Michael Jackson's Upcoming Biopic Is 'Shameful Propaganda,' Says the Lawyer of Two Alleged Abuse Victims
John Carpenter, the lawyer of the two men who claimed to be sexually abused by Michael Jackson in the Leaving Neverland documentary, criticized the upcoming pop singer biopic Michael, calling the film "shameful propaganda," RadarOnline.com has learned.
The lawyer accused Jackson's companies of trying to "rewrite the history of what Michael Jackson did to maximize profits" with the movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters next Spring.
He told the Daily Mail, "Let's not forget that in America, corporations are - legally — considered people."
"The only reason for them to live is to make money. That's their sole goal. I'm not surprised this corporation is trying to rewrite the history of what Michael Jackson did to maximize profits. It's shameful they're trying to do that, but that's what they're doing," the lawyer continued.
"My challenge to them is to reconcile the truth of what Michael Jackson did with the merits of his music. Don't rewrite the history on the backs of the children that survived Michael Jackson's pedophilia."
Carpenter said the Jackson camp needed to apologize to the victims and stop denying the abuse took place.
He said, "This film is normalizing very dangerous behavior between children and adults, and I'm sure it will be used by pedophiles, people who engage in these activities."
Carpenter compared Jackson's actions and situation to that of the Catholic Church.
"They have to get the truth out," he continued. "There was a time not that long ago when the thought the Catholic church was abusing children was unthinkable."
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Carpenter, who represents Jackson accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck, also said that the Jackson family was trying to "demonize the victims" in order to protect Michael's legacy in the public eye "rather than reckon with the truth."
He told the outlet, "It's worse than you know. Michael's gaslighting, making children think it was their idea to have sex with them. It's gross."
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Carpenter accused Jackson's camp of taking a page out of Donald Trump's playbook by trying to delay the case against the estate as much as possible, aiming for it to start after Michael had already come out.
Trump is currently facing four criminal cases and 91 charges and has successfully delayed a number of them so far, though the first is likely to start within the next few weeks.
"It's a very well-trodden course of delay because that's their end game. It's a win for them," Carpenter explained. "We're trying to get the case to trial."