Multiple Michael Jackson fans have filed a lawsuit against the two victims of the deceased pop star’s alleged abuse, claiming they smeared his reputation.
The lawsuit stems back to a documentary in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck alleged that Jackson sexually abused them when they were underage in the late 1980s and early 90s. The two are being sued in France, where it’s illegal to make criminal accusations against the deceased.
Myriam Walter, the president of one of the fan groups, MJ Community, said about Jackson, “He had a great heart. It is not right to make these claims against someone who isn’t even alive to defend themselves.”
“I know that it is not possible,” she added. “It was rotten. It was to make a buzz. It was to make money.”
The other fan groups, On The Line and MJ Street, accuse the documentary of revisionism and identify the errors in the timeline of abuse provided by Safechuck.
Brice Najar, president of On the Line and author of multiple books on Jackson, said, “I wouldn’t defend someone whatever the evidence, but he has already been acquitted and there have already been inquiries. I am in my 40s. I have kids.”
Jackson had previously been accused of sexual abuse. In 1993, a 13-year-old boy said that he sexually molested him over a five month period. Jackson paid almost $25 million to settle the case. Jackson was acquitted of abusing another child in 2013.
Emmanuel Ludot, the lawyer representing the fans, said that several fans were diagnosed with depression and mental problems after the documentary was released about Jackson.
“I believe their pain is sincere,” Ludot said.
The lawsuit asks for a symbolic sum of one euro each ($1.13) from Robson and Safechuck.
“It is not about money, it is an affair of the heart,” Ludot said.
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