Victim's Attorneys Manly, Stewart & Finaldi Filed New Lawsuit Against Michael Jackson's Production Companies On Behalf Of Alleged Female Child Sexual Abuse Victim

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sexual abuse victim's attorneys Manly, Stewart & Finaldi today filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of "Jane AA Doe," an alleged child sexual abuse victim of Michael Jackson. Link to complaint here.

The suit alleges that Michael Jackson met the victim when she was approximately 12 years old. Jackson obtained the victim's telephone number and began talking to her by telephone daily. He invited the victim to spend time with him alone and began sexually abusing her.

The suit alleges that the sexual abuse of the victim by Jackson began in 1986 when she was 12 years old and continued until she turned 15 and entered puberty. Meetings between Jackson and the victim occurred at a number of locations where Jackson was working, including the Universal Sheraton Hotel, on the sets of the Moonwalker and Smooth Criminal video productions, Jackson's Neverland residence and at a private residence in Los Angeles Jackson called the "Hideout."

The victim maintains photographs from some of these events and many letters from Jackson and his production company's employees who arranged the meetings. Before, after and during the time Jackson sexually abused the victim he sent her love notes and gifts. Cash payments totaling more than $900,000 were used by Michael Jackson and his production company to compensate the victim for the abuse she suffered at the hands of Jackson, according to the lawsuit. Link to complaint here.

"The facts in this case are similar to other child sexual abuse lawsuits against Michael Jackson and his production companies. MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures operated as a sophisticated child sexual abuse organization, specifically designed to locate, attract, lure and seduce child victims. But this case is different in two very significant ways. For one, this is the first female victim that we are aware of coming forward to seek justice. Secondly, this is the first time that there is evidence of direct payments by Michael Jackson and his production company MJJ Ventures to one of Jackson's victims," said victim's attorney Vince W. Finaldi.

In 1994 Michael Jackson settled a lawsuit with an alleged child sexual abuse victim for a reported sum of approximately $23 million. A motion filed by Michael Jackson's defense team in his 2004 criminal case alleges Jackson's insurance company "negotiated and paid the settlement, over the protests of Mr. Jackson and his personal legal counsel" and was "the source of the settlement amounts."

In 2004, Jackson's attorney Thomas Mesereau in the criminal case, stated "many years ago, he did pay money, rather than litigate, two false allegations that he had harmed children." He continued, stating "People who intended to earn millions of dollars from his record and music promotions did not want negative publicity from these lawsuits interfering with their profits. Michael Jackson now regrets making these payments. These settlements were entered into with one primary condition – that condition was that Mr. Jackson never admitted any wrongdoing. Mr. Jackson always denied doing anything wrong."

This newly filed case was not one of the cases referenced by Mr. Mesereau—it is an additional case that was never disclosed by the Jackson camp. In this newly filed case, victim's attorney John Manly states "the payments to our client came directly from Michael Jackson and his production company, MJJ Ventures. They cannot claim that an insurance company forced them to make these payments because no insurance company was involved."

Manly, Stewart & Finaldi currently represent two other victims of Michael Jackson and his production companies MJJ Ventures and MJJ Productions—award winning choreographer Wade Robson and former child performer James Safechuck.

Manly, Stewart & Finaldi is California's leading law firm representing child victims of sexual abuse.  The firm has represented more than 150 victims of clergy sexual abuse in California and hundreds of others throughout the United States.  The firm also represented plaintiffs in the $140,000,000 settlement against LAUSD in the Miramonte case, the largest sex abuse settlement against a School District in the US.

SOURCE Manly, Stewart & Finaldi