New allegations have surfaced that the late pop star Michael Jackson sexually abused minors during his lifetime, claims his estate has forcefully denied as a bid for money.
People and other outlets reported on April 24 (local time) that four siblings from the Cascio family said in a recent interview with The New York Times that Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. The siblings filed a lawsuit on Feb. 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Jackson’s estate and related parties.
Court records list the plaintiffs as Edward Joseph Cascio, Dominic Sabini Cascio, Marie Nicole Forte and Aldo Cascio. Defendants include The Michael Jackson Company, John Branca, John McClain, MJJ Productions, MJJ Ventures, Herman Weisberg and others.
The Cascio family was previously reported to have been close enough to Jackson to be described as his “second family.” They met him through their father, who worked at a Manhattan hotel in New York where Jackson often stayed in the 1980s. The siblings said they later visited Jackson’s Neverland home and spent time with him over the years.
In their complaint, the plaintiffs allege Jackson abused them over an extended period in the United States and during overseas tours, at Neverland and at the Cascio family’s home in New Jersey. They also allege Jackson emotionally manipulated them from a young age and conditioned them to defend him against outside allegations of sexual abuse.
The complaint also alleges Jackson provided them alcohol and drugs and exposed them to pornography. The plaintiffs say some of the alleged abuse began when they were about 7 or 8 and continued into their teens.
The siblings had publicly defended Jackson when earlier abuse allegations emerged, and after his death they said in broadcast interviews that he had not behaved inappropriately toward them. They said they came to view their past experiences differently after watching the 2019 HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland.”
The lawsuit also involves a dispute over a 2020 settlement. The siblings are reported to have received a total of $16 million in an agreement with Jackson’s estate. The plaintiffs contend the settlement was coercive and unfair, while the estate argues the agreement includes an arbitration clause and should be handled through arbitration rather than a public trial.
Jackson’s estate rejected the allegations. Estate attorney Martin Singer said in a statement to People that the lawsuit was a “desperate attempt” to get money. He said the Cascio family had defended Jackson and asserted his innocence for more than 25 years, and argued the suit is a strategy to extract a large payout from the estate and related companies.
Jackson faced multiple child sexual abuse allegations during his life but was acquitted in a 2005 criminal trial. He died in June 2009. The new claims have drawn renewed attention ahead of the May 13 South Korea release of the biographical film “Michael.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.