The cases of two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them when they were children were reopened Friday by a California appeals court.
According to information from local media, three judges of the Court of Appeals for the Second District of California ruled in favor of the plaintiffs against MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc., two businesses in which the "King of Pop" was the sole shareholder.
The plaintiffs, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, allege that Jackson sexually abused them for years and that employees of those companies were complicit in the abuse.
They also point out that these companies had a responsibility to protect them and that they did not take the necessary measures to do so.
This is the second time the case has been reopened and it was thanks to a new California law that expanded the time scope of sexual assault cases, allowing the court to retake it.
In April 2021, a judge had determined that the singer's companies had no responsibility to protect minors and that they should not legally respond to these complaints, alleging that the owner had died in 2009.
But this Friday, the court ruled that the singer's corporation was not excused from the responsibility to protect children because the perpetrator of the abuse was also the owner of the company.
Both Robson and Safechuck remained silent for years until their testimonies came to light in 2019 through the controversial HBO documentary series "Leaving Neverland," which explores the sexual abuse allegations against the "Billie Jean" singer and the alleged tactics he carried out to win over families and gain control of the little ones.
In a statement, the attorney for Jackson's estate, Jonathan Steinsapir, assured that they continued to trust the singer's innocence and asserted that the plaintiffs are motivated "solely by money."
