Four siblings from New Jersey have filed a lawsuit against the estate of Michael Jackson, alleging that the late pop star sexually abused them for years and that his handlers enabled the abuse. The complaint, filed in February in Los Angeles federal court, names the Jackson estate, its lead attorneys John Branca and John McLain, and private investigator Herman Weisberg as defendants.
The plaintiffs—Edward Joseph Cascio, Dominic Savini Cascio, Marie-Nicole Porte, and Aldo Cascio—claim they were groomed and brainwashed by Jackson starting when they were as young as seven or eight. The abuse allegedly occurred during concert tours in the US and abroad, as well as in the siblings' own home in New Jersey when Jackson was visiting with his children. The lawsuit asserts that Jackson gave the siblings drugs and alcohol and exposed them to child pornography to facilitate the abuse.
Representatives for the Jackson estate have dismissed the lawsuit as a “desperate money grab” and a “shakedown attempt.” Attorney Martin Singer, representing the estate, stated that the Cascio family had defended Jackson for over 25 years and that the new claims are a transparent tactic to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars. The lawsuit comes on the same day as the opening of the Jackson biopic “Michael.”
The siblings’ father reportedly met Jackson while working at a luxury hotel where the singer frequently stayed. The complaint alleges that the parents were unaware of the abuse and were emotionally manipulated to maintain Jackson’s access to the children. The plaintiffs are now adults and are seeking damages for the alleged abuse.
