Two men who alleged that the late Michael Jackson had s*xually assaulted them are suing the singer’s estate for $400 million. While the case is not entirely new, this is the first time that the amount involved in the lawsuit has been made public. It was revealed in court documents pertaining to another legal battle between the estate and Jackson’s daughter Paris (via RadarOnline).
Wade Robson and James Safechuck earlier spoke out against the singer in the all-revealing HBO documentary, Leaving Neverland. The duo filed their lawsuit against Jackson in 2013. Robson claimed that Jackson had s*xually abused him for years after meeting him at the age of 7.
Safechuck also made similar claims, sharing that he met Jackson as a child during a commercial, and the abuse went on for years. The court initially dismissed the lawsuits, claiming the case was brought to the court way past the statute of limitations. However, they filed an appeal citing a new law that allowed victims to bring claims despite when it happened.
The California Court of Appeals overturned the court’s initial decision to dismiss the lawsuits. It allowed Robson and Safechuck to continue fighting the case in the lower court. The exact amount of their lawsuit came to light when John Branca and John McClain, the executors of the Jackson estate, responded to a legal request from Paris Jackson.
The executors wanted Paris to cover these legal costs, citing that they have been paying huge sums of money for expenses and lawyers.
Disturbing Allegations Against Michael Jackson Explained
In Leaving Neverland, which came out in 2019, Wade Robson and James Safechuck detailed the abuse they allegedly suffered from Michael Jackson. They also talked about their ongoing lawsuit in the documentary. Six years after the explosive tell-all documentary, Robson and Safechuck are revealing more details in a follow-up documentary, Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson.
They reflect on the backlash they received after accusing Jackson of s*xual abuse. Robson shared, “The reaction of the whole world, angry Michael fans and media, a certain amount of them can be extremely vicious.” Safechuck detailed the horrific abuse he endured from Jackson. He claimed (via RadarOnline):
Your life would be over if people knew he would want me to s*ck on his nipples and then he would finish himself… I was sleeping and I woke up and Michael said that he had performed oral s*x on me while I was sleeping, and I was like, ‘Oh, okay.’
Both of them had claimed that Jackson had groomed them and even threatened them to ruin their careers if they didn’t remain silent. Jackson fought child abuse allegations for a good part of his life before his death in 2009.
In July 1993, a 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler told his father and later to a child psychiatrist that he was molested by Michael Jackson at the latter’s Neverland Ranch in California. An investigation was launched into Jackson that went on for the next decade. In 2005, Jackson was acquitted of all charges after a decade of trials and investigations.
Paris Jackson and the Michael Jackson Estate Engage in Legal Battle
Paris Jackson wanted to know about the money spent on legal fees by the Michael Jackson estate. She filed a legal request in court regarding the same. The executors of the estate, John Branca and John McClain, explained that they employed various law firms to fight Jackson’s legal battles, including Robson and Safechuck’s lawsuits.
These law firms allegedly cost a substantial amount of money. Paris wanted the court to intervene after she had serious doubts over some of the expenses being approved by the executors. The executors claimed in court that if the court sided with Paris, it would have “profoundly destabilizing consequences for the estate” (via UsWeekly). They further added:
[If Paris succeeds], the Estate would likely have to default in [Robson and Safechuck’s lawsuit], where numerous depositions, discovery matters, and other matters are scheduled to take place over the next several months, and where [Robson and Safechuck] are seeking $400 million.
They shared that it would be “disastrous for the Estate to default in this case.” The executors claimed that there was no merit to Paris’s allegations, even highlighting how their work had “taken an Estate mired in almost half a billion dollars of debt to a multi-billion dollar powerhouse.”
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