Michael Jackson’s Accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck Demand Trial Start Before Biopic Release
Mar. 1 2024, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
The two men who sued Michael Jackson’s companies over alleged childhood abuse are desperate to go to trial before the highly anticipated biopic about the pop star is released, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck recently asked to consolidate their cases against Jackson’s companies. They said they plan to fight together in court.
Both men sued in 2013. Their lawsuits were initially dismissed but the California Court of Appeals reversed the decision — and ruled both cases could move forward to trial.
Robson claimed he met Jackson when he was 7. He said the pop star sexually abused him for years. Safechuck said he met Jackson on the set of his 1988 Pepsi commercial.
Safechuck claimed Jackson started having him around more which led to alleged sexual abuse. He said the abuse went on for years.
Rolling Stone reported that at a court hearing this week it was revealed both parties have different views on when the trial should start.
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At the hearing, the judge granted Robson and Safechuck’s motion to combine their cases into one. The accusers asked that the trial date be held before early next year.
Specifically, they want the trial to go down BEFORE the Jackson biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua comes out. The movie stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar as the pop star, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson and Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson.
Jackson’s estate executors are producers on the film.
Lawyers for Robson and Safechuck said they believe Jackson’s companies are attempting to have the trial start AFTER the biopic is released.
“They want the Michael Jackson biopic to come out before the trial. That’s what I think,” lawyer John C. Carpenter told Rolling Stone. “These corporations that facilitated the abuse in the first place, they’re rewriting the history.”
The Jackson estate is involved in the Michael Jackson biopic coming out in 2025.
A lawyer for Jackson's companies said they believed the case wouldn’t be ready for trial until after December 2026.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, lawyers for the companies recently revealed their plan to demand Robson and Safechuck submit to a mental examination before the trial.
In addition, they plan to subpoena director Dan Reed, who was behind the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.
In the doc, Robson and Safechuck spoke about their allegations against Jackson. The companies believe Reed has unaired footage that could help their defense. A judge has yet to rule.