George Takei cites new report as exoneration in 1981 sexual assault allegation

Sara M Moniuszko | USA TODAY

George Takei is citing a new report from Britain's The Observer that claims his innocence regarding the 1981 sexual assault allegation against him.

The Star Trek actor and social activist was accused of sexual assault in November by former model and actor Scott R. Brunton, who told The Hollywood Reporter that he was drugged and groped by Takei, now 81, at the actor's Los Angeles condominium.

On Friday, The Observer published their own investigation of the events, which included interviews with Brunton, toxicologists and friends of Takei. "We — both public and press — got the George Takei assault story wrong," concluded reporter Shane Snow.

His articles notes that THR's story implies a drugging occurred despite Brunton's recollection not saying this specifically.

"All of a sudden, I begin feeling very disoriented and dizzy, and I thought I was going to pass out," Brunton told THR. "So I sat down ... and leaned my head back, and I must have passed out."

During The Observer's interview with Brunton, however, he said he was unsure if he actually fainted or just experienced a brief memory brownout.

Two toxicologists also said it would have been unlikely that Brunton's drink was spiked during the incident, citing low blood pressure exacerbated by alcohol as the likely cause of any "browning out."

The Observer also points out inconsistencies in Brunton's story in regards to the alleged touching. Brunton told THR Takei was "groping my crotch and trying to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time.”

Days later, in an interview with CNN however, he left out any touching claims. And to The Oregonian, he said Takei was trying to take off his underwear.

Brunton told The Observer that he did not recall Takei actually touching his genitals.

"I don’t fault Brunton for feeling wronged or for waiting all these years to cry foul," Snow wrote. "And just because he is inconsistent in his accounts does not mean we should jump to the conclusion that none of this happened at all. Victims often change details, out of panic or memory fallibility. Neither do I fault Takei for feeling unfairly judged, or, at 80 years old, for not remembering Brunton."

For his part, Takei returned to Twitter Friday to share The Observer's story and express his relief that these claims were being walked back.

"As many of you know, this has been a very difficult period for myself and my husband Brad as we have dealt with the impact of these accusations, but we are happy to see that this nightmare is finally drawing to a close," he wrote.

Snow cautioned that following the painstakingly researched stories about figures like Harvey Weinstein and Fox News' Bill O'Reilly and Roger Ailes, "the power of and interest in these stories has led to an incentive for the press to get them out quickly and for our polarized social media to quickly weaponize them. It’s easy to forget that every story has its own subtleties and nuances, and the consequences for getting things wrong can be severe."