Julia Roberts’ sister-in-law recently made serious allegations against actor Timothy Busfield, claiming he sexually harassed and demeaned her, according to a deposition from 1994 that has surfaced.
The Daily Mail reported that Eliza Roberts, who is married to Julia’s brother Eric, alleged in her deposition that Busfield, who is now 68, pursued women obsessively and exhibited strange behavior.
Roberts, now 73, described Busfield as a “weird man” in her testimony. The deposition was in connection with a complaint lodged by a 17-year-old girl from Minnesota, who accused him of sexual harassment on the set of “Little Big League.”
Roberts, along with five unnamed women, supported Julia’s case, which was resolved in July 1995 for an undisclosed amount. It’s worth noting that Busfield had previously made derogatory comments about his then-wife, calling her a “terrible piece of shit” and had even attempted to mislead her into having sex by bragging about his prowess.
Busfield and Jenny Merwin were married in 1988, and he had previously been married to actress Radha De La Mater until 1986.
Among the women who provided statements, a few were part of the “Little Big League” production. Two of them accused Busfield of persistent and intimidating sexual advances at a bar.
At the time of her deposition, Roberts was around 41. Other details have yet to be disclosed regarding one of the additional women.
No criminal charges stemmed from the 1994 allegations. Currently, Busfield is facing charges for child sexual abuse, related to suspicions of grooming a child actor for the upcoming Fox series “Cleaning Women.”
Law enforcement uncovered that Busfield reportedly acknowledged there was a high possibility he had physical contact with twin child actors involved in the investigation.
However, he allegedly attempted to justify his actions by claiming the set was a “playful environment.”
One of the boys expressed being “very afraid” of Busfield while working on the series but felt unable to speak out at the time due to his status as the director.
Busfield turned himself in to the police on January 13 at his residence in upstate New York, facing two counts of criminal misconduct involving minors and one charge of child abuse.
He has denied any wrongdoing. Shortly after, on January 14, he was publicly accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl at his B Street Theater in Sacramento, California, but no charges have been filed in that case.
