Wade Robson and James Safechuck can go to court over their Michael Jackson accusations.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck win appeal in Michael Jackson case
The California Court of Appeal has ruled that 'Leaving Neverland' subjects - who both claimed Jackson sexually molested them when they were children - can have their case tried against the late King of Pop's companies in front of a jury in the lower courts.
Jonathan Steinsapir, attorney for the Estate of Michael Jackson told PEOPLE: "We are disappointed with the Court's decision. Two distinguished trial judges repeatedly dismissed these cases on numerous occasions over the last decade because the law required it. We remain fully confident that Michael is innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration, and which were only first made years after Michael’s death. We trust that the truth will ultimately prevail with Michael’s vindication yet again. Michael Jackson himself said, ‘lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons'.
"The Estate will likely ask the California Supreme Court to review the decision, and a settlement is not on the table."
Wade, 40, and James, 45, have alleged that Jackson abused them for years and that employees of the companies MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc. were “co-conspirators, collaborators, facilitators and alter egos".
Vince Finaldi, a lawyer for Safechuck and Robson, said in a statement obtained by the New York Times that the court had overturned "incorrect rulings in these cases, which were against California law and would have set a dangerous precedent that endangered children".
Robson and Safechuck filed their suits in 2013 and 2014, respectively, but both cases were dismissed in 2017 as they exceeded California’s statute of limitations.
They were refiled in 2020 but dismissed again in October 2020 and April 2021.
However, California’s Second District Court of Appeal has now ruled that “a corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees is not excused from an affirmative duty to protect those children merely because it is solely owned by the perpetrator of the abuse".
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