Attorney Christopher Allen Dodd, known for litigating major felony trials, is now representing the Emmy-winning actor as he awaits scheduling of his initial appearance
Actor and director Timothy Busfield now has legal representation formally entered into the court record as he faces felony child sex abuse charges in New Mexico, according to newly filed docket entries reviewed Wednesday. Busfield, 68, remains ordered to be held without release pending his first court appearance; a date that has not yet been scheduled or listed by Bernalillo County courts.
The updated docket shows that attorney Christopher Allen Dodd has been added as counsel for Busfield. Dodd, a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, is known in New Mexico for handling felony trials in both state and federal court. A former public defender, he has tried homicide, sex-crime and computer-crime cases and later practiced with the high-profile firm Freedman, Boyd, Hollander, Goldberg, Urias & Ward before co-founding Fayerberg Dodd, LLC and Dodd Law Office. His firm’s website says he has represented professional athletes, doctors and corporate executives, and has secured major civil rights verdicts in federal court. Dodd has been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and serves on the board of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association while lecturing nationally on trial strategy.
Dodd previously represented retired UFC champion Jon Jones in a high-profile misdemeanor case stemming from an alleged February 2025 hit-and-run incident in New Mexico. Prosecutors charged Jones with leaving the scene of an accident without injuries, but the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the charges in September 2025 after reviewing evidence, including cell phone records that supported Jones’ alibi that he was not at the scene. Dodd, in a statement following the dismissal, said his client had been “fully vindicated,” attributing the initial allegation to a woman who falsely accused Jones to avoid a drunken-driving arrest, and criticized Albuquerque police for accepting the claim without properly weighing the facts.
Credit: New Mexico CourtsBusfield was charged last week with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under 13, both third-degree felonies, and one count of child abuse. The allegations stem from his work on the set of the television series “The Cleaning Lady,” where investigators say he inappropriately touched male sibling child actors on their genitals and buttocks on multiple occasions when they were 7 to 8 years old. The inquiry began after a physician at the University of New Mexico Hospital reported suspected abuse in November 2024. Busfield told investigators that the child actors did not receive a new contract and that the lead actress on set overheard their mother talking about wanting “revenge on Busfield.” The lead actress, Eleoidie Yung, declined to speak with investigators.
As previously reported by Los Angeles Magazine, Busfield told detectives he “playfully tickled” the children and suggested the mother of the boys was retaliating after they were replaced on the show. The Albuquerque Police Department obtained an arrest warrant on January 9, prompting the US Marshals Service to join efforts to locate the Emmy-winning actor. Busfield surrendered to authorities on January 13 after traveling from out of state. In a video posted online denying the allegations, he explained he first needed to retain an attorney before turning himself in, then stated he had to drive “2,000 miles to Albuquerque” to address the charges. He said he intends to “confront these lies,” insisting he “did not do anything to those little boys.” Busfield called the allegations “so wrong,” thanked supporters, and added that he expects to be “back to work soon.”
Busfield is currently being held at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center. Additional filings, including his formal initial appearance and future hearing dates, have not yet been posted. Los Angeles has reached out to Dodd for comment.
Lauren Conlin
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