Michael Jackson sex abuse case revived after major court decision over Leaving Neverland accusers’ appeal
LAWSUITS from two men who accused Michael Jackson of abusing them as kids are being brought back from dismissal.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed a ruling from a Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Friday.
The original ruling dismissed the lawsuits from Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who accused the late singer in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.
Now the men will be able to proceed with their claims that corporations owned by Jackson had a legal duty to protect them from the sexual abuse they alleged the singer inflicted on them when they were children.
The court found that it would be “perverse” to excuse the corporations from responsibility to oversee the safety of the plaintiffs because they’re solely owned by Jackson.
This is the second time that the lawsuits, which were filed in 2013, were brought back after being dismissed.
In 2020, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Young ruled that Robson and Safechuck couldn’t just the corporations for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty because they would not have been able to stop the alleged abuse.
The suits were first dismissed in 2017 due to the statute of limitations being expired, however, were brought back under legislation that gives victims of sexual abuse a three-year window to sue.
The court rejected the corporations’ arguments that they didn’t have a duty to protect Robson and Safechuck because “they had no ability to control Jackson-their sole owner-or his interactions” with children.
“To treat Jackson’s wholly-owned instruments as different from Jackson himself is to be mesmerized by abstractions,” wrote Associate Justice John Shepard Wiley Jr.
Now, a Los Angeles judge will reconsider the accusations made against Jackson.
Jackson’s estate has denied claims that he abused either of the men, who said Jackson allegedly molested them after they met him on video.
Leaving Neverland was released in 2019, which resulted in severe criticism from fans of Jackson who called for screenings of the film to be canceled.
After the release of the film, the Jackson family issued a statement defending the King of Pop, who died in 2009.
They said: “We are extremely sympathetic to any legitimate victim of child abuse. This film, however, does those victims a disservice.
“Because despite all the disingenuous denials made that this is not about money, it has always been about money – millions of dollars — dating back to 2013 when both Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who share the same law firm, launched their unsuccessful claims against Michael’s Estate.
“Now that Michael is no longer here to defend himself, Robson, Safechuck, and their lawyers continue their efforts to achieve notoriety and a payday by smearing him with the same allegations a jury found him innocent of when he was alive.”