Michael Jackson is being prosecuted for allegedly assaulting two of his former child guests, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
Despite Jackson’s death more than a decade ago, a three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal has allowed Robson, another plaintiff who claims to have been molested as a child, and Safechuck to file a lawsuit against the King of Pop for allegedly assaulting him between the ages of 7 and 14 at Neverland Ranch, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Safechuck, 45, filed his lawsuit against MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc. in May 2014, while Robson, 40, filed his in May 2013. Their lawsuits were dismissed due to the statute of limitations, but changes in the law made their lawsuits timely and the cases were sent back to the trial court.
Both men have starred in “Leaving Neverland,” a documentary that premiered at Sundance and eventually shown on HBO.
In his earlier lawsuit, in which Robson and Safechuck shared the same attorney, Vince Finaldi, Robson alleged that Jackson abused him over a seven-year period and that, as Jackson’s employee, the two companies he founded owed him protection in the same way that the Boy Scouts or a school would owe children protection from their leaders.
Jackson’s attorneys contended that the company had no legal duty to protect Robson or anyone else from MJ because it had no control over him.
The trial court agreed with the Jackson estate’s position, but the appellate court disagreed, and the matter will be sent back to trial on a preliminary ruling, which almost always becomes final.
For those who do not know, Robson, now a celebrity choreographer, has defended Jackson and accused him of abuse.
Robson was an Australian emerging child star who traveled to visit Jackson and was sexually abused, TMZ reported.
When Jackson was on trial for molesting another boy in 2005, Robson testified that he slept in Jackson’s bed with the singer, but nothing happened.
In 2013, he changed his story and filed a lawsuit against the company that same year. He said he testified falsely on Jackson’s behalf due to “complete manipulation and brainwashing.”
