A well-known producer on such TV shows as “Six Feet Under,” “Blue Bloods” and “How to Get Away With Murder” is facing sexual assault charges after being accused of drugging a man unconscious before performing the sexual acts.
Laurence Andries, 66, has been charged with six felony counts, including sodomy on a victim prevented from resisting by a controlled substance, oral copulation of an intoxicated victim, and penetration of an intoxicated person, authorities said. The assault, authorities alleged, occurred in Los Angeles on June 30, 2022.
Andries, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, is free on $150,000 bond and has yet to undergo his preliminary hearing. He was arrested by Los Angeles police last August after the Los Angeles County district attorney filed six felony charges against him.
The producer could not be reached for comment.
The man who says he was sexually assaulted, identified in court papers only as John Doe, told ABC7 he is a military veteran and aspiring writer who was being mentored by Andries when he was drugged and assaulted.
“I believe that he drugged one of my drinks, took me to his place and then… I can’t say the word. I’m sorry, I can’t say it,” said the man, whom ABC did not identify.
The man told the station that he met Andries at a writers’ program and they became friends. In June 2022, they went out for drinks, he told the station, although he said he “always made it very clear, like, I’m heterosexual.”
According to ABC7, the man said he reported the alleged assault immediately to the police, despite the potential consequences for his future in Hollywood.
Andries, a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts, has been writing and producing in Hollywood for three decades. He was co-executive producer on “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Blue Bloods,” “Godfather of Harlem” and “Alias,” as well as one of the writers of HBO’s “The Pacific.” Andries also serves as a vice president of programming for the Writers Guild Foundation.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
