Four siblings from a family that once defended Michael Jackson have filed a lawsuit accusing the late pop star of child sex trafficking and sexual abuse when they were minors.
The lawsuit, filed in California, alleges that Jackson groomed and sexually abused the siblings over several years beginning when some of them were as young as 7 or 8.
The plaintiffs: Edward Cascio, Dominic Cascio, Aldo Cascio and Marie-Nicole Porte, claim Jackson used his wealth, fame and influence to gain the trust of their family before exploiting them.
According to the complaint, the alleged abuse took place at multiple locations, including Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California and during international trips, including at the home of Elizabeth Taylor in Switzerland and at Elton John’s residence in the United Kingdom.
The lawsuit also accuses Jackson of manipulating and isolating the children from adults and providing gifts and other incentives to maintain control over them.
The Cascio family had previously defended Jackson publicly during earlier allegations of abuse.
The complaint further alleges that in 2019 the Jackson estate offered the siblings “five annual payments of approximately $690,000” in exchange for signing an “acquisition and consulting agreement” that would prevent them from speaking publicly about the alleged abuse. The payments were to be made with a six percent commission deducted for a man who presented himself as a representative of the estate.
According to the lawsuit, the negotiations took place after the release of the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which detailed allegations of abuse made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson.
The filing alleges the estate fraudulently induced the siblings to sign a document designed to silence them about the alleged abuse. It further claims that when the plaintiffs later sought to speak publicly, they faced threats, defamatory accusations and warnings that they could be driven into bankruptcy if they pursued their claims.
Jackson died in 2009 at age 50. During his lifetime he repeatedly denied allegations of sexual abuse and was acquitted of child molestation charges in a 2005 criminal trial.
Lawyers representing Jackson’s estate rejected the claims, describing the lawsuit as an attempt to obtain money from the singer’s estate. (NewsWire)