In February of this year, four adult siblings filed a bombshell child sex-trafficking lawsuit against the estate of Michael Jackson. Brought by Frank, Dominic, Marie-Nicole, and Aldo Cascio, the suit — which accused Jackson of being a “serial child predator” — was filed about a month after the family tried to void a financial settlement with the Jackson estate which they described as “unlawful.” (“We categorically dispute these claims,” a lawyer for the estate said in court.)

This legal drama flared up just as the Jackson family and estate were gearing up for the biggest moment for the late King of Pop in years: The release of the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic, Michael. Long in the works, and beset by delays and reshoots, the film is finally set to hit theaters on April 24, with Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the title role. Early box-office predictions indicate it will be a massive success and eventually bounce back from a budget that those aforementioned delays caused to balloon to a reported $200 million. 

But the film’s arrival has also renewed conversations about what is, very pointedly, not in the biopic: The myriad sexual-abuse allegations leveled against Jackson over the years. An earlier version of the film dealt with allegations brought by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler in the early Nineties, albeit painting Jackson as the victim of a blackmail plot. But they were axed — and a large chunk of the film was reshot — after it was discovered that the Chandler family’s settlement with Jackson prohibited any kind of dramatized depiction of events surrounding his accusations. 

The Cascio family lawsuit is also not the only legal battle the Jackson estate will have to deal with this year. The $400 million lawsuit brought by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, whose accusations against Jackson anchored the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, will finally head to trial in November. 

Jackson’s estate has repeatedly denied all accusations against the late pop star. These claims have long overshadowed Jackson’s wildly successful career, but they never fully derailed it, nor have they seemed to threaten the King of Pop’s ever-lucrative legacy. Here’s a look back.

Editor’s picks

May 1992 — Jackson befriends Jordan Chandler
According to an October 1994 story in GQ, Jackson met Jordan Chandler in May 1992 after the owner of a nearby car rental business offered him a free rental if the singer agreed to call his 13-year-old stepson, who was a fan of Jackson’s music. In February 1993, Jordan, along with his sister and his mother June, stay at Neverland — Jackson’s compound — for the first of several visits. In late March, the family begins traveling with Jackson to places like Las Vegas, Morocco and Paris. During this period, according to the Chandlers, Jordan and Jackson would often sleep in the same room.

May 25, 1993 — The National Enquirer publishes a story titled “Michael Jackson’s Secret Family”
Jordan’s parents were long divorced, and his father, Evan Chandler, a well-known Los Angeles dentist, was reportedly upset that the tabloid story portrayed Jackson as a father figure. Jordan’s frequent trips to Neverland and other travels with Jackson had caused a disruption to Chandler’s visitation schedule, and he allegedly became suspicious that something untoward might be going on.

June-August 1993 — Evan Chandler builds his case against Jackson
Having become increasingly at odds with his ex-wife June over Jordan’s friendship with Jackson, Evan Chandler began talking to lawyers about either filing a restraining order against Jackson or a custody lawsuit against June. Chandler repeatedly threatened to “destroy” Jackson in secretly recorded telephone conversations that were then played for Jackson’s attorneys. Jordan was then interviewed by a private investigator hired by Jackson’s attorneys, and denied being molested by the singer.

In mid-July, as a custody battle over Jordan began to ramp up, Evan Chandler claimed Jordan disclosed to him that Jackson had molested him on several occasions. In August, Chandler and his attorney met with Jackson’s attorney and demanded $20 million in exchange for not going public or to the authorities with the abuse allegations. Meanwhile, in court documents filed in the child custody case, Chandler made no mention of Jackson.

In mid-August 1993, during an appointment set up by Chandler with psychiatrist Dr. Mathis Abrams, Jordan described being molested by Jackson, including incidents of kissing, masturbation and oral sex, which Abrams reported to the authorities.

See Also

Aug. 18, 1993 — The Los Angeles Police Department begins investigating Jackson
The LAPD’s Sexually Exploited Child Unit launched an investigation into the allegations against Jackson after Jordan repeated the allegations in an interview with police. On Aug. 27, after police executed several search warrants of the singer’s various properties, the Los Angeles Times reported that videotapes has been seized, but were not incriminating. “The lack of physical evidence of alleged sexual molestation … left investigators ‘scrambling’ to get statements from other potential victims” because, according to a Times’ police source, “the search warrant didn’t result in anything that would support a criminal filing.”

As the story made headlines, Jackson went ahead with his world tour while his family and friends defended him back home. On Aug. 25, teenagers Brett Barnes and Wade Robson — who had become friends with Jackson several years earlier — held a press conference in which they stated that they had slept in the same bed as Jackson, but nothing sexual in nature had occurred.

Sept. 14, 1993 — The Chandlers sue Jackson for $30 million
The lawsuit accused Jackson of sexual battery, battery, seduction, willful misconduct, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud and negligence.

Nov. 4, 1993 — The son of Jackson’s former maid is interviewed by police
In their search for other potential victims, investigators interviewed Jason Francia, the 13-year-old son of Jackson’s former maid, Blanca Francia. While he initially denied being abused, he eventually told police that Jackson tickled him and touched his genitals, a story he repeated on the witness stand at Jackson’s 2005 trial.

On Dec. 15, in a paid interview with the tabloid news show Hard Copy, his mother, Blanca Francia, who worked for the singer from the mid-1980s to early-1990s, claimed that she witnessed improprieties between Jackson and several young boys, but didn’t come forward until after she heard about the Chandler allegations. She was subsequently interviewed by the police, who prevented her from selling her story to anyone else, and gave several depositions in the Chandler civil lawsuit.

Dec. 20, 1993 — Michael Jackson is strip-searched by police
Jackson’s genitalia and body were photographed and videotaped by authorities so they could be compared to Jordan’s description. Two days later, on Dec. 22, Jackson released a now infamous video statement in which he insisted he was innocent and described the strip search as “the most humiliating ordeal of my life.” No arrest warrant was issued.

On Dec. 28, Jordan gave a sworn declaration detailing the abuse allegations; the declaration was leaked online in 2003.

Jan. 25, 1994 — Jackson settles with the Chandlers and agrees to pay them $22 million
After months of negotiations, Jackson chose to settle the molestation case out of court, with $15 million set aside for Jordan in a trust until he turned 18. June and Evan Chandler each received $1.5 million. (The remaining money went to the Chandlers’ legal team.)

February-April 1994 — Grand juries decline to indict Jackson
Grand juries in both Santa Barbara and Los Angeles were presented with the prosecution’s case against Jackson, including testimony from both Jordan and June Chandler, but declined to indict. Authorities said the case remained open, but in July, Jordan Chandler told prosecutors he would refuse to testify at a trial. In September, Santa Barbara District Attorney Thomas Sneddon and Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti admitted their 18-month investigation had failed to produce incriminating evidence, and without Jordan’s cooperation, they could not file criminal charges against Jackson.

Jordan Chandler went on to attain legal emancipation from both of his parents. June Chandler testified at Jackson’s 2005 trial and said she had not spoken to her son in 11 years. Evan Chandler, who closed his dental practice in 1994, killed himself in 2009.

Feb. 6, 2003 — The documentary Living With Michael Jackson airs in the United States
British journalist Martin Bashir filmed the documentary between late 2002 and early 2003, and dedicated significant airtime to Jackson’s friendship with a young cancer patient named Gavin Arvizo, who had been visiting Neverland Ranch with his family since 2000. Jackson and Arvizo held hands and discussed having sleepovers, which Jackson described as a regular activity for him and his young guests. “It’s not sexual, we’re going to sleep,” Jackson told Bashir. “I tuck them in…. It’s very charming, it’s very sweet.” The documentary sparked outrage and renewed interest in the 1993 allegations. That same week, Jordan Chandler’s sworn declaration was leaked online.

June-November 2003 – The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office renew their investigation into Michael Jackson
Sneddon, the Santa Barbara DA, reopened the investigation in the aftermath of Bashir’s documentary, and authorities interviewed Arvizo alongside his father David, mother Janet and brother Star in July and August 2003. Gavin would eventually claim to police in November that Jackson has molested him several times between Feb. 21 and March 12, 2003, when, according to Janet Arvizo, Jackson held the family captive at Neverland. Jackson denied holding the family against their will.

On Nov. 18, Neverland was searched by police, with Jackson arrested and released on a $3 million bond one week later.

Dec. 18, 2003 — Jackson is formally charged with partaking in lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14
Four months later, on April 21st, 2004, a grand jury indicted Jackson on several additional charges related to the Arvizo allegations, including conspiracy involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

Feb. 28, 2005 — Michael Jackson’s criminal trial begins
Over the course of three months, dozens of witnesses were called to testify, including famous names like Jay Leno, comedian Chris Tucker and Macaulay Culkin, the latter calling allegations that he was molested by Jackson “absolutely ridiculous.” Several other young men Jackson befriended  as kids also testified on Jackson’s behalf, including Wade Robson, who said he spent the night at Neverland more than 20 times, sleeping in Jackson’s bed, and was never molested. He also refuted maid Blanca Francia’s testimony that she had witnessed Jackson showering with Robson.

Arvizo and his younger brother both testified and claimed that Jackson showed them pornography and gave them alcohol, which he called “Jesus juice.” Both boys testified that Jackson had masturbated in front of them and molested Gavin on several occasions, but Jackson’s defense capably pointed out various inconsistencies in their stories and presented impeaching witnesses. They repeatedly introduced evidence that Janet Arvizo had committed welfare fraud and perjury, and had a history of coaching her children to lie.  

June 14, 2005 — The jury delivers its verdict
After deliberating for 32 hours over seven days, the jury returned a verdict finding Michael Jackson not guilty on all charges.

June 25, 2009 — Michael Jackson dies at age 50
Following his acquittal, Jackson never returned to Neverland Ranch, saying the police raid of the property no longer made it a home. For the next four years, he lived primarily in Bahrain and Ireland before returning to Los Angeles. He died of cardiac arrest while on an array of prescription medications.

May 2013 — Wade Robson sues the Jackson estate
According to the lawsuit, Robson — a longtime friend and Jackson defender — alleged that Jackson had molested him over a seven-year period, starting when he was seven years old. Born in Australia, Robson and his family moved to Los Angeles after meeting Jackson; during his first sleepover at Neverland Ranch, Robson claimed Jackson performed oral sex on him. “He said ‘This is how we show our love,’” Robson says in the film.

Robson claimed the last sexual assault occurred when he was 14, when Jackson tried to anally penetrate him. Robson has gone on to become a well-known dancer and choreographer in his own right. He has said that for many years he thought of his relationship with Jackson as being consensual and it wasn’t until he had his own child that he saw the abuse for what it was.

“I understand why it’s so hard for [fans] to believe it,” a soft-spoken Robson said following a screening of Leaving Neverland. “We can only accept and understand something when we’re ready.”

August 2014 — James Safechuck sues the Jackson estate
Safechuck was 10 years old when he appeared in Jackson’s infamous Pepsi commercial, and in his lawsuit, he claimed Jackson sexually abused him over 100 times over a four-year period. According to court documents, Jackson “engaged in a calculated course of conduct to lure both [Safechuck] and his parents into a false sense of security and normalcy that was far from reality. And [Jackson] was successful in his efforts to the point that [Safechuck] endured repeated acts of sexual abuse of a heinous nature and was brainwashed by the decedent into believing they were acts of love and instigated by James himself rather than the decedent.”

In 2017, both Robson and Safechuck’s lawsuits were thrown out because too much time had elapsed for Jackson’s estate to be held criminally liable.

January-March 2019 — Leaving Neverland is released
Leaving Neverland, a four-hour documentary highlighting Robson and Safechuck’s allegations against Jackson, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and is then released on HBO in March. The film prompted a wave of recriminations and re-examinations of Jackson’s life and legacy. Louis Vuitton pulled a few Jackson-inspired items from a fall/winter collection, and the 1991 Simpsons episode, “Stark Raving Dad,” which featured Jackson in an uncredited (but obviously him) guest role, was pulled from syndication. Jackson’s music was also yanked from several radio stations in New Zealand, but eventually re-added. 

Meanwhile, the Jackson estate denounced Leaving Neverland as “yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson” with “just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations.” They also sued HBO in February for more than $100 million, alleging that Leaving Neverland violated a non-disparagement clause in a 1992 contract between Jackson and HBO over the rights to air the concert film, Michael Jackson in Concert in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour. 

Jan. 3, 2020 — Safechuck and Robson’s suits are revived
A California appeals court overturns the 2017 ruling that tossed Robson and Safechuck’s suits against the Jackson estate because it fell outside the statute of limitations. The reversal was prompted by a new California law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2020, which allowed victims of childhood sexual abuse until the age of 40 (up from 26) to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers. It also extended the statute of limitations on a provision allowing victims to sue third-party entities tied to alleged abusers that knew, or should have known, that abuse was happening, or failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it. (Robson and Safechuck’s suit named MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc. as the defendants, saying the singer’s companies had a legal duty to protect them from alleged abuse.)

Oct. 21, 2020 — Safechuck’s suit dismissed
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge again tosses Safechuck’s suit. The judge ruled that MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures were not legally obligated to protect Safechuck.

April 26, 2021 — Robson’s suit dismissed
Robson’s lawsuit is dismissed in Los Angeles County Superior Court for the same reasons. 

Aug. 18, 2023 — Robson’s and Safechuck’s suits revived again
California’s Second District Court of Appeal reverses the dismissals of the Safechuck and Robson suits, allowing them to proceed. The panel of judges stated that “a corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees is not excused from an affirmative duty to protect those children merely because it is solely owned by the perpetrator of the abuse.” They added that “it would be perverse to find no duty based on the corporate defendant having only one shareholder. And so we reverse the judgments entered for the corporations.”

Feb. 28, 2024 — Robson’s and Safechuck’s suits combined
A judge grants Robson and Safechuck’s request to combine their negligence suits against Jackson’s companies into a single case. 

During the hearing, a lawyer for Jackson’s companies said that the estate would waive a three-year speedy trial rule, believing the case would not be ready for jurors until after December 2026. Speaking with reporters outside the courtroom, Robson and Safechuck’s lawyer argued that the estate was seeking a trial date past the release of the Jackson biopic, which had begun filming the previous month (January 2024) with an original release date of April 2025. (Eventually, the court sets a trial start date of November 2026.)

Sept. 20, 2024 — News of undisclosed settlements
The Financial Times reports that, in 2020, the Jackson estate quietly agreed to a $16.5 million settlement with a group of accusers who threatened to come forward with new allegations against Jackson in 2019. News of the settlements emerged after the Jackson estate brought an arbitration claim that accused one of the men involved of fabricating earlier allegations while trying to secure an additional $213 million in a new settlement with the estate. (Though none of the accusers were identified publicly at this time, the details of the settlement dispute matched those that were eventually made public with the Cascio family in 2026.) 

October 2024 — Jackson estate settles Leaving Neverland dispute with HBO
After several rounds of appeals, the Jackson estate and HBO agree to drop the suit over Leaving Neverland and the claims that it violated the 1992 non-disparagement clause. Per Puck (which reported on the settlement a few months after it was reached), HBO agreed to remove Leaving Neverland from its streaming platform. The film remains unavailable on any major streaming platform.

Jan. 24, 2025 — Michael biopic schedules reshoots
Puck reports that, after completing principal photography in May 2024, the Jackson biopic was called back in to reshoot a significant chunk of the film with a heavily revised script. It’s reported that the film had to be rewritten after the original version dramatized Jordan Chandler’s story and personhood in violation of Jackson’s settlement. Fuqua, as well as the film’s producers, were reportedly not made aware of the legally binding agreement until after filming wrapped. The Jackson estate said it would be financially responsible for the reshoots. (By this point, the Michael release date had already been pushed to Oct. 3, 2025; a final release date of April 2026 was set in July 2025.)

March 18, 2025 — Leaving Neverland sequel premieres
Robson and Safechuck discuss the latest developments in their legal battle, and the response to Leaving Neverland, in a follow-up doc, Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson. Directed by Dan Reed, who also helmed the original Leaving Neverland, the film premieres on YouTube. 

Jan. 14, 2026 — Cascio family appears in court
Frank Cascio and his siblings appear in a Beverly Hills court seeking to void a “purported settlement” with Jackson’s estate that they describe as “an unlawful agreement to silence victims of childhood sexual abuse.”  During the hearing, lawyers for the Cascios and Jackson estate spar over the estate’s petition to force the family into confidential arbitration over the settlement dispute.

Marty Singer, a lawyer for the Jackson estate, said the Cascios reached an initial “deal” with the estate in January 2020, then later renegotiated it for “significantly more money upfront.” He also claimed the family was threatening to file a public lawsuit that would violate the arbitration and confidentiality clauses of the original pact. Singer further told Rolling Stone that the Cascio’s were seeking an “extortionate demand” of $213 million. 

Feb. 27, 2026 — Cascio family sues Jackson estate
The Cascios sue the Jackson estate, calling Jackson “a serial child predator who, over the course of more than a decade, drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted each of the plaintiffs, beginning when some were as young as seven or eight.” The filing alleges that the abuse occurred over extended periods in multiple locations worldwide, and alleges that Jackson “groomed and brainwashed” the siblings using his wealth, celebrity status, and a network of employees and advisers.

The Cascio family, who met Jackson in the late-Eighties, previously referred to themselves as Jackson’s “second family” in interviews. Like Safechuck and Robson, they were among Jackson’s defenders during his 2005 criminal trial. The Cascios said Robson and Safechuck’s claims in Leaving Neverland led them to reckon with their experiences with Jackson and come forward with their allegations. 

Singer, the Jackson estate lawyer, slammed the lawsuit as “a desperate money grab” and “a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and companies.”

Trending Stories

March 4, 2026 — Jackson estate wins arbitration claim
A judge grants the Jackson family’s motion to force the dispute over the Cascio family settlement into arbitration. In a statement shared with People, a lawyer for the Cascios, Howard King, stressed that the ruling only related to the estate’s “groundless claims against Frank Cascio that he attempted to extort” the Jackson estate. He said the ruling did not affect the Cascio family’s federal lawsuit against the Jackson estate. 

This story was updated on April 22, 2026, with new developments since the release of Leaving Neverland in 2019.