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Four adult siblings who claim Michael Jackson abused them as minors have filed a high-profile child trafficking lawsuit against the late musician’s estate.
The new lawsuit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday, a month after siblings Frank, Dominic, Marie-Nicole and Aldo Cascio appeared in a Beverly Hills court. There they had tried to have a financial settlement with Jackson’s estate declared void, which they described as “an unlawful agreement to silence victims of child sexual abuse”. Representatives of the estate requested that the parties be sent to arbitration, but the judge did not make a final ruling and set a follow-up hearing for March 5.
“Michael Jackson was a serial child predator who drugged, raped and sexually abused each of the plaintiffs over the course of more than a decade – some starting as young as seven or eight years old,” says the 23-page lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone. The filing alleges that the abuse occurred over extended periods of time in multiple locations around the world, including during visits where Jackson and his children stayed overnight at the siblings’ family home.
Grooming with money and fame
The lawsuit argues that Jackson “groomed and brainwashed” the siblings using his wealth, fame, and network of employees and advisors. According to the lawsuit, Jackson met the family through their father, who worked at a luxury hotel that Jackson regularly visited. After gaining the family’s trust with gifts, displays of affection and sustained attention, Jackson allegedly isolated the children from responsible adults, gave them drugs and alcohol, exposed them to pornography and then abused them individually.
The lawsuit alleges that Jackson sexually abused Edward during domestic and international travel, including stops on the Dangerous World Tour, visits with Elizabeth Taylor in Switzerland and Elton John in the United Kingdom, and at his Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County.
Dominic was allegedly abused in Florida, New Jersey, New York, France and South Africa – including during the HIStory World Tour, at Neverland Ranch and at the Cascios’ family home in New Jersey. Aldo is said to have been abused during international travel, at Neverland Ranch, in New York, at the family home and during video filming and recording sessions. Marie-Nicole is said to have been attacked on similar trips, including to Neverland Ranch, New York, Las Vegas and Florida, as well as to the family home – according to the lawsuit, Jackson also attempted to abuse Marie-Nicole in Bahrain.
Once Jackson’s strongest defender
The Cascio family previously referred to themselves as Jackson’s “second family” in media interviews. They were among his staunchest defenders during his criminal trial, which ended in 2005 with an acquittal on child sexual abuse charges. Jackson entered into a civil settlement in 1994, maintaining his innocence. After Jackson’s death in 2009, choreographer and director Wade Robson and writer, actor and director James Safechuck went public with allegations that Jackson had abused them in the 1980s and 1990s – sometimes during overnight stays at Neverland Ranch. They described their statements in detail in the documentary “Leaving Neverland,” which was released in 2019. According to the Cascio siblings, this documentary inspired them to share their own experiences.
Representatives for Jackson’s estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Last month, a lawyer for the estate said his clients “categorically deny the siblings’ allegations.” He claimed the allegations were tied to a “$213 million extortion demand last summer.”
The new lawsuit, signed by attorney Howard King on behalf of the siblings, includes allegations of child trafficking, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract, negligent personnel selection and fraud. She is asking for a trial to determine compensatory and punitive damages.
Lawsuit as a signal to other victims
“Despite the Michael Jackson Estate’s threats to ruin them financially, and in the face of the Estate’s false public allegations of fraud and lies, the Cascios have decided to no longer remain silent,” King told Rolling Stone on Friday. “Not only are they demanding fair compensation for more than a decade of abuse against an entire family – they also hope that their lawsuit will encourage other victims and those who know to come forward and shake off the shackles of their silence.”
Jackson was 50 years old when he died of an accidental overdose of the powerful surgical anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009, in his rented Los Angeles villa. Since then, his estate has been extremely successful in making money from Jackson’s music and legacy. After years of delays, a biopic about the singer’s life is finally set to hit theaters in April.
