This is Part 2 of what will be many.
The lawsuit filed July 8th by the Michael Jackson Estate comes from Hollywood powerhouse firm Lavely and Singer. They do not fool around. Martin Singer is a killer. If you’re up against him, it’s war.
The lawsuit alleges that Frank Cascio (as described in my previous story) saw an opportunity after “Leaving Neverland” aired on HBO. The documentary was about two of Michael’s other “kids,” Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck, who waited years after Michael’s passing to say they were abused.
“Leaving Neverland” aired on March 3rd and 4th, 2019. Frank and I discussed it at the time. Based on his views, and material I’d otherwise collected, I took the position that Robson and Safechuck were liars, and had filed lawsuits to grab money before the probate door closed.
In the new lawsuit. the Estate alleges that Frank Cascio saw an opportunity to make money. If Robson and Safechuck were getting a payday, he should, too.
The lawsuit says that Frank and unnamed others
insisted on meeting with MJC’s representatives at the Sunset Marquis
Hotel swimming pool wearing only bathing suits so that MJC’s representatives could not wear a “wire” to record the conversation. Only someone engaging in extortion or other unlawful conduct would be worried about their conversation being recorded.” The complaint observes: “A truthful person asserting legitimate
legal claims should have no objection to being recorded.”
The Estate says this was a shakedown, but they agreed to it. (Why? Every movie and TV show says never give in to blackmailers.) They say they did to protect Michael’s children — Paris, Prince, and Blanket — from further embarrassment. The amount, I was told some time ago, was $3.3 million each for the five Cascio siblings.
But then says the complaint, Frank Cascio wanted more. This was laid it for me by sources months ago. This is the first time I’ve seen it expressed by lawyers. They say:
“After receiving monies paid to them pursuant to the Agreement, Frank, through
Respondents’ then-lawyer, demanded that Respondents be paid hundreds of millions of dollars more, otherwise, Respondents would file a bogus public lawsuit containing outlandish accusations against Michael that are completely contrary to their prior statements supporting and defending Michael. Respondents’ lawyer also warned that they “expect a substantive response by end of day
tomorrow. Otherwise, we will be forced to expand the ‘circle of knowledge’ ” and alluded to their claims being revealed “to the buyer of the catalogue” if their demands went unsatisfied.”
The catalogue referred to was Michael ownership of the Beatles’ songs, which was being sold to Sony Music. Additionally, the Estate had a successful Las Vegas show and was preparing the Broadway musical “MJ.” A $16.5 million payoff probably seemed like the lesser of evils.
What followed was the Estate’s move to accuse Cascio of extortion. The details become complex, but the Estate basically says that Cascio’s insistence on getting more money got worse and worse. They were not going to be blackmailed. A private legal war raged. Until we got to this complaint.
There’s a strange twist here. The Cascios hired attorney Howard King, who’d been involved with various aspects and participants in the Jackson case cira 2003-2005. Cascio eventually moved onto Mark Geragos, who’d represented Michael in 2003 — before Tom Mesereau — in the Arvizo arrest. (Isn’t this a conflict of interest somehow?)
The complaint says:
“Since taking over the representation of Respondents in this dispute, Attorney Geragos has menacingly warned that his clients are poised to file a public lawsuit in court against one of the Officers of MJC and Co-Executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson and the attorneys involved in the Agreement…”
“Geragos,” the complaint alleges, “reduced Respondents’ previous
outlandish demand for $213 Million to $44 Million, which Geragos demanded on behalf of Respondents be paid in order to avoid a public lawsuit including Respondents’ scurrilous and fabricated claims.”
There’s more, of course, which we’ll deal with on Thursday afternoon.
Again, I’ve been writing about these people — all of them — for 25 years. I use the word ‘tragic’ because it is — for everyone involved.
