Academy President John Bailey Defends Himself on Sexual Harassment Allegations: “That Did Not Happen.”

Academy President John Bailey sent a memo to members of the film Academy staff on Friday, in his first response to the sexual harassment allegations against him.

“There was a single named complaint regarding an allegation dating back more than a decade ago in which I am alleged to have to attempted to touch a woman inappropriately while we were both riding in a transport van on a movie set,” Bailey said in the memo, the text of which was obtained by Vanity Fair. “That did not happen.”

Bailey, a cinematographer elected Academy president in August, became the first test case for the industry group’s new policies on member misconduct on March 14, after allegations came into the Academy’s membership hotline. Variety, which broke the story, reported that there were three allegations, but in his memo, Bailey claimed that was not true. “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.”

Neither Bailey’s agent nor his attorney have responded to Vanity Fair’s calls for comment.

The Academy itself has not commented beyond its March 16 statement, which read, “The Academy treats any complaints confidentially to protect all parties. The Membership Committee reviews all complaints brought against Academy members according to our Standards of Conduct process, and after completing reviews, reports to the Board of Governors. We will not comment further on such matters until the full review is completed.”

Watch Now: How Does a Film Win the Oscar for Best Picture?

The Academy’s new process for handling allegations of misconduct was created after the group bootedHarvey Weinstein from its membership rolls in October. Under the new rules, the committee charged with reviewing the allegations against Bailey is headed by casting director David Rubin, who ran unsuccessfully against Bailey for Academy president last summer.

“I expect the committee will undertake its obligation to review this matter faithfully,” Bailey said in the memo. “Because I know the facts, I expect they will conclude that there is no basis to take any action against me.”

Bailey went on to address the issue of sexual misconduct that has roiled the entertainment industry since last fall. “While there have been well-documented instances of individuals in this industry not treating women with respect, I am not one of them,” he said in the memo. “I care deeply about women’s issues and support equal treatment and access for all individuals working in this profession. I am proud to serve as President of the Academy and am committed to carrying on the important work the board elected me to do.”

The next scheduled board meeting, which is typically a post-mortem on the Oscar telecast, is March 27. The Academy previously declined to comment on whether Bailey will preside over the meeting as usual.

Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Rebecca KeeganRebecca Keegan is a Hollywood Correspondent for Vanity Fair.