Accusations of the star’s sexual abuse of minors can now be appealed in the legal system following a new ruling from a Los Angeles court.
- A Los Angeles court has overturned an earlier decision to dismiss a lawsuit against Michael Jackson’s estate.
- The lawsuit was filed by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the main characters in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.
- The two allege that the star sexually abused them when they were minors.
- The court previously dismissed these charges in 2020, for example.
- The case can now be tried again in a US courtroom.
- The HBO documentary Leaving Neverland caused a sensation internationally and in Norway.
- After the release, NRK chose to boycott Michael Jackson’s songs for two weeks, but lifted the boycott shortly thereafter.
- Michael Jackson passed away in 2009.
Many American media, incl CNN, report this. It was the California 2nd District Court of Appeals that on Friday dismissed multiple lawsuits against Michael Jackson’s estate from Wade Robson and James Safechuck – the two main characters in “Leaving Neverland” – no later than 2020.
In effect, this means that Robson and Safechuck can retry their abuse case in a US court.
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Robson and Savitchek’s attorney, Vince William Finaldi, told CNN afterward, “We are pleased, but not surprised, that the appeals court overturned the previous rulings.”
Of course, Michael Jackson’s estate attorney, Jonathan Steinsaber, wasn’t nearly as happy.
– We are disappointed with the court’s decision. He told the channel: “We remain absolutely confident in our belief that Michael is innocent of these charges.”
The documentary “Leaving Neverland” caused a stir around the world when it was released. In Norway, it was broadcast by NRK, which at the same time took the unusual step of boycotting Michael Jackson’s songs for two weeks.
However, the boycott was lifted shortly thereafter.
The documentary is based on the experiences of James Safechuck, who met Jackson in a Pepsi commercial when he was eight years old, and Wade Robson, who won a dance competition when he was five years old in connection with a concert Jackson gave in Brisbane, Australia.
Only in 2013 did Robson file a lawsuit against Michael Jackson, and Safechuck followed suit a year later. The California court system has dismissed these lawsuits on several occasions.
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James Safechuck, 42, several years ago accused the late pop star of sexual assault.
Subsequently, Michael Jackson’s family strongly opposed HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” and director Dan Reed, claiming, among other things, that in connection with the documentary, they had not had the opportunity to respond to the serious accusations.
And it didn’t take long before Michael Jackson’s estate sued HBO for the whopping NOK 865 million.
Michael Jackson passed away in 2009.
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