A case centered on the late Michael Jackson’s company and molestation allegations against the singer may be headed to trial.
As initially reported by TMZ on Tuesday, the California Court of Appeal has issued a tentative ruling that is expected to result in Leaving Neverland subject Wade Robson’s case being sent back down the legal chain for an eventual trial. Previously, a lower court dismissed the lawsuit, with a judge arguing that testimony in the case and the circumstances of the alleged abuse did not point to any fault of the defendants.
As argued in that judge’s ruling in 2021, there was “no evidence that [employees] held power over Jackson or his personal actions.”
The Cout of Appeal's tentative ruling, however, takes the other side of that argument. In fact, per a separate report on the latest development from the Los Angeles Times, Robson’s case could be combined into a single trial alongside a similar but separate case from James Safechuck, who has also accused Jackson of abuse.
Both Robson and Safechuck were featured in HBO and Channel 4's 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which was publicly condemned by Jackson's estate.
"In 1992, Michael gave HBO their highest rated special ever. Now, to repay him they give a voice to admitted liars," the estate said in a 2019 tweet referencing MJ's Dangerous Tour concert special on the network.
In addition to the HBO doc, both Robson and Safechuck spoke with CBS This Morning in 2019. During the three-part interview series, Robson—whose Leaving Neverland allegations contradict his prior 2005 testimony—further alleged that he was trained for such testimony as soon as he met Jackson.
"He started telling me that if anybody else ever finds out, we'll both go to jail, both of our lives would be over,” he said at the time.
In January of this year, MJ’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, was announced to have landed the role of the late King of Pop in an upcoming biopic from director Antoine Fuqua. At the time of this writing, a release date for the film had not been publicly confirmed.
