Los Angeles: Sexual abuse case against Michael Jackson reopened, dismissed by court in 2017

A California appeals court on Friday reopened the trial of two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them for years. Both of those men say that they were sexually abused when they were young.

A three-judge panel of California's Second District Court of Appeal found that the lawsuits of Wade Robeson and James Safechuck should not have been dismissed by a lower court. A new California law temporarily broadened the scope of sexual assault cases and enabled an appeals court to reinstate them.

This is the second time that the lawsuits, filed by Robson in 2013 and Safechuk in 2014, have been brought back following their dismissals. Significantly, Jackson, who died in 2009, was the sole owner and sole shareholder in the companies. These companies have denied every time that anyone in their company has been sexually abused.

Michael's attorney, Jonathan Steinsapir, said, "We are convinced that Michael is innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration and were made many years after Michael's death by people motivated only by money and Jackson's assets." were imposed."

Safechuk and Robson's attorney, Vince Finley, said in a statement that the court overturned erroneous rulings in these cases, which were against California law and could set a dangerous precedent that put children at risk.

Michael's lawyer Steinsapir said on Friday, "We are confident that the truth will ultimately prevail after Michael's confirmation." Robson, now a 40-year-old choreographer, met Jackson when he was 5 years old. He appeared in three Jackson music videos.

Her lawsuit alleged that Michael Jackson assaulted her over seven years. Safechuk, who is now 45, said in his suit that he was 9 years old when he met Jackson while shooting a Pepsi commercial. She said that Jackson called her frequently and gave her numerous gifts before sexually assaulting her.

Robson and Safechuk filed their lawsuits against the companies in 2013 and 2014, respectively, but both cases were dismissed in 2017 because they crossed California's borders. They were reopened in 2020 after a new state law provided an additional period for plaintiffs in child sexual abuse cases to file suit.