Frank Cascio, the man accusing Michael Jackson of abusing him and his siblings, claims he felt “immense pressure” to sign a settlement agreement with the late pop star’s estate as their legal battle erupts again.
Cascio detailed in court documents filed October 27 and obtained by Us Weekly on November 6, that the 2020 settlement came amid “severe turmoil” within his family, who had already signed the agreement before him.
“In late December 2019, I learned that [members of my family] had already signed a settlement agreement with the Estate but that the agreement would not become effective absent my signature,” Cascio wrote, explaining that he ultimately signed to avoid “causing more conflict.”
Cascio, who said he struggles with dyslexia and reading comprehension, alleged that estate lawyers discouraged him from seeking independent counsel, telling him it would “slow things down.”
He also claimed that they insisted on calling the deal a “life rights agreement” to “keep it private” and prevent Jackson’s children from learning about it.
“Acting under that pressure, and with misplaced trust in the Estate’s representatives, I signed the agreement in January 2020 without my own lawyer and without fully understanding its implications,” he stated.
But Jackson’s estate, which filed a lawsuit against Cascio in July 2025, tells a very different story. Executors John Branca and John McClain accuse Cascio and his relatives of launching a $213 million “civil extortion scheme,” claiming they threatened to “go public with false accusations” unless paid.
The estate insists Cascio once defended Jackson publicly, even writing a book praising him, before changing course after the singer’s death.
Cascio now argues the settlement is unenforceable and has asked the court not to move the case into arbitration.
