LOS ANGELES — A three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal has breathed new life into the child molestation cases brought by "Leaving Neverland" subjects Wade Robson and James Safechuck against Michael Jackson's corporation. The plaintiffs allege that MJJ Productions Inc. staff were complicit and aided Jackson in grooming, sexual abuse and cover-up.
A tentative ruling, issued Monday, says the men have a legal case that can be tried, with allegations that both were molested by Jackson after the pop megastar befriended them when they were children and then groomed and sexually abused each for several years, until they reached puberty.
The 35-page ruling, if made final, would potentially lead to trials in cases that have dragged on for years. Robson and Safechuck were each suing Michael Jackson's corporation separately, but the ruling suggests their cases will be combined when they go to trial. Jackson's company lawyers argued the company had no legal duty to protect Robson or anyone else from Jackson, because it had no ability to control him.
