Court to decide reviving Michael Jackson abuse lawsuits

Attorneys representing the Jackson estate will attempt to persuade the appeals court to change its position. The California appeals court will consider reviewing and potentially reinstating the dismissed lawsuits of two men who allege that Michael Jackson sexually abused them during their childhood. The court’s preliminary decision leans towards sending the cases back to a lower court for trial.

Alligations

Wade Robson and James Safechuck filed these suits after Jackson’s death in 2009, with Robson doing so in 2013 and Safechuck following suit the following year. The men gained more public attention when they shared their stories in the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland” in 2019.

Both individuals sued MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc., corporations solely owned and controlled by Michael Jackson. Robson, now 40 and a choreographer, alleged that Jackson molested him over a span of seven years, starting from when he was only 5 years old. Safechuck, currently 45, claimed that he met Jackson at the age of 9 while filming a Pepsi commercial, and Jackson later showered him with gifts and allegedly subjected him to years of sexual abuse.

Michael Jackson Abuse Cases Reopened

Initially, in 2021, Judge Mark A. Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young ruled that the two corporations and their staff did not have a legal obligation to protect Wade Robson and James Safechuck from Michael Jackson, which led to the dismissal of the lawsuits. The California 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned Judge Young’s ruling last month. He ordered the cases to be retried.