Sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson dismissed by judge

Allegations that Wade Robson had brought against Michael Jackson were dismissed today by a judge in a Los Angeles court, two years after the case began. Robson claimed that, when he was a teenager, Michael Jackson sexually abused him. This is while, at age 22, Robson—under oath in court in 2005—testified in Michael Jackson’s favor and denied any criminal wrongdoing by the King of Pop.

However, four years after Michael’s death, he raised a new claim and said that, only recently—following a nervous breakdown and psychotherapy with a psychologist—he realized that Michael’s behavior was, in fact, sexual abuse. At the same time, he claimed that over these two decades he had been remembering details of the behavior. He alleged that Michael performed sexual acts on him, and that he repeated the same acts on Michael; and that he only understood the meaning of these behaviors when he was 30 years old.

Here is a portion of his testimony in the 2005 court case involving Michael Jackson—testimony that, as it were, says it all:

Prosecutor: Mr. Jackson kissed you?

Robson: No.

Prosecutor: Did he hug you?

Robson: Yes.

Prosecutor: Did he touch you?

Robson: No, he hugged me.

Prosecutor: Did he ever kiss your lips?

Robson: No.

Prosecutor: Did a situation ever arise where he slept next to you and hugged you?

Robson: No.

Prosecutor: Were you lying next to each other?

Robson: No.

Prosecutor: Did you touch each other?

Robson: No.

The Michael Jackson Foundation, in a brazen and heartbreaking manner, asked the judge to dismiss Robson’s claims. They also described Robson’s action as an attempt at revenge, saying that Robson had been removed from the team collaborating with the Michael Jackson Foundation in order to produce Michael’s shows and Cirque du Soleil (the Immortal world tour), and that his place had been taken by Jamie King, a dancer and choreographer who had worked with the King of Pop on earlier tours.

The Michael Jackson Foundation also said that it was not possible to reach an agreement with Robson, and that the fate of this case would be determined in court. Many believed that Robson was trying to disrupt the atmosphere against the Foundation in the media and, under pressure, through defaming Michael Jackson, to force them to sign a settlement agreement and pay money.

It is worth noting that after Michael Jackson’s death in the summer of 2009, Judge Mitchell Beckloff set a period of time during which any real or legal person who had a complaint against Michael Jackson could file their claim so that it could be addressed. During that period, many financial lawsuit cases were filed; most of them were dismissed from the outset and removed from the court’s agenda. But Robson’s case was presented even outside the timeframe set by the judge and years after the legal deadline for filing had ended, and under the law it did not have the required jurisdiction for the court to hear it.

Now Judge Mitchell Beckloff has issued his final ruling on this case. These allegations will not go to court, and Robson’s allegations case against the King of Pop will be stopped right here.

Howard Weitzman, the attorney for the Michael Jackson Foundation, also confirmed the judge’s ruling and called it a sign that the allegations lack credibility:

"Removing this case from the court’s agenda shows that these allegations were baseless from the start."

With the court’s decision becoming clear, a similar fate is expected to await James Safechuck’s case—the man with an umbrella who accompanied Michael and his wife Lisa Marie Presley during the filming of the History album teaser in Budapest.

Below is an excerpt from Wade Robson’s memories of Michael, which was published in the book Michael Jackson Opus after Michael’s death.

"The first time I met Michael was on the BAD tour in 1987. I was five years old. Michael’s company arranged a dance competition in every country where the tour took place, and I participated in the competition held in Brisbane, Australia. [...] In short, I won the dance competition. They took us to meet Michael, and that’s where I was introduced to him. [...] Our friendship began. For two weeks, he took me to his dance studio, played music, and we danced for hours. [...] He even taught me the moonwalk. We were in his dance studio, and he taught me step by step. That night I couldn’t sleep at all. The experience of the moonwalk next to the man who had made that dance famous worldwide created a great deal of excitement in me.

After that, my mom and I decided to move to America so I could pursue my dream of becoming a dancer—and Michael was the one who helped us. By including me in the video for ‘Black or White,’ he gave me a stormy start. The role he played in my life was that of a teacher. When I was seven, he told me that one day I would become a film director—and I did. He taught me thirst for learning and knowledge. Once, a representative* from a music recording company came to my house." (*Refers to MJJ, the subsidiary of Michael Jackson’s music publishing company, Epic. In 1994, Michael signed a contract between his own company, MJJ, and Robson, and formed the rap group Quo, of which Robson was a member. Robson later became a dancer and choreographer and worked with stars such as Britney Spears.)

Read a fuller portion of these memories at here.

Source: eMJey.com / showbiz411