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Pop star Michael Jackson accused in new lawsuit; estate dismisses claims as “money grab”

By The South Asia Times

WASHINGTON - Four siblings who say they were once close to pop icon Michael Jackson have filed a lawsuit in the United States accusing the late star of sexually abusing them when they were children, according to a report by NBC News.

The complaint, submitted in a US federal court, was brought by Edward, Dominic and Aldo Cascio along with their sister Marie-Nicole Porte. In the filing, the siblings claim the alleged abuse occurred repeatedly over more than a decade during their childhood.

Their lawyer said the case seeks to hold the Estate of Michael Jackson and related entities responsible for what they described as years of misconduct.

Attorneys representing the estate strongly rejected the allegations. Lawyer Martin Singer called the lawsuit a “desperate money grab,” arguing that the plaintiffs are attempting to secure hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing the claims in a new court.

Singer also pointed to a 2010 interview the siblings gave to television host Oprah Winfrey in which they reportedly stated that Jackson had never harmed them.

The plaintiffs’ legal team said the siblings only began to reinterpret their past experiences after watching the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which detailed abuse allegations made by other accusers.

The lawsuit further claims that Jackson’s estate offered the family about $690,000 in 2019 as compensation linked to the allegations. The siblings say they signed the agreement without legal representation and later argued they did not fully understand the implications.

Jackson, often referred to as the “King of Pop,” died in 2009 at age 50 from cardiac arrest caused by acute propofol intoxication. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the singer’s death.