When Michael Jackson was alive, there were numerous accusations surrounding the pop star of inappropriate behavior. One such case came from a former choreographer, 35-year-old Wade Robson, who alleged in a lawsuit that “Michael Jackson molested him as a child.” However, earlier this week, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, “resolving one of the last major claims against the late singer’s holdings.” In dismissing the lawsuit, the judge, Mitchell L. Beckloff found that “the two Jackson-owned corporations, which were the remaining defendants in the case, were not liable for Robson’s exposure to Jackson.” His decision did not “rule on the credibility of Robson’s allegations themselves.”
When Michael Jackson was alive, there were numerous accusations surrounding the pop star of inappropriate behavior. One such case came from a former choreographer, 35-year-old Wade Robson, who alleged in a lawsuit that “Michael Jackson molested him as a child.” However, earlier this week, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, “resolving one of the last major claims against the late singer’s holdings.” In dismissing the lawsuit, the judge, Mitchell L. Beckloff found that “the two Jackson-owned corporations, which were the remaining defendants in the case, were not liable for Robson’s exposure to Jackson.” His decision did not “rule on the credibility of Robson’s allegations themselves.”
So what happened? How long did Robson know Jackson? For starters, Robson, “a native of Australia who has worked with Britney Spears and NSYNC, met Jackson when he was 5 years old,” according to the lawsuit. Later, during Jackson’s criminal trial in 2005, Robson testified in the singer’s defense, claiming “he had spent the night at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch more than 20 times and usually slept in Jackson’s room, but Jackson never molested him.” Jackson was later acquitted in that trial.
However, nearly four years after Jackson’s death, Robson “sued the Jackson estate in 2013 for what his attorneys described as molestation that spanned a seven-year period.” Unfortunately for Robson, the court ruled that his lawsuit had been filed “too late to get any of Jackson’s estate.” With the estate out of the picture, Robson had two remaining defendants to go after, MJJ Productions, Inc., and MJJ Ventures, Inc., “both corporate entities owned by Jackson in his lifetime.”
So why did the judge dismiss Robson’s lawsuit? Well, according to Beckloff, “the two corporate defendants could not be held responsible for Robson’s exposure to Jackson, the way a school or the Boy Scouts can be found liable for bringing together an abusive adult and a child victim.”
Not everyone agreed with the judge’s decision, though. Vince Finaldi, Robson’s attorney, strongly disagrees with Beckloff’s decision and intends to appeal. He also said the “reasoning sets a dangerous precedent.” When discussing the court’s decision he said:
“What the judge is saying is that if own a corporation or a company, you can hire people, use these people to facilitate your sexual abuse, use them to facilitate victims. So long as you’re the sole owner of that corporation, the corporation can’t be held liable.”
Howard Weitzman, Jackson’s estate attorney, was pleased with the judge’s decision and said he “believes the court made the correct decision in dismissing Wade Robson’s claim against it.” He added:
“In my opinion, Mr. Robson’s allegations, made 20 plus years after they supposedly occurred and years after Mr. Robson testified twice under oath — including in front of a jury — that Michael Jackson had never done anything wrong to him was always about the money rather than a search for the truth.”
Sources:
Michael Jackson sex abuse lawsuit dismissed
Michael Jackson Sexual Abuse Lawsuit From Wade Robson Dismissed
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