The lawsuit from James Safechuck and Wade Robson against Michael Jackson’s estate may be resurrected due to a new law in California that allows sex abuse victims to sue past any alleged statute of limitations.
“A California appeals court appeared strongly inclined Monday to give new life to lawsuits filed by two men who accuse Michael Jackson of repeatedly molesting them when they were boys,” reported The Hollywood Reporter. “Three judges from the 2nd District Court of Appeal said in a tentative ruling that lawsuits from James Safechuck and Wade Robson against two corporate entities that Jackson owned should be reconsidered by the trial court that dismissed them in 2017.”
Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into state law an extension of the statute of limitations — sexual abuse victims in the Golden State can now file suits up until the age of 40.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck became household names following the release of the explosive documentary “Leaving Neverland,” which accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing young boys, often in his own home. The documentary sent a shockwave across social media, dividing people into two camps: Fierce defenders of Jackson and ex-fans too sickened by the allegations to hear him sing again. Despite their detailed accounts of how the abuse unfolded and corroboration from family members, Robson and Safechuck have faced some scrutiny since the documentary’s release over a discrepancy in their account. As Jeffery Cawood has reported for The Daily Wire:
A British journalist said he found a significant discrepancy in HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” documentary, raising questions about the film’s credibility and its graphic molestation allegations against the late international entertainment icon, Michael Jackson.
Since its release a month ago, several tabloids in the United Kingdom have published a series of critiques based on the research of reporter Mike Smallcombe, who also authored a biography on the King of Pop. He says his most damning discovery focuses on a claim made by James Safechuck, who has repeatedly said that he was sexually abused by Jackson from 1988 to 1992, ending when he was 14 years old.
However, Smallcombe obtained building permits last week that he says discredit Safechuck’s story.
“Construction on Neverland’s train station didn’t start until the latter part of 1993, and it didn’t open until the first part of 1994, when Safechuck was 16,” Smallcombe told The Mirror Online.
Speaking outside the Los Angeles courtroom following Monday’s hearing, Robson and Safechuck’s attorney Vince Finaldi said the court made the right decision by allowing the lawsuit to move forward.
“All they’ve ever wanted is their day in court,” Finaldi said.
Attorneys for Jackson’s estate, however, emphasized that the ruling in no way guarantees that Robson and Safechuck’s lawsuit will ultimately proceed to trial.
“This new law extends the time for genuine victims of abuse to file legal claims,” Jackson estate attorney Howard L. Weitzman said in a statement. “The appellate court’s tentative ruling is not on the merits of Robson and Safechuck’s allegations and the court in no way said that these cases will go to trial. Neither does it reverse the 2015 rulings dismissing Robson and Safechuck’s claims against the estate, which are final and no longer subject to any appeals. We are confident that the claims against Michael Jackson’s corporate entities will, once again, be dismissed as has happened before.”