Readers of this blog may have seen a recent headline about the allegations against pop icon Michael Jackson, who now is being accused of molesting yet another young boy. This time the accuser is a man named Wade Robson, once a staunch supporter of Jackson, who became friends with the pop star at the age of 7. The latest accusations may extend the California probate proceedings for the Jackson estate, which have continued through a seemingly never-ending spate of estate challenges from creditors, alleged victims and feuding family members.
In this instance, Robson is recanting previous claims, made in court and under oath, that Michael Jackson never touched him inappropriately. During Jackson’s criminal trial in 2005, Robson served as one of the strongest witnesses for the defense, denying all allegations that Jackson was a pedophile who abused the young boys he had befriended. Now he has gone back on those statements, claiming that for some seven years he performed sexual acts on Jackson and had them performed on him.
Robson claimed that the birth of his son caused him to explore emotions and occurrences that he had previously blocked out, which is why he is now leveling these new allegations against the estate of Jackson. The probate court may block his claim as a creditor to the Jackson estate because he waited too long to file after the singer’s death, but he has allegedly also filed a civil claim against two of the executors of Jackson’s estate. There is not yet any word on how much compensation he is seeking, but it is quite possible that he will get to make his case before a jury in the future.
This story shows that anything can happen in the probate process here in California, so being prepared for even the completely unexpected is extremely important.
Source: CNN, “Wade Robson calls Michael Jackson ‘a pedophile’,” Alan Duke, May 16, 2013
