Michael Jackson estate sued with allegations of years of abuse from late singer

Four adult siblings have filed a lawsuit against the estate of Michael Jackson, accusing the late pop star of child sex trafficking and sexual abuse that they say began when they were minors.

In a complaint filed February 27, siblings Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole, and Aldo Cascio allege that Jackson “groomed and brainwashed” them over the course of more than a decade, using his wealth, fame, and inner circle to gain access and control. 

The suit claims the singer befriended the family through their father, who worked at a luxury New York hotel Jackson frequented in the 1980s.

According to the 23-page filing, Jackson allegedly isolated the children from other adults, provided them with drugs and alcohol, exposed them to pornography, and sexually abused each of them individually, beginning when some were as young as 7 or 8 years old. 

The plaintiffs allege the abuse occurred in multiple locations, including during international travel, at their family home in New Jersey, and at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California.

The estate has strongly denied the allegations. In a statement, attorney Marty Singer called the lawsuit “a desperate money grab,” and accused members of the Cascio family of contradicting years of prior public statements defending Jackson. 

Singer said the claims are inconsistent with passages from Frank Cascio’s 2011 book and past interviews in which the family maintained that Jackson never harmed them.

The complaint follows a recent court appearance related to what the siblings describe as a prior financial settlement they now characterise as an unlawful effort to silence alleged victims. A follow-up hearing is scheduled for March 5.

Jackson died in 2009 at age 50. His estate has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct and has defended the singer against past claims in court.