Michael Jackson accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, have received approval from a California appeals court to proceed with their abuse claims in a trial. The court ruling, with a vote of 3-0, reversed a previous decision that dismissed the case against Jackson’s companies. The court found that Jackson’s companies can be held accountable for his alleged misconduct.
The appellate court stated, “Plaintiffs had every right to expect defendants to protect them from the entirely foreseeable danger of being left alone with Jackson.” The allegations were detailed in the HBO documentary series “Leaving Neverland” in 2019. Robson and Safechuck claim that they were sexually abused by Jackson when they were children.
Previously, the lawsuits were dismissed due to the statute of limitations, as Robson and Safechuck first attempted to bring their case to court in 2013 and 2014. However, with the passing of a new law in 2020 that extended the statute for child sexual abuse allegations, they were given another chance. In 2021, their cases were initially dismissed, but now the three appellate court judges have ruled in favor of Robson and Safechuck.
Robson, now 46 years old, alleges that Jackson began sexually abusing him when he was 7 years old during his first visit to Neverland in 1990. Safechuck, 40, claims his abuse by Jackson began when he was 10 years old in Paris in 1988.
Mariano Quindoy, an estate manager who worked at Neverland during the time of the alleged abuse, has come forward as a witness, stating he witnessed “several incidents of suspicious activity” at the Jackson ranch. Quindoy claims to have seen Jackson’s and the plaintiffs’ underwear next to Jackson’s bed, and Jackson putting his hand down the front of Safechuck’s shorts while in the jacuzzi.
The defense argued that Jackson’s companies had no authority to manage his conduct or supervise him, as they were solely owned by Jackson. However, the court dismissed this argument, stating that “Jackson’s corporations were Jackson.”
Jonathan Steinsapir, attorney for Jackson’s estate, expressed disappointment with the court’s decision. He stated, “We remain fully confident that Michael is innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration, and which were only first made years after Michael’s death. We trust that the truth will ultimately prevail with Michael’s vindication yet again.”
The case will now proceed to a trial in the lower courts, allowing Robson and Safechuck to present their allegations to a jury.