The California Court of Appeal has made a tentative ruling in favour of choreographer Wade Robson, who is suing Michael Jackson’s corporation, MJJ Productions Inc., for being complicit when the singer allegedly sexually abused him.
If the tentative ruling is passed as the court’s final ruling, which is highly likely, Jackson would effectively be tried posthumously for child molestation.
Robson has alleged that he was abused between the ages of 7 and 14 by Jackson at his home in Los Angeles, California, the Neverland Ranch. According to Robson, after moving to the United States from Australia, the Thriller singer befriended him, groomed him, and then went on to sexually abuse him for several years.
Image – Getty Images via BBC
Robson had previously testified in 2005 during another child molestation case against Jackson that he had slept in the artiste’s bed, but nothing had happened. Robson later changed his story in 2013 after filing a lawsuit against the company and said that his previous testimony was made due to “complete manipulation and brainwashing” and was false.
A trial court originally ruled in favour of MJJ Productions, who argued that they had no ability to control Jackson and thus had no legal duty to protect Robson or anyone else from the singer. But the three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal ruled on Monday that Robson’s case against MJJ can be tried.
A similar lawsuit by another Jackson accuser, James Safechuck, was filed against MJJ and is currently before the court of appeal.
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Jackson died in June 2009 of a cardiac arrest caused by a lethal combination of sedatives and an anaesthetic at the age of 50.
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