Updated

A New Mexico judge dismissed the indictment against actor Timothy Busfield on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor on Friday, October 16, 2026, ruling that prosecutors failed to act fairly and impartially before the grand jury. Busfield had been accused of groping a 7-year-old boy on the set of Fox's The Cleaning Lady, where he worked as an executive producer and director; the judge left open the possibility of future charges. Multiple outlets including Us Weekly, Variety, TMZ and Rolling Stone confirmed the dismissal, with TMZ noting the case was thrown out specifically over prosecutorial misconduct. Busfield's wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, appeared to react to the ruling online, underscoring how closely the family had been following the case.