Michael Jackson Abuse Lawsuits to Proceed to Jury Trial
On Friday, a California appeals court ruled that the lawsuits filed by two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them when they were children can proceed to a jury trial. Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who appeared in the 2019 HBO documentary series Leaving Neverland, alleged that they were abused by Jackson during their childhood.
Initially, the lawsuits were dismissed in 2017 due to exceeding the statute of limitations. However, a new California law passed in 2020 extended the statute of limitations for survivors who experienced abuse as children, allowing the cases to be revived. Despite this, a judge in Los Angeles dismissed the lawsuits in 2020 and 2021, stating that the companies owned by Jackson at the time of his death, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, had no legal responsibility for his actions as he was the sole owner.
But the recent ruling made by a three-judge panel from California’s second district court of appeals disagreed with the judge’s decision and allowed the lawsuits to proceed to a jury trial. In their decision, the judges emphasized that a corporation facilitating the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees cannot evade its duty to protect those children simply because it is owned by the perpetrator.
Wade Robson, now 40, claimed that Jackson abused him from the age of seven to 14, while James Safechuck, now 45, stated that the abuse occurred over a four-year period starting in 1988 when he was 10 years old. Both men allege that employees of the company did not adequately protect them from Jackson, facilitating unsupervised visits and ensuring that Jackson could be alone with them.
The lawyers representing Jackson’s companies and estate maintained that Jackson was innocent and that the two accusers were motivated solely by money and fame. They expressed confidence in Jackson’s innocence, citing the lack of credible evidence and the fact that the allegations emerged years after his death.
The release of the documentary Leaving Neverland in 2019 reignited the debate around Michael Jackson’s legacy, coinciding with the #MeToo movement that shed light on sexual abuse. During his lifetime, Jackson faced two investigations into allegations of child molestation, with charges dropped in 1994 and an acquittal in 2005 after a trial.
The decision made by the appeals court allows the lawsuits to move forward, where a jury will decide the merits of the allegations and determine the legal responsibility of Jackson’s production companies. The outcome of the trial is eagerly awaited by individuals around the world interested in Michael Jackson’s controversial legacy.
