Michael Jackson estate says new accuser is trying to extract $213 million
FT Exclusive: The King of Pop’s legacy has generated $3bn since his death but it remains shadowed by child sex abuse claims. After the estate laid low for a few years, it's now taking a more offensive approach as it looks to clear Jackson’s name https://t.co/U8u7rgrro4 pic.twitter.com/66byDeNYDh
- Financial Times (@FT) September 20, 2024
Michael Jackson’s estate has filed a legal action against a man who it claims has threatened to resurface ugly abuse allegations ahead of the upcoming release of a biopic about the King of Pop, according to multiple media reports.
• The man and four others told the estate in about 2019, a decade after the singer’s death, that they might go public with allegations that he had acted inappropriately with some of them when they were children.
• In 2020, the estate quietly struck a previously unreported settlement worth nearly $20mn, under which the man and the other accusers agreed instead to defend Jackson’s reputation.
• The estate is now accusing the man of fabricating his earlier claims while seeking to extract $213mn more in a new settlement with the estate.
• Jackson’s estate is asking an arbitrator to award damages, order the accuser to abide by the terms of the 2020 deal and issue an injunction barring him from releasing details he previously agreed to keep secret.
• Co-executor of the estate John Branca has described their actions as a blatant attempt to exploit Jackson’s legacy for financial gain at no risk of defamation because those laws don’t protect the deceased.
• From the Washington Informer article: "For 25 years these associates have steadfastly maintained Jackson’s innocence..."
• According to the legal action, the man and the others "turned" on the estate following 2019's Leaving Neverland documentary.
"...the Jackson estate was under significant pressure due to the media frenzy that spawned calls to “cancel” the superstar. Representatives sought the group’s support given they, for years, vouched for Jackson’s character, and that’s when they turned."
• Via the WI: "As fiduciaries, the executors’ mission is to generate income for Jackson’s beneficiaries. So, they had two goals: preserve the upcoming projects, while shielding his loved ones from further pain of having to endure another round of salacious, unproven allegations. The estate reached a private settlement with the group including $3 million for each of the five individuals."
• Both sides mutually agreed to keep the agreement under wraps to where even its existence couldn’t be divulged. The estate’s mutual nondisclosure agreement with the associates was vital in keeping the matter private and allowing the estate to move forward with projects that that would ensure that future generations could share in Michael’s musical and creative legacy and that could prove lucrative for Michael’s three children.
• Branca said in an exclusive interview with the Black Press of America’s Let It Be Known: "In 2019, there was ‘Leaving Neverland,’ which was a complete surprise hit job. We didn’t know it was coming and weren’t asked for comment. And the media didn’t want to hear Michael’s story...We have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize the income of the estate, and our counsel insisted we sign the agreement. So, we did it with a mutual nondisclosure. And they didn’t want it disclosed either because Michael’s fans would have gone after these people."
“We and they signed this nondisclosure agreement, and the nondisclosure said you can’t even tell people there’s an agreement,” Branca explained. “It was awkward because we were making a movie with Antoine Fuqua and Graham King. And we couldn’t tell anybody about it, including the filmmakers.”
• Branca commented, “The associate’s lawyer even said to us, if you don’t meet our demands, we’re going to have to share these allegations with a wider group of people. It was a shakedown. Enough is enough.”
• The estate has reported the extortion attempt to authorities and is filing an arbitration proceeding against the associates for civil extortion.
• The man allegedly making the claims against the Jackson estate did not respond to repeated requests for comment. He is not being named by the Financial Times.
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