Keith Rohman is quoted in The Hollywood Reporter article, “Busfield Case Puts Scrutiny on Warner Bros.’ Own Investigation of Abuse Claims.” Actor and director Timothy Busfield was accused of inappropriately touching child actors in an anonymous tip to the SAG-AFTRA hotline. The article addresses the challenges and risks of neutral investigations in such matters, including the motivations for companies to hire an outside investigator.
With respect to pressure from clients that could compromise an independent investigation, Rohman noted, “I’m not going to tell you I never get pressured by a client to take a finding one way or the other. They’ll ask to see a draft report … I always say, ‘I am happy to correct typos, if I get the title of somebody wrong, but the findings will stay the same.’”
On choosing an investigator, Rohman advised, “You want an investigator certainly who has adequate training in the field. You want them to have made every effort to interview all the relevant witnesses. You want them to have prepared a report in which they analyze the evidence from both sides and explain why and how they reached the conclusion that they did based on a preponderance of the evidence standard.”
Regarding interviewees who fear retaliation, Rohman said he responds by telling them he can “sometimes anonymize whistleblowers in his report, but the accused needs to be able to respond to claims against them in an informed way. ‘You’re threading a needle.’”