James Safechuck, Star Of ‘Leaving Neverland,’ Has Lawsuit Against Michael Jackson’s Companies Dismissed

One of Michael Jackson’s accusers, depicted in the infamous Leaving Neverland documentary, James Safechuck, had his lawsuit against the deceased artist’s production companies, MJJJ Ventures and MJJ Productions dismissed by a judge last week. The suit alleged that the companies enabled Safechuck’s sexual abuse by the pop star, which the documentary reportedly claims occurred hundred of times.

California Judge Mark Young found the argument by defendant’s team, led by Jonathan Steinsapir and Howard Weitzman, to be compelling enough to dismiss Safechuck’s case. Initiated in 2014, Safechuck’s own legal team alleged that the “purpose of these businesses was to operate as a child sexual abuse operation, specifically designed to locate, attract, lure and seduce child sexual abuse victims.”

As a child, Safechuck was selected by the companies to appear and perform alongside Jackson in various shows and music videos, which his lawyer, Vince Finaldi, claimed made them culpable for his reported endangerment. In a statement to the BBC, Finaldi said, “Because he was a minor, and he was an employee working for them, they had a duty to protect him. That’s our argument.”

Safechuck had been tapped at the age of 10 to appear with the late Jackson in a Pepsi commercial; afterward, he alleges that he and his family were dazzled by the pop star’s extreme wealth that his parents overlooked the oftentimes strange requests to allow the boy to enter his trailer alone or sleep in his bed. The two were reportedly very close at the time, with Safechuck recounting in an interview with The Guardian that he was devastated upon hearing that he was selected to join Jackson on his Dangerous tour.

According to Safechuck, this eventually led to his and other children’s sexual abuse, with Jackson once staging a mock wedding between the two. His latest statements about his abuse contradict testimonies in the earlier cases of other accusers like Jordy Chandler and Gavin Arvizo, where he claimed the star was innocent of abuse claims, something that was used against him in court.

Of the other reported victims, Safechuck alleges he never witnessed any other boy being abused; however, another alleged victim, Wade Robson, claims to have seen Jackson kiss several young boys. Outside of the list of publicized victims, former housekeeper to Jackson, Adrian McManus, said she had often found children’s undergarments and petroleum jelly in many rooms around the Jackson house.