Key Takeaways
- A federal judge dismissed the Cascio siblings’ sexual abuse and trafficking lawsuit against Michael Jackson’s estate from open court, ruling that their claims must go to private arbitration under a 2019 settlement reportedly worth $3.5 million.
- The Cascios, who long defended Jackson publicly and once called themselves his “second family,” say the documentary Leaving Neverland “deprogrammed” them and now argue they were pressured into signing an unconscionable agreement.
- The ruling follows a similar arbitration order in Frank Cascio’s separate case and comes amid ongoing controversy over disputed vocals on three posthumous Jackson tracks that were pulled from streaming without the estate conceding they were fake.
Four siblings who once called themselves Michael Jackson’s “second family” will not get a public trial over allegations that the late singer sexually abused and trafficked them as children. A federal judge dismissed their lawsuit from open court Wednesday, ruling that a settlement they signed with Jackson’s estate requires the explosive dispute to be handled through private arbitration. The decision does not resolve the allegations or determine whether they are true.
According to Billboard, Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole, and Aldo Cascio sued Jackson’s estate in February, alleging that the superstar groomed and abused them over more than a decade. The siblings claimed a 2019 agreement with the estate—which reportedly paid the family $3.5 million without admitting wrongdoing—should be invalidated because they were pressured into signing it.
U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera ruled that the argument must go to an arbitrator. “Although the allegations are horrific, the court is without discretion to do aught but enforce the language of the arbitration clause,” he wrote.
The Cascios spent years publicly defending Jackson. The family grew close to him when the siblings were children and later described themselves as his “second family.”
During a 2010 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, they said Jackson was “never” inappropriate with them. Frank Cascio also wrote in a 2011 memoir that Jackson’s love for children “was innocent, and it was profoundly misunderstood.”
The siblings now say the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland “deprogrammed” them and forced them to reconsider their experiences.
Their attorney, Howard King, made clear the family wanted those claims heard before a jury. “It’s disappointing, but not surprising,” he told Billboard, adding that the question of whether the Cascios were “duped into signing an unconscionable agreement” will now be decided by an arbitrator.
King said the siblings would have to “seek justice from the dark confines of a private conference room.” The ruling follows a similar March decision involving Frank Cascio, whose separate sexual assault claims were also redirected to arbitration under the same settlement.
The Cascios have been tied to another major fight over Jackson’s posthumous legacy. Three tracks recorded at Eddie Cascio’s New Jersey home—“Breaking News,” “Monster,” and “Keep Your Head Up”—appeared on the 2010 album Michael before fans and members of Jackson’s family challenged whether the vocals were really his.
The controversy sparked years of litigation and allegations that an impersonator performed the songs. Sony Music and the estate removed all three tracks from streaming services in 2022, though they did not concede that the vocals were fake.
Jackson died in 2009 without being convicted or found legally liable for child sexual abuse. He settled a civil claim in 1994 without admitting wrongdoing and was acquitted in a 2005 criminal trial. His estate has denied the Cascios’ allegations and previously branded their lawsuit a “desperate money grab,” citing the family’s long record of defending him.
If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or text “GO” to 800-422-4453. To report suspected trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
