The case against a prominent Santa Clarita Valley Realtor who had been accused of a sexual assault stemming from a Las Vegas real estate conference last summer was dismissed, a court clerk confirmed Thursday.
An attorney for the real estate agent, Michael Bjorkman, said his client has maintained his innocence from the outset of the accusations, and that’s what the evidence they’d gathered since Bjorkman’s arrest proved.
Thursday’s dismissal was an “exoneration” resulting from a monthslong investigation by his legal team, according to attorney David Chesnoff, who worked with his partner Richard Schonfeld to clear their client’s name, Chesnoff said shortly after the hearing.
The decision to dismiss the case was confirmed by Kasondra Hilton, executive judicial assistant for Judge Eric Goodman, who presided over the hearings in the matter.
“Mr. Schonfeld and I went to court this morning and the state made a motion to dismiss,” Chesnoff said. “This occurred after intensive investigation and interviews of multiple witnesses by us, which we then chose to present to the D.A., rather than waiting to have a trial, because we were hopeful that the D.A. would also speak to those people and realize that the case should be dismissed.”
The Clark County D.A.’s Office issued the following statement Thursday afternoon, via email, with respect to its prosecution of the allegation: “After charges were filed in this case, we received additional information and evidence that led us to believe that we cannot prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, it is our ethical obligation to dismiss the charges. We will not be proceeding with this case.”
A spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which produced a 35-page arrest report as a result of their investigation into the August 2020 allegation, refused to answer any questions and referred comment to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. Bjorkman was arrested March 9 in Florida on a Las Vegas arrest warrant as he was returning from a vacation.
Lt. John Adams of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Unit, which is investigating claims made in the Las Vegas arrest warrant regarding a separate alleged incident in L.A. County, reported Thursday, “The investigation is still active in L.A. County, although I have no definitive timeline as to if/when it would go to the D.A.”
Related stories:
May 6, 2021: Hearing continued 1 week for Realtor accused of sexual assault
March 31, 2021: Warrant details redacted sexual assault allegations against Realtor
March 18, 2021: Realtor accused of sexual assault released from Florida custody
March 10, 2021: Realtor arrested in Florida on warrant for Nevada sexual assault allegation