Prosecutors investigating Sera Dale Johnston's rape allegations against the 'Ordinary People' actor inform Vancouver Police Department officials they have arrived at a 'no charge' decision.
- July 22, 2021
AceShowbiz - A decades-old alleged sexual assault case hanging over "Ordinary People" star Timothy Hutton has been closed.
Prosecutors investigating allegations the Oscar winner raped Sera Dale Johnston in 1983 have told Vancouver Police Department officials they have arrived at a "no charge" decision, citing a lack of evidence.
In 2019, Hutton was accused of attacking the accuser in a local hotel room while another man watched and participated. Johnston claimed she was 14 at the time.
The actor, who was in Vancouver shooting the "Iceman" movie, has always maintained his innocence, insisting he was the victim of an extortion attempt.
"Timothy Hutton has officially been cleared by law enforcement of a criminal complaint filed against him," the actor's U.S. lawyer, Joshua Rosenberg, told Deadline. "The Canadian authorities scrutinized the matter and found a glaring lack of support and proof of Ms. Johnston's claim."
The drama cost Hutton his job on the "Leverage" TV revival. His character was written out of the show due to the claims.
Hutton took his allegations of extortion to FBI agents, who are reportedly investigating his claims, law enforcement sources inform Deadline.
Back in 2020, Hutton addressed the scandal, calling it extortion attempts. "I have been the target of multiple extortion attempts by a woman named Sera Dale Johnston to extract millions of dollars from me," he stated. "She threatened that if I did not meet her demands, she would go to the press with a false allegation that I sexually assaulted her 37 years ago in Canada. I never assaulted Ms. Johnston."
Representatives for the actor and Johnston previously reached a tentative settlement agreement several years ago, but the deal fell apart when Hutton vehemently denied her claims.
