Michael Jackson’s Leaving Neverland accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck can now sue singer’s estate
MICHAEL Jackson’s Leaving Neverland accusers can now sue the singer’s estate.
James Safechuck and Wade Robson allege that they were molested by the King of Pop when they were underage and staying at his California ranch.
Robson, 37, and Safechuck, 41, claim say they were sexually abused by him as children at Neverland but their cases went cold in 2017.
A California judge ruled their case can be heard so the pair can go to trial against MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, .
The Estate gave TMZ this statement: "The Court of Appeal did NOT revive the lawsuits by Mr. Robson and Mr. Safechuck against the Estate of Michael Jackson.
"Both of those lawsuits were dismissed in 2016."
"[They] absurdly claim that Michael's employees are somehow responsible for sexual abuse that never happened."
The statement said a jury will decide the merits of their case.
LAWSUIT
A statement from Vince Finaldi, Partner, Manly, Stewart, & Finaldi and counsel for James Safechuck and Wade Robson said they were pleased with the court's decision.
It read: "We are pleased that the Court has recognized the strong protections California has put into place for sexual abuse victims under the state’s new law extending the statute of limitations.
"We look forward to sharing the facts of the terrible abuse of James Safechuck and Wade Robson with a jury."
Safechuck and Robson's shocking allegations were the subject of the heartbreaking documentary Leaving Neverland after Jackson's accusers were told they had left it too long.
They had separately sued Jackson's estate around six years ago but both lawsuits were dismissed in 2017.
The statute of limitations for sex abuse cases has been extended, allowing Jacko's accusers to sue there due to a change in California law - resulting in the California Court of Appeal's tentative ruling.
As of January 1, 2020, sex abuse victims can sue until they reach the age of 40 - the statute of limitations previously barred action being filed after alleged victims turn 26 years old.
Robson was 30 and Safechuck was 36 at the time of their respective filings.
LEAVING NEVERLAND
The men opened up about their story in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which was screened at the Sundance film festival in January.
Safechuck met Jackson as he filmed a Pepsi commercial filming in 1987.He took legal action in 2014, claiming Jackson sexually abused him for four years from the age of 10.
Robson filed a lawsuit in 2013, saying he was abused from the age of seven, but the case was dismissed two years later before a ruling could be reached.
He claims Jackson molested him about 100 times.
Robson started staying with Jackson at seven-years-old and was allegedly allowed to sleep in the same bed as the singer.
His lawyer Vince Finaldi said Neverland ranch was "nothing but a well-orchestrated trap."
JACKSON'S KIDS
Jackson died at the age of 50 in 2009 but three surviving kids aren't happy with how he was portrayed in Leaving Neverland.
His children Prince, Paris, and Blanket felt their privacy had been violated and sought an apology from Robson and Safechuck.
The news comes after Jacko's million-dollar estate was forced to sell its $757 million Beatles song collection to keep his kids afloat.
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"All they want is to preserve their father’s musical legacy," their representative told Page Six.
“They feel that the ‘documentary’ was one-sided and the two men have made numerous claims that aren’t true."
British filmmaker Dan Reed - Leaving Neverland's director and producer - maintains accusers Robson and Safechuck had no "financial interest" when they decided to be interviewed for the documenary.
