Timothy Busfield Asks Court to Dismiss Child Sexual Abuse Trial

Timothy Busfield is asking a New Mexico court to throw out his indictment on child s-- abuse allegations.

According to documents obtained by USA TODAY, the 68-year-old filed a motion on Thursday, June 18, seeking to quash the grand jury's February indictment, arguing prosecutors failed to present a fair and impartial case and misrepresented the law to jurors.

"The state has abdicated its role of administering justice and instead pursued an indictment against Mr. Busfield at the cost of evidence, Mr. Busfield's rights, and the independence and integrity of the grand jury," the filing states.

The West Wing star is facing four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child following alleged incidents that happened between late 2022 and early 2024 when he was working as a director on The Cleaning Lady.

He allegedly abused twin boys on the series when they were 7 and 8 years old, according to prosecutors.

The alleged victims accused Busfield of inappropriately making physical contact on the set of the show. One claimed Busfield touched his g------ several time, according to the complaint.

Busfield surrendered himself to the authorities in New Mexico on January 13.

"They're horrible," he said of the situation. "They're all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys, and I'm [going to] fight it. … So, hang in there, and hopefully I'm out real soon."

Busfield's lawyer Larry Stein maintains his client's innocence.

"As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich. What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial," Stein said.

"The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure. This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law," he continued. "Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors."

Meanwhile, Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, defended her husband.

"This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives," she said on Good Morning America earlier this year.

"Our life as we knew it is done. We are grieving what we had. All of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects," said Gilbert, who wed Busfield in 2013. "For Tim, it's done. He's canceled ... even if he's exonerated, he will always be that guy. The last person in the world who would hurt a child."