A California Court of Appeals has reopened a lawsuit filed by two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them for years when they were minors. The Independent reports it.
The defendants in the case are MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc. The owner and sole shareholder of these companies was Michael Jackson. The plaintiffs, choreographer Wade Robson and actor James Safechuck, allege the companies had a duty to protect them from sexual abuse as children. The court found the men’s claims to be justified.
Robson and Safechuck originally filed lawsuits in 2013. However, they were rejected twice. The last time, in 2021, the court ruled that MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc. are not required to operate as a church or Boy Scout movement where a boy in their care can expect protection. The court’s decision also established that the defendants could not oppose the artist because the companies were wholly owned by the musician.
The Court of Appeal disagreed, stating that “a corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees is not relieved of its responsibility to protect those children just because it is the sole property of the perpetrator.” The attorney for Jackson’s side, Jonathan Steinsapir, said he was disappointed with the ruling.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck accuse Michael Jackson of forcing them to have sex when they were seven and ten years old respectively. In 2019, the documentary miniseries Leaving Neverland was released, in which the men tell in detail how they were abused. Following the image’s release, the Jackson family filed a lawsuit against its creators. Subsequently, the fan communities of the artist MJ Street, Michael Jackson Community and On the Line turned to the field. According to them, the statements by Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck insult Jackson’s memory, and the authors of the project ignore the principle of presumption of innocence. They also pointed out that the film contains unsubstantiated allegations.
Previously, Michael Jackson’s hat was put up for auction. It is estimated at 100 thousand euros. We talk about it in more detail here.
