Four siblings who once publicly defended Michael Jackson have now taken legal action against his companies and estate, alleging that they were subjected to sexual abuse and child sex trafficking during the 1990s.
Edward Cascio, Dominic Cascio, Aldo Cascio and their sister Marie-Nicole Porte filed a lawsuit in a California federal court on 27 February.
As per USA Today, the family, who had known Michael Jackson for many years, claim that employees working for the singer helped enable and conceal the alleged abuse when they were children.
They also say representatives connected to Michael Jackson’s estate later pressured them into signing an agreement that prevented them “from talking about the years of abuse they endured,” claiming they were misled about what the document actually meant.
In their legal filing, the siblings accuse Michael Jackson’s organisations of child sex trafficking, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract and fraud.
They are seeking financial compensation and want the court to rule that the agreement they signed should be voided.
The lawsuit describes Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, as “a serial child predator who, over the course of more than a decade, drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted each of the Plaintiffs, beginning when some of them were as young as seven or eight.”
The siblings also claim the singer’s influence over them made it difficult to understand what had happened at the time.
The complaint states that “Jackson's years of brainwashing prevented Plaintiffs from seeking help when he was alive and for years afterward, or even comprehending the despicable behavior they endured.”
According to the lawsuit, discussions between the family and the estate began in 2019 after the release of the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which reignited global debate about the allegations against the pop star.
The siblings say the estate offered them “five annual payments of approximately $690,000,” minus a six per cent commission for a man they believed was representing them but who they claim was actually working with an attorney for the estate. In exchange, they were asked to sign what was described as an “acquisition and consulting agreement.”
Their lawyer, Howard King, said in a statement to USA Today on 2 March: “Ignoring threats from the Michael Jackson Estate of financial ruin and faced with the Estate's false public accusations of extortion and lying, the Cascios have elected to remain silent no longer.”
He added, “Not only do they seek fair compensation for more than a decade of abuse of an entire family, they hope their filing will embolden other victims and enablers to come forth and shake off the shackles of their silence.”
The claims have been firmly denied by the estate’s representatives. Attorney Marty Singer described the lawsuit as “a desperate money grab by additional members of the Cascio family who have hopped on the bandwagon with their brother Frank,” adding that the siblings were seeking a “multi-million-dollar payday” after allegedly threatening to make accusations that contradict years of statements in which they had defended Michael Jackson.
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