Julia Roberts' sister-in-law once testified against Timothy Busfield

According to this new research, it turns out that Eliza Roberts, the sister-in-law of actress Julia Roberts, once had a terrible encounter with disgraced actor/director/producer Timothy Busfield, who's been accused of sexual abuse:

Julia Roberts’ sister-in-law once claimed that disgraced actor Timothy Busfield allegedly sexually “harassed and humiliated” her, according to a recently unearthed deposition.

Eliza Roberts made the claims in a deposition she voluntarily submitted in 1994 after a 17-year-old girl from Minnesota accused Busfield of sexually harassing her on the set of “Little Big League” the year prior, The Daily Mail reported Sunday.

In her deposition, obtained by the Mail, Roberts, 73, testified that Busfield, 68, was a “creep” who “compulsively” chased after women.

Roberts, the wife of Julia’s brother Eric, offered her sworn statement along with five other unidentified women in support of the teen’s lawsuit, which was settled out of court for an unknown sum in July 1995, the outlet reported.

She claimed that five years earlier, Busfield allegedly tried to cajole her into having sex, pompously insisting he would be “so great in bed” for her while complaining that his then-wife was a “lousy f–k,” according to the court document obtained by the Mail.

Busfield and Jenny Merwin wed in 1988. He divorced from actress Radha Delamarter in 1986.

Three of the other women who submitted statements, also obtained by the Mail, were involved in the production of “Little Big League.”

Two of them testified that Busfield hit on them in bars in a persistent, unsettling and aggressively sexual manner, according to the report.

Roberts, an actress, casting director and talent manager, was around 41 at the time of her deposition. The exact ages of the other women were unclear.

This definitely won't help Busfield's tattered image, and no matter how the trial turns out, his career is finished. Nor for that matter will it help his wife Melissa Gilbert's reputation, as the following makes clear:

Melissa Gilbert has continued to stick by her husband, Timothy Busfield, after he was accused of child sex abuse — but will that decision tarnish her career forever?

“Being ‘America’s sweetheart’ is great. Right up to the moment America decides Melissa is no longer acting sweetheart-ish,” Steven Cuoco, founder of public relations firm United Angels Dream, exclusively tells Us Weekly. “In cases involving child abuse allegations, ‘standing by your partner’ isn’t seen as romantic; it’s seen as a PR suicide pact. Silence or a neutral, lawyer-approved statement may not win applause, but at least it doesn’t set your career on fire.”

[...] Following Busfield’s arrest on January 13, the question remains whether Gilbert will be able to salvage her career and public image, with several crisis PR experts telling Us that her future is all about her next steps.

“There is more to Melissa than we know. The halo that made her beloved, the spotlight will show the cracks,” said Cuoco, who has not worked with Gilbert. “The damage is real. Whether it becomes permanent depends entirely on how Melissa navigates her next chapter.”

I think she's already done plenty of damage to her image as it is, and anybody who recognizes how badly she's screwing up should not buy from her new brand named "Modern Prairie". It's a shame, but it's another example of how even people who starred in famous TV shows aren't infallible.