Lawsuits against Michael Jackson’s production companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, filed by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, can move forward to a jury trial, according to a ruling by a California appeals court on Friday.
The two men, who appeared in the 2019 HBO documentary series Leaving Neverland, accused Jackson of sexually abusing them when they were children. The documentary detailed their allegations against the late singer, who passed away in 2009.
Initially, the lawsuits were dismissed in 2017 due to the statute of limitations. However, in 2020, a new California law extended the statute of limitations for survivors who were abused as children, allowing Robson and Safechuck’s cases to be revived.
In 2020 and 2021, a Los Angeles judge dismissed the lawsuits again, stating that the production companies had no legal control over Jackson since he was the sole owner of the companies. However, a three-judge panel from California’s second district court of appeals disagreed with the judge’s decision and ruled that the cases can proceed to a jury trial.
The judges stated, “A corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees is not excused from an affirmative duty to protect those children merely because it is solely owned by the perpetrator of the abuse. It would be perverse to find no duty based on the corporate defendant having only one shareholder. And so we reverse the judgments entered for the corporations.”
Robson, now 40, alleged that Jackson abused him from the age of seven to 14, while Safechuck, now 45, claimed that the abuse occurred over a four-year period starting in 1988 when he was 10. Both men accused the company employees of not adequately protecting them from Jackson and facilitating his access to them.
Lawyers representing Jackson’s companies and estate maintained his innocence, stating that the allegations were motivated by money and that Jackson was targeted due to his fame and wealth.
The release of Leaving Neverland in 2019 brought forth the first significant debate about Jackson’s legacy since the #MeToo movement shed light on sexual abuse in various industries, including Hollywood.
During his lifetime, Jackson faced two investigations into allegations of child sexual abuse. In 1994, charges were dropped after the primary alleged victim chose not to testify, and Jackson settled with the family for an estimated $20 million. In 2005, he was acquitted by a California jury of child molestation charges and serving alcohol to minors.
The outcome of the upcoming jury trial will be closely watched, as it has the potential to impact Jackson’s legacy and the ongoing discussions surrounding allegations of abuse against prominent figures.