Sexual abuse lawsuits filed by two men who allege they were sexually abused as children by Michael Jackson—allegations outlined in the 2019 Leaving Neverland documentary—could have their cases revived by a California appeals court on Wednesday, two years after both were dismissed for a second time.
Two men filed lawsuits against Jackson's estate in 2013.
Wade Robson, 40, and James Safechuck, 45, filed lawsuits against Jackson’s estate and two corporations owned solely by Jackson—MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures—in 2013 and 2014, respectively, alleging Jackson had sexually abused them while they were children, though both cases were dismissed in 2017 because they exceeded the state’s statute of limitations.
Both cases were resurrected in 2020, after a new bill extended the state’s statute of limitations, though they were dismissed again a year later after Judge Mark Young ruled neither the corporations nor their employees had a legal obligation to protect Robson and Safechuck from Jackson.
California’s 2nd District Court of Appeals reversed Young’s decision in a tentative ruling last month, returning both cases to court.
Attorneys representing Jackson’s estate, who have repeatedly denied the allegations against Jackson, will again argue against the cases Wednesday.
Jackson died in June 2009 from a drug overdose.
Howard Weitzman, an attorney representing Jackson’s estate, denied Robson’s allegations in 2017, suggesting they were “always about the money rather than a search for the truth,” according to the Associated Press.
Both Safechuck and Robson documented their allegations against Jackson in the 2019 HBO film Leaving Neverland. Jackson’s estate sued HBO for $100 million over the documentary’s release, arguing the film breached a non-disparagement clause agreed upon in 1992, when HBO filmed Jackson’s “Dangerous” tour. HBO argued the clause was irrelevant while suggesting Jackson’s estate was working to silence victims of sexual abuse. A federal judge later ruled the case be handled in private arbitration.
Robson alleges Jackson began sexually molesting him between 1990 and 1997, beginning when he was 7, and suggested Jackson instructed him to not tell anyone about their relationship. Safechuck—who filed his lawsuit in 2014—alleges Jackson sexually abused him between 1988 and 1992, beginning when he was 10, also suggesting Jackson told him to deny the abuse if he was asked. Safechuck, who appeared in some of Jackson’s music videos, argued he was one of Jackson’s employees and that Jackson’s corporations had a duty to protect him. Jackson’s estate has denied the claims, noting Robson testified during a 2005 criminal trial—in which Jackson was acquitted of molesting another 13-year-old boy—that he had not been abused, while suggesting Safechuck had indicated the same to police.
Michael Jackson Sexual Abuse Lawsuits On Verge Of Revival By Appeals Court (Associated Press)