Timothy Busfield is looking to parents of other child actors from The Cleaning Lady to support his effort to have his indictment dismissed, according to new court documents obtained by TMZ.
Busfield’s defense team has identified several parents connected to child actors who worked on the series as potential witnesses. Prosecutors, however, are pushing back and asking the court to keep those witnesses from testifying at an upcoming hearing on Busfield’s motion to dismiss.
The defense also wants several crew members from The Cleaning Lady available to testify, including a director of photography, a hair and makeup worker, a line producer, a COVID nurse and a stand-in actor.
According to the documents, Busfield’s attorneys say prosecutors have known about the witnesses for months and already had statements from some of them that the defense says challenge the State of New Mexico’s account of the events at the center of the case.
The prosecution is taking issue with how and when the defense formally disclosed the witnesses. Prosecutors argue Busfield’s team waited too long to provide the information, leaving the State with limited time to prepare for the hearing.
Busfield’s lawyers dispute that characterization. They argue prosecutors already had the witnesses’ names, contact information and statements, and say excluding them because of a notice dispute would be an excessive response.
The witness fight comes as Busfield continues his effort to have the indictment against him thrown out.
As previously reported, Busfield was indicted in New Mexico over allegations that he sexually abused child actors while working on The Cleaning Lady. He has denied wrongdoing.
The case has already included testimony and statements concerning the interactions between Busfield and child actors on the production. The supplied court material indicates that the defense intends to rely on people connected to the show as it challenges the prosecution’s case.
The upcoming hearing will therefore focus not only on Busfield’s request to dismiss the indictment, but also on which witnesses the court will allow his defense team to present.
