Michael Jackson ‘Second Family’ Child Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Tossed Out of Court
A federal judge has dismissed a public lawsuit in which four Cascio siblings accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children, ruling that their dispute with his estate must be decided through confidential arbitration. The decision matters because it prevents the allegations and the validity of a previous settlement from being examined in a public trial, at least at this stage.
The siblings alleged in February that Jackson abused them over more than a decade and said a 2019 $3.5 million settlement with the estate was coerced and unenforceable. Judge Hernán D. Vera said the settlement’s arbitration clause required such challenges to be heard by an arbitrator; a related ruling involving their brother Frank reached the same conclusion in March. Jackson’s estate denies the allegations, while Jackson was never convicted or held legally liable for child sexual abuse during his lifetime.
- Court sends Cascio siblings’ claims to private arbitration.
- A 2019 $3.5 million settlement is central to the dispute.
- Jackson’s estate denies the allegations.
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Michael Jackson was an American singer who became one of the world’s best-known pop stars. He died in 2009, and his estate now manages his money, music and other business interests.
The Cascio family had a long association with Jackson, and several siblings have described him as a close family friend during their childhoods. Their claims concern alleged abuse over many years and a later financial settlement with the estate.
Arbitration is a private way of resolving legal disputes outside a public court trial, with a neutral decision-maker known as an arbitrator. Jackson faced previous allegations of child sexual abuse during his lifetime, which he denied; he was not convicted of such offences.