The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday evening that an accusation of inappropriate touching against Academy president John Bailey has been investigated and found wanting. In other words Bailey is officially off the hook — i.e., Henry Fonda during the last ten minutes of The Wrong Man.
Bailey’s accuser hasn’t been identified and most likely never will be, but this sounds like the first high-profile accusation of sexual misbehavior to have been discredited in quite a while.
In an in-house memo distributed on Friday, 3.23, Bailey stated that a woman had complained about a single incident that happened more than a decade ago. She alleged that Bailey had “attempted” some sort of inappropriate physical contact while she and the legendary dp were riding in a transport van on a movie set.
“The Academy’s Membership and Administration Committee and its sub-committee thoroughly reviewed and considered the claim,” the statement said, and “unanimously determined that no further action was merited on this matter. The Academy respects the confidentiality of both the claimant and John Bailey, and will refrain from discussing the specifics regarding the claim.”