Friday, August 14, 2026 - Michael Jackson’s estate has won a significant court victory after a federal judge in California ruled that allegations made by four siblings who accused the late pop star of s3xually abus!ng them as children must be handled through private arbitration rather than a public trial.
The Cascio siblings, Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole and Aldo,
filed a lawsuit against Jackson’s estate in February 2026, alleging that
Jackson r@ped and m0lested them over a period of more than a decade. In
Wednesday’s ruling, the judge found that a 2019 settlement between the parties
was enforceable and required disputes between them to be resolved through
private arbitration.
The settlement reportedly included an arbitration clause.
The judge therefore concluded that the case had to be sent to arbitration
rather than proceed in court. The siblings had been close to Jackson during
their childhood and reportedly regarded him as part of their family. They had
previously defended the singer when allegations of child s3xual @buse emerged
against him.
Their position changed after the release of the 2019 HBO
documentary Leaving Neverland, which they said caused them to reconsider their
previous support for Jackson. The siblings subsequently filed their lawsuit,
accusing Jackson of sexual abuse and alleging that people around him
participated in a cover-up.
Jackson’s estate has categorically denied the allegations.
The estate previously reached a reported $3.5 million settlement with the
siblings without admitting wrongdoing, with the agreement containing the
arbitration provision at the centre of the latest ruling.
The decision means the allegations will now be considered in
private arbitration rather than before a jury in an open courtroom. Howard
King, an attorney representing the Cascio siblings, expressed disappointment
with the ruling.
“It's disappointing, but not surprising, that the decision
on whether the Cascios were duped into signing an unconscionable agreement with
an arbitration clause will be made by an arbitrator rather than a jury of
peers,” King said. He added that the family had hoped for a public trial
addressing what they described as decades of abuse and an alleged cover-up.
“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. Instead, the family will seek justice from the dark confines of a private conference room,” King said. Jackson’s estate declined to comment on the ruling.
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