Wade Robson, the hip-hop dancer and choreographer, has filed a claim against Michael Jackson’s estate, alleging that the late pop icon sexually abused him as a child. Since rumors first started swirling about Jackson’s relationship’s with young boys, and through his 2005 trial and beyond, Robson has been an ardent defender of his legacy.
Robson’s new complaint is sealed, however documents confirm that the choreographers claim against the estate filed on May 1 includes certificates of merit from mental health professionals and other supporting paperwork.
Back in the 2005 trial, one of Jackson’s former housekeepers, Blanca Francia, stated that she had witnessed the singer in the shower with an 8 or 9-year-old Robson. Robson and his family members vehemently denied that Jackson had ever sexually abused him. While the choreographer admitted that he had slept in a bed with Jackson, he shut down suggestions that the famed artist had ever molested him. Jackson was ultimately found not guilty on all charges.
"Wade used to tell me that Michael would ask to have baths with him," a close friend of Robson's told E! News. "It was weird… He didn't seem to question it, neither would we, it was just what he would say. It sounded strange, but we never delved further.
"To us, he would always defend Michael through the previous sexual abuse allegations," the source added. "He loved Michael and would be the first to stick up for him. But to be honest, today's news has not been a surprise as the relationship between Michael and the family was very unusual."
In response to Robson’s recent claims, Howard Weitzman, the lawyer for Jackson’s estate told E! News: "Mr. Robson's claim is outrageous and pathetic. This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him. Now, nearly four years after Michael has passed this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is."
Watch a young Wade Robson mimicking Jackson’s dance moves in Australia’s Star Search below:
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