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\nFT Exclusive: The King of Pop\u2019s legacy has generated $3bn since his death but it remains shadowed by child sex abuse claims. After the estate laid low for a few years, it’s now taking a more offensive approach as it looks to clear Jackson\u2019s name https:\/\/t.co\/U8u7rgrro4<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/66byDeNYDh<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Financial Times (@FT) September 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Michael Jackson\u2019s estate has filed a legal action against a man who it claims has threatened to resurface ugly abuse allegations ahead of the upcoming release of a biopic about the King of Pop, according to multiple media reports.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The man and four others told the estate in about 2019, a decade after the singer\u2019s death, that they might go public with allegations that he had acted inappropriately with some of them when they were children<\/b>. <\/p>\n
\u2022 In 2020, the estate quietly struck a previously unreported settlement worth nearly $20mn, under which the man and the other accusers agreed instead to defend Jackson\u2019s reputation<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The estate is now accusing the man of fabricating his earlier claims while seeking to extract $213mn<\/b> more in a new settlement with the estate.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jackson\u2019s estate is<\/b> asking an arbitrator to award damages, order the accuser to abide by the terms of the 2020 deal and issue an injunction barring him from releasing details he previously agreed to keep secret<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Co-executor of the estate John Branca has described their actions as a blatant attempt to exploit Jackson\u2019s legacy for financial gain at no risk of defamation because those laws don\u2019t protect the deceased.<\/p>\n
\u2022 From the Washington Informer article: “For 25 years these associates have steadfastly maintained Jackson\u2019s innocence…”<\/p>\n
\u2022 According to the legal action, the man and the others “turned” on the estate following 2019’s Leaving Neverland documentary.<\/b><\/p>\n
“…the Jackson estate was under significant pressure due to the media frenzy that spawned calls to \u201ccancel\u201d the superstar. Representatives sought the group\u2019s support given they, for years, vouched for Jackson\u2019s character, and that\u2019s when they turned.” <\/p>\n
\u2022 Via the WI: “As fiduciaries, the executors\u2019 mission is to generate income for Jackson\u2019s beneficiaries. So, they had two goals: preserve the upcoming projects, while shielding his loved ones from further pain of having to endure another round of salacious, unproven allegations. The estate reached a private settlement with the group including $3 million for each of the five individuals<\/b>.” <\/p>\n
\u2022 Both sides mutually agreed to keep the agreement under wraps to where even its existence couldn\u2019t be divulged. The estate\u2019s mutual nondisclosure agreement with the associates was vital in keeping the matter private and allowing the estate to move forward with projects that that would ensure that future generations could share in Michael\u2019s musical and creative legacy and that could prove lucrative for Michael\u2019s three children<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Branca said in an exclusive interview with the Black Press of America\u2019s Let It Be Known: “In 2019, there was \u2018Leaving Neverland,\u2019 which was a complete surprise hit job<\/b>. We didn\u2019t know it was coming and weren\u2019t asked for comment. And the media didn\u2019t want to hear Michael\u2019s story…We have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize the income of the estate, and our counsel insisted we sign the agreement. So, we did it with a mutual nondisclosure. And they didn\u2019t want it disclosed either because Michael\u2019s fans would have gone after these people<\/b>.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWe and they signed this nondisclosure agreement, and the nondisclosure said you can\u2019t even tell people there\u2019s an agreement,\u201d Branca explained. \u201cIt was awkward because we were making a movie with Antoine Fuqua and Graham King. And we couldn\u2019t tell anybody about it, including the filmmakers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Branca commented, \u201cThe associate\u2019s lawyer even said to us, if you don\u2019t meet our demands, we\u2019re going to have to share these allegations with a wider group of people. It was a shakedown<\/b>. Enough is enough.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u2022 The estate has reported the extortion attempt to authorities and is filing an arbitration proceeding against the associates for civil extortion.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The man allegedly making the claims against the Jackson estate did not respond to repeated requests for comment. He is not being named by the Financial Times.<\/p>\n