Michael Jackson’s former defenders now claim he sexually abused their four children for more than a decade and have filed a $200 million lawsuit against his estate.
Michael Jackson faces a new legal reckoning as the Cascio family, which has publicly defended him for decades, now accuses him of sexually abusing their four children, who were as young as seven and eight, for more than a decade.
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, accuses the late pop icon of grooming, drugging and repeatedly assaulting the siblings at Neverland Ranch, on international tours and at the homes of celebrity friends including Elton John and Elizabeth Taylor.
The Cassios’ reversal is particularly notable because they have been Jackson’s most vocal supporters for twenty-five years.
Dominic Cascio Sr. first met Jackson in the 1980s when he worked as a manager at a luxury Manhattan hotel, and the family became so close to the singer that they appeared on Oprah in 2010 to defend him against abuse accusations, insisting they never witnessed any inappropriate behavior.
Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter , the family claims they were forced to remain silent in a confidential settlement reached in 2019 that was worth approximately $16 million over five years.
The indictment alleges that Jackson used programming language to launch a campaign of abuse, telling the children “Can I have a meeting,” “Yoga tea,” “Fantasy Island” and “Go to Disneyland.”
He allegedly gave them wine he called “Jesus Juice” and liquor labeled “Disney Juice,” as well as marijuana, cocaine, alprazolam, Vicodin and Viagra to make them more compliant.
The lawsuit alleges that Jackson’s staff intentionally booked separate hotel rooms for parents to prevent them from discovering his time with the children, and that staff also helped cover up the abuse.
Marty Singer, an attorney for Jackson’s estate, dismissed the accusations as a “desperate money grab” and noted that the Cassios family spent decades proving Jackson’s innocence.
Singer noted that during a 2010 Oprah appearance, when asked whether Jackson had acted inappropriately, the three brothers responded in unison: “Never, never,” while shaking their heads.
The estate said the family is now trying to extract hundreds of millions of dollars through what it calls a “forum shopping strategy.”
The family said they were motivated in part by watching HBO’s 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland,” which helped them process what they said were years of abuse and “unblock” Jackson.
They claim the settlement agreement they signed included language prohibiting them from reporting Jackson’s crimes to law enforcement or speaking negatively about him.
The Casios are now seeking to rescind the agreement and seek damages that could be tripled because they were abused as children.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the siblings claim Jackson showed them pornography and photos of naked children to desensitize them and threatened to ruin their lives and that of their families if they disclosed what happened.
The lawsuit comes as the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” opens in theaters this weekend and is expected to set a box office record for a music biopic, creating a stark contrast between the film’s celebration of the singer and the serious allegations currently being filed in court.
