Two of Michael Jackson’s alleged victims hope to prove the “King of Pop” was a serial child molester who paid out more than $200 million in hush money to silence at least 20 victims.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two of Jackson’s former child associates, filed claims in 2013 and 2014, respectively, against Jackson’s estate for unspecified amounts in punitive damages, Page Six reports. Their only problem: both of their legal claims missed the statutory deadline, as they were filed more than a year after Jackson’s sudden 2009 death.
Now, a judge will decide whether or not a civil case against the pop singer’s estate will move forward.
Robson, a choreographer to stars like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, and Safechuck, who once appeared alongside Jackson in a Pepsi commercial, have both claimed they were sexually assaulted by the pop singer when they were children.
Their attorneys claim Jackson dished out nearly $200 million to as many as 20 victims.
Safechuck first met the singer in 1987, when he was 8-years-old, and will testify that he was repeatedly molested a year later during a Jackson tour. The singer would later allegedly write a check for more than $1 million to the boy’s father.
The man also claims in court documents that he was Jackson’s young bride after a secret wedding ceremony. He alleges he was given a marriage certificate and a wedding band as keepsakes to confirmation he and Jackson’s “undying love.”
Safechuck was routinely dressed in clothes identical to Jackson’s, who would tell reporters the boy was his cousin, a former Jackson employee said.
Safechuck’s attorney alleges his client was molested more than 100 times.
“Jackson was successful in his efforts to the point that my client endured repeated acts of sexual abuse of a heinous nature and was brainwashed . . . into believing they were acts of love and instigated by James himself,” Safechuck’s attorneys says in court filings, per Page Six.
If the case is permitted to move forward, Robson, who was 7 during his first alleged encounter, will retract a 2005 testimony. He then told jurors at Jackson’s molestation trial he shared a bed with the singer for at least a year, but was never touched inappropriately.
Robson says he finally came forward after starting his own family. “I lived in silence and denial for 22 years,” he said.
A civil trial would mean all information relative to similar claims is admissible, meaning a jury would be able hear evidence that prosecutors were barred from presenting during previous criminal cases.
The pair will be permitted to detail past, undisclosed settlements between Jackson and and his alleged young male victims. Sources told The New York Post the number of accusers is at least 20, who, with their parents and attorneys, received millions of dollars cumulatively.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, and could decide whether the case may proceed.
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