Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Academy President John Bailey Thrown Out
Earlier this month, news broke that three separate sexual harassment accusations against Motion Picture Academy president John Bailey were brought to the Academy’s attention in the wake of the revelations against Hollywood’s top players. The Academy itself took measures to form their own guidelines and response team for investigating claims of assault or harassment against their members, and have apparently done so with Bailey, announcing late Tuesday night that Bailey has been cleared of all accusations.
In their statement Tuesday night, per The Hollywood Reporter, the MPAA said, “The [Membership and Administration] Committee unanimously determined that no further action was merited on this matter. The findings and recommendations of the committee were reported to the Board, which endorsed its recommendation. John Bailey remains President of the Academy.”
Bailey, previously a cinematographer, was elected by the Academy’s 54-member board of governors on August 8 for his first one-year term as president. The MPAA said initial reports of three claims against Bailey were incorrect, and that “there was only one claim under consideration, which was received on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.”
According to Bailey, who released his own statement, “There was a single named complaint regarding an allegation dating back more than a decade ago in which I am alleged to have to attempted to touch a woman inappropriately while we were both riding in a transport van on a movie set. That did not happen.”