Eliza Roberts, sister-in-law to actress Julia Roberts, has publicly detailed a 1989 encounter where she alleges actor Timothy Busfield made graphic sexual advances and disparaging comments about his wife. Roberts, 73, spoke out after Busfield, 69, was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child.
Busfield has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from allegations of inappropriate touching of underage male actors while directing the Fox crime drama "The Cleaning Lady." Roberts stated her decision to go public was prompted by Busfield's alleged denials of wrongdoing.
"The reason I decided it's time is because he is calling people liars who are telling the truth," Roberts told the Daily Mail from her Los Angeles home. Her account was provided to New Mexico detectives investigating Busfield's criminal case.
Roberts recalled meeting Busfield at a Santa Monica bookstore in 1989, where they discussed their children and careers. She stated the conversation turned uncomfortable when Busfield began complimenting her and discussing marriage and sex. Roberts said she ended the conversation and returned to her car, but claimed Busfield followed her.
According to Roberts' deposition, Busfield approached her car and, pressing his body against the door, spoke to her through the half-open window. "At first I thought he forgot something or wanted to say goodbye again," Roberts said. "But immediately he started to speak very graphically, sexually to me, and it was a whole other vibe."
She recounted Busfield making explicit comments, including alleged statements about wanting to know how she tasted and what made her aroused. Roberts also stated Busfield complained his wife was a "lousy f***." At the time, Busfield was married to his first wife.
Roberts first shared her story in a 1994 deposition related to a civil case involving a 17-year-old who accused Busfield of sexual harassment on the set of "Little Big League." That case was settled out of court, and Busfield denied wrongdoing. Eliza Roberts' husband, Eric Roberts, stated his wife provided her deposition because she saw what happened to her was happening to someone else.
Following her 1994 deposition, Roberts stated Busfield called her, expressing anger and asking why she would do this to him as friends. Roberts recounted telling him he had done the same thing to the younger accuser. She said Busfield hung up and never apologized, and she did not speak to him again.
Roberts described experiencing ongoing trauma, including an incident in the early 2000s where she became visibly distressed and cried upon seeing Busfield at a restaurant with her mother and sister.
Police files reportedly show six women have provided accounts to New Mexico detectives describing alleged unwanted sexual encounters with Busfield spanning decades, some of which have not been previously reported. These include allegations from a woman identified as JB, a former assistant, and actress Claudia Christian.
Busfield's attorney, Stanton "Larry" Stein, argued that the prosecution's inclusion of older claims from adult women demonstrates weakness in their case against his client regarding the charges involving minors. He suggested it indicates desperation to prejudice the public against Busfield.
Roberts stated that hearing similar accounts from other women reinforced her decision to speak publicly, though she acknowledged the fear of being disbelieved. "When this article comes out and people call us, the reaction might be to just run and hide. But if there is a chance that someone who has been hurt will know that someone believes in them, then it is worth it," she said.
Roberts indicated she plans to attend Busfield's trial. If given the opportunity to face him, she stated she would tell him, "You have a serious issue that's become a really destructive problem for a lot of people. Instead of choosing to face it and do whatever you could to make sure it doesn't harm other people, you just chose to harm those other people. Your compulsion isn't a choice, but your protection of your right to satisfy that compulsion has harmed a lot of people, and that was a choice."