Timothy Busfield asks for child sex abuse indictment to be thrown out citing prosecution's presentation to grand jury

Timothy Busfield has asked an Albuquerque, New Mexico judge to throw out an indictment in his child sex abuse case, saying prosecutors cut critical corners amid an aggressive push to put him behind bars.

Busfield, 69, made the filing in Albuquerque District Court on Monday, according to court records reviewed by the Daily Mail.

He entered a motion to quash the ongoing case, in which he is charged with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13. 

Lawyers for the actor - who has denied the allegations against him - said New Mexico has 'abdicated its role in administering justice' in the case amid a clear bias against Busfield. 

Attorneys for Busfield said prosecutors omitted key evidence to a grand jury that would have benefited him - declining to reveal that an independent probe Warner Bros. launched against him did not turn up any evidence of wrongdoing.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Busfield and officials in Bernalillo County, New Mexico for further comment on the story. 

'Consistent with its conduct during its investigation, Mr. Busfield’s arrest and through the detention hearing process, the state has abdicated its role in administering justice and instead pursued an indictment against Mr. Busfield at the cost of the evidence, [his] rights and the independence and integrity of the grand jury,' his legal team said. 

Lawyers for Busfield told the court that 'the grand jury prosecutor's actions - repeatedly misstating the law to the grand jury and forsaking his obligation to facilitate the proceedings in a fair and impartial manner - constitute structural error requiring dismissal.'

State officials have 'remained willfully blind to the lack of evidence underpinning its case and stubbornly unmoved by the overwhelming evidence of Mr. Busfield's innocence,' his legal team said. 

Attorneys for the actor added that 'the evidence demonstrates that the allegations are patently false, implausible, and the results of an expressed vendetta against him.'

Busfield's attorneys said in legal docs that part of the investigation included his passing of a lie detector test, in which he stated he did not inappropriately touch one of his accusers.

The Warner Bros. probe also featured a number of affidavits from witnesses speaking in his defense, Busfield's lawyers said in the motion.

Busfield, who is wed to actress Melissa Gilbert, said prosecutors in the case were not fair and balanced in how they treated him when he testified before the grand jury, describing their conduct as an 'adversarial cross-examination.'

A status hearing in the case is slated for June 30 with a tentative trial start date of May 10, 2027.

Prosecutors in New Mexico announced on February 6 that Busfield had been indicted in connection with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13.

The allegations against Busfield involve two child actors who worked with him on TV series The Cleaning Lady, which he produced and directed on, from 2022-2025.

Busfield in January surrendered himself to authorities, and was subsequently let out of jail by a judge who said the actor hadn't demonstrated a pattern of criminal behavior.

The Lansing, Michigan-born actor has appeared in films including Field of Dreams, Little Big League and Revenge of the Nerds; and on TV shows such as The West Wing and Thirtysomething.

Busfield's also racked up multiple credits as a director, having worked extensively behind the lens on shows such as The Client List, The Night Shift and Designated Survivor.