Back in 1996, actor Timothy Busfield faced a legal setback when he was directed to pay $150,000 to a Minneapolis law firm. A judge dismissed his accusation that the firm concocted a sexual assault allegation against him.

Timothy Busfield, known for his role in The West Wing, was mandated by US District Judge James Ideman to cover Messerli & Kramer’s legal expenses. The judge determined that the firm did not falsify their claims against him.

The hefty sum of $150,000 represented the costs incurred by the firm while defending itself against a defamation lawsuit brought by Busfield. Despite his appeal against the ruling, both parties eventually reached a settlement.

This three-decade-old incident has resurfaced amid new sexual abuse charges against Busfield. Allegedly, his wife, Melissa Gilbert, recognized for her role in Little House on the Prairie, overheard his conversation with police regarding these new allegations via speakerphone.

In the 1996 dispute, Busfield claimed that the law firm fabricated allegations that he had assaulted a 17-year-old girl, according to a report from Deseret News.

Furthermore, Busfield reached a confidential settlement with the girl involved in the original lawsuit, as reported by the same source.

The alleged attack on the teen girl was said to have unfolded on the set of the 1993 movie Little Big League, which Busfield directed. 

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Gilbert and Messerli & Kramer for comment. Busfield could not be reached. 

Following an arrest warrant issued for actor Timothy Busfield for allegedly inappropriately touching a minor on a TV show set, it was revealed that was ordered to pay $150,000 to a Minneapolis law firm in 1996 after a judge rejected his claim that the firm made up a sexual assault case against him

Busfield has been married to Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert since 2013

The allegation follows an arrest warrant issued for Busfield this week in New Mexico that charged him with criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, alleging he inappropriately touched two child actors on the set of the TV show ‘The Cleaning Lady’, which Busfield also directed. 

According to a warrant for his arrest, an investigation into Busfield was opened in November 2024 when staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital called police and reported children potentially being groomed on the set of the TV show from 2022 to 2024. 

When Busfield was interviewed by police about the allegations on November 3, 2025, the arrest warrant said that Gilbert listened to the phone call over speakerphone. 

The warrant said that Busfield told an Albuquerque Police Department investigator that he was in New York at the time, and the actor was said to have brushed off the allegations as a fabricated revenge plot against him. 

The allegations were brought forward by the parents of 11-year-old twin boys on the set of Busfield’s TV show, and one of the boys allegedly said he was targeted by Busfield when he was seven. Busfield reportedly denied the claims. 

In his interview with cops, Busfield allegedly told officers that the boys’ parents brought the allegations because they were upset that their sons had been replaced with a younger actor on the show. 

The officer who issued the warrant for Busfield’s arrest this month also alleged that the defamation case from 1996 was also discovered during the investigation, along with a separate case around 2012. 

In the second case from 2012, the warrant said it was brought by a 28 year old woman who ‘accused Busfield of battery in an LA movie theater—alleging he slipped hands under clothes, touched genitals for four minutes.’ 

No lawsuit was ever filed in that case, and the warrant notes that prosecutors did not bring charges due to ‘slim evidence’, and Busfield claimed the encounter was consensual. 

Busfield pictured starring as character Danny Concannon on hit TV show The West Wing 

Gilbert and her husband are pictured together in fall of 2025

Busfield (pictured with Gilbert in 2019) is being sought by cops and is facing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse

Following the police interview, Busfield was told by Warner Bros. that they were investigating the complaint. 

In a statement to PEOPLE, a Warner Bros. Television representative said, ‘The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions. 

‘We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action.

‘We have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement,’ the spokesperson added.

According to an affidavit, an investigation was opened into Busfield in November 2024 when staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital called police and reported children potentially being groomed on the set of his TV show. 

An officer reportedly spoke with the parents of two child actors on the set of the show, and Busfield allegedly ‘grew closer to the boys’ during their time on set, per a criminal complaint filed last week in New Mexico. 

According to an arrest warrant issued for Busfield, his wife, Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert (left) listened in on the call in November 2025 via speakerphone

The arrest warrant first obtained by People alleged that Busfield and Gilbert had ‘a relationship’ with the victims and their families outside of work.

‘They advised that they did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together [at] several social functions,’ read the warrant written by Albuquerque Police Officer Marvin Brown.

Brown stated Busfield ‘would invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness.’

Busfield allegedly told the children ‘to call him Uncle Tim’, and the criminal complaint said he ‘would tickle them on the stomach and legs, despite them not liking the tickling.’

The children did not allege sexual touching at the time, but in October 2025 one of the parents reported to Child Protective Services that her child disclosed alleged sexual abuse by Busfield, the warrant said. 

The child told a therapist that Busfield touched his ‘genitalia’ and ‘bottom’ while in a bedroom on the set of the TV show, according to the affidavit first reported by KTLA.

According to the affidavit, Busfield told an officer that he had ‘playful’ contact with the children on his set, but denied any wrongdoing.

According to a complaint filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, the alleged abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024.

A warrant has been issued for Busfield’s arrest in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, though no court or jail records indicate he has been taken into custody.

At least one of the children in the case was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder following the alleged abuse, according to the complaint.

The actor has been married to Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert since 2013.

Gilbert shot to fame as a child in the 1960s, and went on to become one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, including serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005.

Following a stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2012, Gilbert ran for Congress in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District three years later, but after becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee she dropped out of the race, citing health issues.

The pair celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in April 2025, and Gilbert said in a social media post at the time that their marriage was ‘perfect.’

’12 years of true partnership, love, laughter, compassion, commitment, passion, laughter, cooking, kids, grandchildren, chickens, dogs, creating homes, films, plays, television. 12 years of writing together, traveling, cuddling, delicious meals, romantic getaways, spooning, reflecting, meditating, praying,’ she wrote. 

Gilbert last shared a picture with Busfield to her social media in December 2025.