Michael Jackson Sexual Abuse Lawsuits By ‘Finding Neverland’ Subjects Wade Robson & James Safechuck Are Revived

A California appeals court restored lawsuits from the two men who claim Michael Jackson sexually abused them for years when they were young boys. A new California law that increased the scope of sexual abuse cases temporarily allowed the court to revive the lawsuits.

The state’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that Wade Robson and James Safechuck‘s lawsuits should not have been dismissed by a lower court. The three-judge panel also stated that Robson and Safechcuk had valid accusations against two Jackson-owned companies, which both had a responsibility to protect them.

This is the second time the lawsuits have been revived after being dismissed. Robson and Safechuck’s stories became widely known to the public following the release of the 2019 HBO documentary, Leaving Neverland.

The higher court judge reversed the 2021 dismissal, saying that “a corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees is not excused from an affirmative duty to protect those children merely because it is solely owned by the perpetrator of the abuse.” Jackson was the sole owner of the two companies, MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc.

Jonathan Steinsapir, the attorney for the Jackson estate, said that Jackson is “innocent of these allegations,” which only came to light “years after Michael’s death by men motivated solely by money.” He also stated that employees should not be legally required to stop the behavior of their bosses and supervisors.

The panel of judges did not make a ruling on the substance of the allegations. That will take place in an upcoming jury trial in Los Angeles.

Robson, 40, met Jackson when he was 5 years old. He appeared in three of the pop star’s music videos. His lawsuit claims that Jackson molested him for seven years.

Safechcuck, 45, alleges that he was 9 when he met Jackson on the set of a commercial. Jackson called him frequently, bought him presents and then began to sexually abuse him.