Court Sends Michael Jackson Abuse Claims to Arbitration

A federal judge dismissed the Cascio siblings’ child-sex-trafficking lawsuit against the estate of Michael Jackson, ordering the dispute to be resolved through confidential arbitration. The ruling follows the terms of a 2019 settlement that required any further claims by the siblings to be arbitrated rather than litigated in public court.

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Four siblings—Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole and Aldo Cascio—grew up with Jackson and previously defended him publicly. After the HBO documentary *Leaving Neverland* aired, they filed a February lawsuit alleging decades-long sexual abuse. The estate had paid the siblings $3.5 million in a 2019 settlement that included an arbitration clause and did not admit wrongdoing. The Cascios now argue that the agreement is unconscionable and should be voided. A separate California state-court decision earlier this year similarly forced the estate’s other son, Frank Cascio, into arbitration over his sexual-assault claims.

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Judge Hernán D. The Jackson estate, which has consistently denied all abuse allegations, described the Cascios’ claims as a “desperate money grab” and noted that the siblings had defended Jackson’s innocence for years before changing their stance. The estate has not provided an immediate comment on the latest ruling.

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• “Although the allegations are horrific, the court is without discretion to do aught but enforce the language of the arbitration clause,” — Judge Vera. The Cascio, wrote judge

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• “The family had hoped the court would allow for a public trial over the decades-long molestations of the Cascio siblings by Michael Jackson and the ensuing cover-up by his advisors,” — Howard King, of Pop’s estate

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The decision limits the public’s ability to hear the siblings’ allegations in open court, shifting the dispute to a private setting. Legal analysts note that arbitration can restrict discovery and limit the transparency of any eventual findings. The Cascio family has indicated they will pursue their case within the arbitration framework, while the estate maintains that the original settlement was proper and that the allegations lack merit.

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