A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the late Michael Jackson’s companies by one of his accusers.
James Safechuck, who was featured in the documentary Leaving Neverland, was seeking damages from MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures for ‘facilitating’ Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children.
However, California judge Mark Young ruled that neither company had ‘a duty of care’ towards Safechuck and could not be held responsible, the BBC reported Wednesday.
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the late Michael Jackson’s companies by James Safechuck, who in Leaving Neverland, accused the star of molesting him when he was a child
Safechuck, 42, has claimed that the pop superstar began abusing him when he was 10 years old.
He filed suit against MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures in 2014 arguing that the entities ‘were created to, and did, facilitate Jackson’s sexual abuse of children’.
The judge, however, found that since Jackson controlled the companies and their employees, those companies were not able to control the star’s actions.
The BBC reported that Safechuck plans to appeal the decision.
Safechuck filed suit against MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures in 2014 arguing that the entities ‘were created to, and did, facilitate Jackson’s sexual abuse of children’. But a California judge has ruled that neither company had ‘a duty of care’ and could not be held responsible
Safechuck, right, told his story in the 2019 Emmy-winning documentary by UK filmmaker Dan Reed, center, as did fellow Jackson accuser Wade Robson, left
Robson, like Safechuck, alleged the King of Pop had abused him in the early 1990s after befriending him
Safechuck told his story in 2019’s Leaving Neverland along with Wade Robson, who also alleged Jackson molested him as a child in the early 1990s.
Robson and Safechuck say they were befriended by Jackson and were abused by him from the ages of 7 and 10 in the early 1990s.
In January, 1994, Jackson made an out of court settlement of $25 million with the Chandler family who had accused the King of Pop of molesting their son Jordan Chandler.
Several months later, in September, prosecutors closed the case file citing a lack of evidence to proceed without the Chandler family testimony.
On December 18, 2003, prosecutors in Santa Barbara County, where Neverland is located, formally charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with alcoholic drinks related to 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo.
The pop star vehemently denied the charges against him and was acquitted in June 2005 after a four and a half month-long high-profile trial.
Jackson was famously acquitted of child abuse charges in June 2005 after a four and a half month-long high-profile trial brought by Santa Barbara prosecutors
The pop superstar, pictured in 2002, died at his LA home on June 25, 2009, from an overdose of the powerful sedative Propofol administered by his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray
Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at his home in Los Angeles from an overdose of the powerful sedative Propofol administered by his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray.
Murray was subsequently found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in November 2011 and sentenced to four years in prison.
Meanwhile, Dan Reed, who made Leaving Neverland, is also reported to be embroiled in a legal battle over his planned sequel.
Reed has been following Safechuck and also Robson as each one’s lawsuits makes their way through the courts, according to Deadline.com
His footage is set to be used to make a follow-up film for Britain’s Channel 4, who partnered with HBO on the 2019 documentary.
According to Deadline, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures have served the British filmmaker and his production company Amos Pictures with subpoenas demanding he appear in person for a deposition and hand over materials and documents related to Leaving Neverland and its sequel.
Reed is reported to have counter-filed, claiming that since he is a UK resident and Amos Pictures does not operate in California, the subpoenas should be quashed and he cannot be compelled by a California court to hand over said materials.
Reed has been following Safechuck and also Robson as each one’s lawsuits makes their way through the courts and his footage is set to be used to make a follow-up film for Britain’s Channel 4, who partnered with HBO on the 2019 documentary