Academy Dismisses Charges Against President John Bailey

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences determined during its monthly board meeting Tuesday evening that its president, John Bailey, will remain in his position, following the conclusion of an investigation into a misconduct claim made against the 75-year-old cinematographer. The organization sent a letter to its membership at the end of the meeting about its decision.

According to the letter, the Membership and Administration Committee and its subcommittee thoroughly reviewed the claim, as well as Bailey’s response and corroborating statements from both parties.

“The Academy took the claim very seriously and was cognizant of the rights of both the claimant and the accused, including consulting with outside counsel with expertise in matters related to harassment,” the statement read.

Elected in August, Bailey became the first test case for the group’s new policies on member misconduct after allegations against him came through the membership department’s phone line on March 13. Contrary to the news first published by Variety, there was one complaint against Bailey, according to the Academy, not three, as initial reports claimed.

Bailey emphatically denied the charges in a letter to the Academy staff sent the week after: “The media reports describing multiple complaints made to the Academy about me are false and have served only to tarnish my 50-year career,” Bailey said in the memo. “The fact that the existence of an allegation even became public thwarts the confidential review process that the Academy adopted and is supposed to follow when receiving complaints.”

Bailey also told his staff that he believed he would be exonerated. “I expect the committee will undertake its obligation to review this matter faithfully,” he said. “Because I know the facts, I expect they will conclude that there is no basis to take any action against me.”

The A.M.P.A.S., which Bailey has been a part of for decades, agreed with his assertion.

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