The lawsuits brought by two young men against Michael Jackson’s estate– alleging the late pop star molested them when they were underage– are still progressing through Los Angeles family court. The suits were brought by Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck, each of whom was part of Jackson’s coterie of young boys who lived and played at Neverland, and went on trips with Jackson.
Over time, Safechuck dropped out of the picture and there was speculation that his family received financial assistance in exchange for their silence back in the day. Robson, however, went on to work for Jackson and his company, became a choreographer, and testified for Jackson in his 2005 at his child molestation trial.
Of the two cases, I’m told, Robson is in the best position because he worked for Jackson’s company. Both Safechuck and Robson have sued Jackson’s company and his estate. But rulings are still pending about statute of limitations on suing an estate five years after the probate has settled. Jackson died in June 2009.
If the cases were allowed to go forward against the estate, it’s more than likely that Jackson’s executors would settle. The reasoning is they don’t want to tarnish the brand in public with a lot of sordid details. The executors would also want to avoid embarrassing Jackson’s three children with a circus like televised and much publicized trial. A settlement would gag all parties and seal the deals.
More to come…
