The California Court of Appeal (USA) decided that Wade Robson and James Safechuck will go to trial after they filed a lawsuit against two of Michael Jackson’s companies.

Wade Robson and James Safechuck filed a lawsuit against the late King of Pop Michael Jackson and will have their day in court in the near future, according to People .

These two appeared in HBO’s four-hour blockbuster documentary Leaving Neverland . Both claimed Michael Jackson sexually abused them as children.

Wade Robson (left) and James Safechuck

Three judges, including Elizabeth Grimes, John Wiley and Victor Viramontes of the California Court of Appeals, ruled in favor of the two plaintiffs against Michael Jackson’s MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures. These are two companies of which Jackson is the sole owner and shareholder.

“We are disappointed with the court’s judgment. We still completely believe Michael is innocent of these charges and believe that the truth will ultimately prevail with Michael’s vindication once again,” the lawyer said. Michael Jackson’s real estate manager commented.

The ruling obtained by People details Robson and Safechuck’s claims that Michael Jackson sexually harassed them after the superstar befriended the two on separate occasions in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They sued Michael Jackson’s companies and will have a court date set.

For decades, both men remained silent, keeping their alleged abuse a secret from family, friends and even their wives. In the 2019 documentary, they described having a mental breakdown when their first children were born. What Robson and Safechuck said allegedly happened in Neverland when they were children, then wreaked havoc on their mental health.

Accused Michael Jackson of child molestation

Robson alleges that Jackson began sexually abusing him when he was 7 years old and continued to do so for seven years. Safechuck was first sexually abused in Paris in 1988, when he was 10 years old, and continued for four years until 1992.

The 37-page ruling also addresses Robson and Safechuck’s allegations that MJJ Productions employees conspired and assisted Michael Jackson in luring and sexually abusing children, covering it up, allowing the singer to being alone with children. Some children spend the night several times a week in Jackson’s bedroom. Officers allegedly found both Robson and Safechuck’s underwear on the floor next to Jackson’s bed.

In May 2013, Robson (46 years old) filed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson’s companies but was unsuccessful. A year later, Safechuck (40 years old) did the same. The trial court dismissed both lawsuits because the complaints were not filed within the statute of limitations.

California law requires that child sexual abuse lawsuits be filed before the plaintiff turns 26. At that time, they were 30 and 36 years old, respectively.

But in October 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law giving people alleging child sexual abuse more time to file lawsuits. However, their lawsuit was dismissed in April 2021. A judge ruled that Michael Jackson’s companies had no legal obligation to protect boys from sexual abuse.

Michael Jackson’s mansion in California (USA)

Vince Finaldi, another attorney for Robson and Safechuck, appealed the case. This is the second time the California Court of Appeals has taken steps to reinstate the lawsuit.

Both must prove two points in court to receive compensation. First, Michael Jackson sexually assaulted them. Next, the two companies were complicit in the sexual abuse.

Mariano Quindoy, who has managed Michael Jackson’s Neverland estate since 1989, claims to have witnessed “several suspicious activities,” according to the complaint, including watching “Jackson put his hands down in front of him.” Safechuck’s shorts while they were in the swimming pool”. Safechuck also alleged that Jackson abused him “hundreds of times in various locations”.

The complaint also alleges security staff were instructed to keep their distance when Jackson had “play time” with any children at Neverland. At the same time, the employee needs to keep the parents away from the children, allowing them to spend the night in the guest quarters of the main house.

Robson accused security staff of joking that Michael Jackson didn’t have a girlfriend “because he only likes boys” and that “he likes little white asses”. Jackson’s security guard, Charli Michaels, also allegedly saw “Jackson touching Robson’s genitals in a dance studio”.

“Despite Safechuck’s allegations, there is no evidence that company employees assured Robson’s parents that their child was in good hands,” Michael Jackson’s attorney Jonathan Steinsapir argued.

“There is also no evidence that Robson’s parents were instructed by company employees to only sleep in the guest area. There is no evidence that Robson was sexually abused at the recording studio. I also want to do It is clear that any witness assertion is not evidence,” Steinsapir added.

The male singer was once accused of sexual abuse

Michael Jackson was first accused of sexually abusing Jordan Chandler – then 13 years old – in 1993. The male singer settled with Chandler’s family out of court with compensation of up to 25 million USD. In the documentary Leaving Neverland, Robson said: “I was very excited about the idea of ​​being able to protect Michael and being able to save him.”

Robson defended Michael Jackson when the pop star was put on trial for charges of sexually abusing 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo in 2005. The jury found Jackson innocent.

Photo taken of Michael Jackson and James Safechuck in July 1988

At age 22, Robson told the court that he had spent the night in Jackson’s bed but had never been sexually harassed and that their relationship was platonic. Years later, Robson claimed he lied in court.

According to many news reports, prosecutors want to recall the fact that Safechuck once provided testimony as a witness to defend Jackson in the 1993 lawsuit. Safechuck later claimed he lied to prosecutors in 1993.

In the documentary, Safechuck said he told Jackson he did not want to testify, which made the singer angry. Safechuck said he informed his mother that Michael Jackson was “not a good person” and did not want to be involved in the case. He begged his mother not to tell anyone else and she agreed to protect him.

Safechuck first met his idol in the late 1980s, when he was very young. He was cast in a 1987 Pepsi commercial featuring Michael Jackson. The two still kept in touch after that. By 1988, Safechuck was the singer’s constant companion, even accompanying him on the Bad World Tour for 6 months.

Michael Jackson is accused of performing a fake marriage ceremony and repeatedly instructing Safechuck to deny all allegations of abuse and keep their relationship a secret. Safechuck claims when he was about 12 years old, Jackson began to lose interest in him because there was another boy and began preparing to break up with him.

Like Safechuck, Robson was a child when he first met Jackson after being called on stage at a concert in Brisbane, Australia in 1987. The 5-year-old boy was a fan of Michael and impressed the audience. with a dance performance. Jackson invited Robson and his mother, Joy, to his hotel room after the concert. “The singer told us to contact us if we returned to America,” Robson said in the documentary.

In January 1990, when Robson was 7 years old, the family went to California for the first time after contacting Michael Jackson. They are invited to Neverland for the weekend. Robson stayed at the mansion with the singer while the rest of his family left to visit the Grand Canyon. Robson claims that was when the sexual intercourse began and continued for seven years. The lawsuit also alleges that Jackson abused Robson by fondling his genitals, performing oral sex, and attempting to rape him anywhere: in the bedroom, in the dance room, in the recording studio, swimming pool and hotel.

Attorney Steinsapir argued that the company had no legal obligation to protect Robson or anyone else from Jackson. The main issue in this trial revolved around whether Michael Jackson’s companies had a “legal duty” to protect Robson and Safechuck from the sexual abuse they alleged against Jackson.

In the documentary, both men describe Michael Jackson’s death from a propofol overdose in June 2009 as a pivotal moment in their lives. Robson said he cried more than when his father died, while Safechuck mourned the loss of friendship.

Safechuck mentioned his last conversation with Michael Jackson shortly after the 2005 trial when he called to apologize for not being there because he struggled with depression while hiding his sexual abuse. with loved ones, except his mother.