who are known for their anti-LBGTQ+ stances and attempts to ban books, yet had been involved in a three-way sexual relationship with a woman, which Bridget Ziegler reportedly confirmed to police.

Co-founded by Bridget Ziegler in 2021, Moms for Liberty is a conspicuously conservative “parental rights” group that rose to fame for opposing COVID-19 precautions in schools. It’s more recently known for attacking school curricula that are inclusive of race and LGBTQ+ identity.

Bridget Ziegler’s history of anti-LGBTQ+ vitriol includes her refusal as chair of a school board to stop a woman from calling the board’s only openly gay member an “LGBTQ groomer.”

Calls for Ziegler to resign her position on the Sarasota School Board continue to this day, and a public hearing was recently held, with parents and students demanding she step down. One Sarasota parent, Sally Sells, explained the issue wasn’t what the Zieglers do in the bedroom. “Most of our community could not care less what you do in the privacy of your own home, but your hypocrisy takes center stage,” Sells said. Former Sarasota student Zander Moricz drove home that point. “Bridget, you deserve to be fired from your job because you are terrible at your job, not because you had sex with a woman,” Moricz said.

On Dec. 12, the Sarasota County School Board recommended that Bridget Ziegler resign, but unless she does, only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has the power to remove her, which he can use only under specific circumstances, such as criminal charges. For what it’s worth, DeSantis has called for Christian Ziegler to step down as chair of the Florida Republican Party, though DeSantis seems uninterested in doing much more than that about any of this.

[silverscreenselect]

Paula Abdul has sued American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe and accused him of sexually assaulting her and harassing her. According to Abdul, the assaults occurred during the early season of American Idol when she was a judge. when he groped her in a hotel elevator during regional tryouts. Later, Abdul became a judge on another Lythgoe show, So You Think You Can Dance, and he again forced himself on her during a private dinner at his house. Lythgoe denies all the charges.

https://www.thewrap.com/paula-abdul-sue ... l-assault/

[BackInTex]

Paula Abdul has sued American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe and accused him of sexually assaulting her and harassing her. According to Abdul, the assaults occurred during the early season of American Idol when she was a judge. when he groped her in a hotel elevator during regional tryouts. Later, Abdul became a judge on another Lythgoe show, So You Think You Can Dance, and he again forced himself on her during a private dinner at his house. Lythgoe denies all the charges.

https://www.thewrap.com/paula-abdul-sue ... l-assault/

Paula accuses the man of sexual assault and harrassment, yet voluntarily works with him again. O.K. Paula.

[Vandal]

Wander Franco on MLB restricted list, Dominican authorities investigating alleged relationship with minor

The Tampa Bay Rays and shortstop Wander Franco have mutually agreed that Franco will go on the restricted list, the team announced on Monday. Major League Baseball is investigating allegations made against Franco on social media. Franco will be on the restricted list at least through the club's six-game road trip that started Monday night.

Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that Dominican Republic authorities are investigating Franco for an alleged relationship with a minor, confirmed by the office of the attorney general.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/wand ... ith-minor/

Originally accused of commercial and sexual exploitation and money laundering — charges that carry up to 30 years, 10 years and 20 years of prison respectively — Franco now stands accused instead of sexual and psychological abuse, according to a judge’s resolution that The Associated Press obtained on Tuesday.

Franco has not been formally accused, b ... in prison.