{"id":2709,"date":"2024-09-20T18:18:49","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T18:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/michael-jackson-estate-files-legal-action-over-abuse-accusers-demands-for-213m-reports\/"},"modified":"2024-09-20T18:18:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T18:18:49","slug":"michael-jackson-estate-files-legal-action-over-abuse-accusers-demands-for-213m-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/michael-jackson-estate-files-legal-action-over-abuse-accusers-demands-for-213m-reports\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Jackson Estate Files Legal Action Over Abuse Accuser’s Demands For $213M: Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tMichael Jackson\u2019s estate has filed a legal action against a man who it claims has threatened to resurface ugly abuse allegations ahead of the upcoming release of a biopic about the King of Pop, according to multiple media reports.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs detailed by both the Washington Informer<\/a><\/em> and the Financial Times<\/a><\/em> on Friday, Jackson\u2019s estate has filed a private arbitration case against the unnamed accuser, claiming his alleged threats violate an earlier, never-before-reported settlement over the abuse accusations.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the arbitration case, the estate reportedly alleges that the earlier settlement \u2014 struck in 2020 \u2014 saw the accuser paid $3.3 million in return for signing a non-disclosure agreement. But the estate reportedly claims he\u2019s now threatening to breach the agreement if he\u2019s not paid another $213 million.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an interview with the Informer<\/em>, estate executor John Branca<\/strong> reportedly said: \u201cThe associate\u2019s lawyer even said to us, \u2018If you don\u2019t meet our demands, we\u2019re going to have to share these allegations with a wider group of people.\u2019 It was a shakedown. Enough is enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe name of Jackson\u2019s accuser and the details of his supposed allegations were not disclosed in media reports. It\u2019s unclear when the arbitration case was filed, or what exactly it alleges. The Jackson estate would not confirm the accuracy of the reports and declined to comment on the matter.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe article from the Financial Times<\/em> reported that the Jackson estate had also referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office in Los Angeles. A spokesman for that office did not immediately return a request for comment from Billboard<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe threats to go public come as the Jackson estate prepares for the premiere of Michael<\/em>, a movie about the singer\u2019s life starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role. The biopic, directed by Antoine Fuqua, is set for release in April 2025.<\/p>\n

\n\tJackson, who died suddenly in 2009, was never convicted or held legally liable on any accusation of child molestation, but is still dogged by such allegations. Two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, continue to claim Jackson sexually abused them as children, spending the last decade pursuing civil lawsuits. And their allegations were amplified in 2019 by HBO docuseries Leaving Neverland<\/em>, which laid out their claims in disturbing detail.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Jackson estate has always vehemently denied all such claims, pointing out that the singer was acquitted in a 2005 criminal trial and arguing that his accusers are simply seeking monetary gain from an artist who cannot defend himself because defamation law does not extend to dead individuals.<\/p>\n

\n\tShortly before Leaving Neverland<\/em> aired, the estate sued HBO over the series, claiming that \u201cMichael Jackson is innocent. Period.\u201d The case claimed the network had breached a decades-old contract that it signed to air a Jackson concert back in 1992, which included a provision banning HBO from making \u201cany disparaging remarks\u201d about the singer.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat lawsuit was eventually sent to private arbitration in 2019, where it remains pending. The status of such arbitration cases, similar to the one reported on Friday, are intentionally kept more private than traditional litigation and are difficult to ascertain from public records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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