An Illinois State University administrator accused of sexually assaulting a minor has hired a high-profile lawyer known for defending men accused of sexual crimes – including Harvey Weinstein.
Alan Bates, 52, of Bloomington, pleaded not guilty Friday during a brief court appearance at the McLean County Law and Justice Center. Joining him in court was Donna Rotunno, a Chicago-based attorney who unsuccessfully defended Weinstein during his 2020 trial in New York on rape and sexual abuse charges. Also on Bates’ defense team is Bloomington-based attorney Tristan Bullington.
Rotunno’s career defending men accused of sexual misconduct has led to national attention, including profile stories from NPR and The New York Times. Rotunno has been criticized for publicly doubting women who come forward to report sexual misconduct.
Rotunno has raised concerns that one byproduct of the #MeToo movement is that clients are considered guilty until proven innocent. She told The New York Times that “we can’t have moments that strip us of our fundamental rights” to due process and a fair trial.
“I think that women need to be heard, which is different than women needing to be believed,” Rotunno told NPR in 2020. “So I think anybody that has something that they want to say or need to say, they should be heard. But without any questioning or any follow-up or any looking at details, I think then we have an issue.”
After Friday’s arraignment, Bullington declined to comment.
Bates faces four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault. Bates was indicted Aug. 23 after what police called a “lengthy investigation” and arrested on the ISU campus, where he was the director (or department chair) for the School of Teaching and Learning. He’s also a professor of early childhood education in the College of Education, one of ISU’s marquee programs.
The allegations are related to Bates’ alleged conduct with one victim, under the age of 13, with incidents spread out during four time periods between 2007 and 2015, according to court documents and authorities. The allegations are not related to his work at ISU, authorities said.
It’s unclear if Bates is on leave, or if there’s been some other change to his employment status. ISU has declined to comment on his status, calling it a “personnel matter.” Bates is no longer listed as director of the School of Teaching and Learning, although he remains listed as a professor at ISU.
Bates posted $100,000 (10% of his $1 million bond) to be released, awaiting trial.
