Timothy Busfield’s Lawyer Responds to Sex Abuse Allegations as Melissa Gilbert’s ABC Interview Aairs Tonight
Timothy Busfield’s Lawyer Criticizes Parents Amid Abuse Allegations
In a continuing saga surrounding Timothy Busfield, the actor and director faces serious allegations of sexual abuse related to child actors on the set of The Cleaning Lady. Busfield’s attorney, Larry Stein, has directed pointed comments toward the parents of the minors involved in the case.
“We hope the remainder of the interview airing on tonight’s Nightline will make clear that the parents are criminals,” Stein stated. “One served more than three years in jail and lost their license to practice law for defrauding 1,500 people of $6,000,000, while the other was convicted for writing bad checks and stealing cars.”
ABC News has refrained from commenting on the specific content of the upcoming interview segments scheduled to air later tonight.
Sources indicate that the interview will not heavily focus on the backgrounds of the parents, Angele Lasalle and Ronald Rodis. Previous filings have suggested that Stein’s accusations and implications of a possible shakedown have surfaced multiple times in this complex case.
In a recent Good Morning America segment, Stein reaffirmed past claims that the parents allegedly sought revenge against Busfield over their sons’ recasting in the series starring Élodie Yung. The segment featured actress Melissa Gilbert, who expressed the emotional toll this situation has taken on her family. “This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives,” Gilbert said. “Our life as we knew it is done. We are grieving what we had… it’s canceled.”
Both Lasalle and Rodis were included in the extensive witness list submitted by Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who is currently running for governor of New Mexico. The list also includes several other individuals who allege they were sexually abused or harassed by Busfield over the years.
Busfield was charged on January 9 with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse related to incidents allegedly involving the two boys while on set in New Mexico. He directed multiple episodes of The Cleaning Lady during its four-season run from 2022-2025.
On January 20, as defense attorneys labeled the boys’ parents “con artists” in court, Judge David Murphy ruled against the District Attorney’s request to detain Busfield further, ordering his release instead.
While Judge Murphy did not impose any travel restrictions on Busfield, he mandated that the director have no unsupervised contact with minors involved in the case, nor any direct communication with the alleged victims or their families.
The next significant date in the case will be a pre-trial conference scheduled for April 22. A trial date has been set for May 2027.
