A newborn baby was found wrapped in a sheet with the umbilical cord still attached in New York City.
Bijou Phillips has filed in California to legally change her daughter’s last name amid her ex-husband Danny Masterson’s prison sentence.
Phillips, 45, filed the paperwork on Friday, October 24, to change her 11-year-old daughter's name from Fianna Francis Masterson to Fianna Francis Phillips, according to court documents viewed by People. The change will have Fianna’s last name swapped from her father’s surname for her mother’s maiden name.
The filing is currently waiting for approval, per the outlet.
In addition to the filing for Fianna’s last name to be changed, a judge also changed both Phillips and Masterson's legal statuses to "single" on October 24, according to an additional court document viewed by People.
Phillips filed for divorce from Masterson, 49, after nearly 12 years of marriage in September 2023. The filing came about two weeks after he was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison during a September 2023 court hearing. At the time, she cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split, according to USA Today.
"Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter," Peter A. Lauzon, Phillips' lawyer, told People at the time of the filing. "This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family. Mr. Masterson was always present for Ms. Phillips during her most difficult times of her life.”
Lauzon continued, "Ms. Phillips acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter. She hopes that everyone will respect her family's privacy in these difficult times."
Prior to Masterson’s sentencing, Phillips stood by his side throughout the lawsuit and was a constant fixture at his court hearings.
Masterson is currently being held at North Kern State Prison in Delano, California, after he was convicted of the rape of two women.
The That ‘70s Show alum filed to appeal his conviction in December 2024, with his lawyers arguing that "the trial was rife with erroneous judicial rulings that skewed the jury’s view of the evidence against him and there was a stunning amount of exculpatory evidence which was never presented to the jury."
Masterson was first charged in 2020, and he was accused of forcibly raping three women in separate incidents that took place between 2001 and 2003.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, the third count of rape resulted in a hung jury after the jurors failed to make a unanimous decision after deliberating for more than seven days.
Despite being found guilty, Masterson has maintained his innocence regarding all three alleged rapes.
