The Facts
On Friday, California's Second District Court of Appeal ruled that lawsuits by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege they were sexually abused as boys by Michael Jackson, can be revived against Jackson-owned corporations.
Robson, now 40, claims the singer molested him from age 7 to 14. Safechuck, now 45, claims Jackson sexually assaulted him from age 10 to 14. Both allege his corporations helped coordinate his visits and ensured Jackson could be alone with the children.
The Spin
Narrative A
As Jackson was the sole owner and only shareholder in the corporations, they had no legal ability to control him or protect the children. Moreover, their parents were neither interested in seeking Jackson's employees to act as monitors or "protect" them from Jackson. The singer, who died in 2009, is being targeted for his name and money by Robson and Safechuck — who have already made millions by detailing false allegations of sexual abuse against an innocent celebrity in the 2019 HBO documentary "Leaving Neverland."
Narrative B
Jackson's employees left both Rozbson and Safechuck alone in a dangerous situation and the deceased singer's wholly-owned corporations can't be treated differently from Jackson's. His lawyers' attempt to dismiss the lawsuits calling Jackson innocent — when he reached an estimated $20M settlement to drop allegations of sexual abuse by an underage boy in 1994 — will set a dangerous precedent.
