On Sunday, HBO will debut its two-part documentary Leaving Neverland, featuring interviews with two of Michael Jackson's former child companions.
The documentary focuses on James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who filed lawsuits claiming they were sexually abused as boys at the Neverland Ranch. It also follows their families, who speak at length about their entanglement with Jackson, in the aftermath of the scandal.
According to Slate, Safechuck and Robson both say in the film that Jackson promised them jewelry in exchange for sexual favors. The men also allege that Jackson, who died in 2009, told them they could go to jail if they spoke out.
These accusations weren't new. On two other occasions, Jackson was hit with lawsuits alleging abuse. But in 2005, Jackson was acquitted of criminal molestation charges, which did not involve Robson or Safechuck. Robson testified at the trial, saying he had slept in Jackson’s room many times and nothing happened. Safechuck gave a similar statement to investigators when he was young.
In 2013, Robson said he was finally ready to come forward with the truth: He was molested by Jackson as a young boy. He filed a lawsuit claiming he was sexually abused by Jackson over a seven-year period. Safechuck filed a similar lawsuit a year later.
A court ruled in 2015 that Robson had filed his lawsuit too late to get any of Jackson’s estate, leaving two remaining defendants: MJJ Productions, Inc., and MJJ Ventures, Inc. Two years later, a judge found that MJJ Productions, Inc., and MJJ Ventures, Inc., both Jackson-owned corporations, were not liable for Robson’s exposure to Jackson. The judge did not rule on the credibility of Robson’s allegations.
The men's individual lawsuits were dismissed in 2017, and they are both appealing.
Vince Finaldi, who represents Wade Robson and James Safechuck, told The Associated Press in January that the suits were indeed dismissed on technical grounds and had nothing to do with the credibility of their stories.
'There were never any rulings to the court as to their testimony,' Finaldi told the outlet. 'We stand by our clients, and we believe them, and we fully expect them to be vindicated.'
The Jackson estate, which is suing HBO for $100(£75.7) million, has released a statement calling the documentary 'just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations.'
'Wade Robson and James Safechuck have both testified under oath that Michael never did anything inappropriate toward them,' the statement said.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Robson says he hopes the film 'continues and expands the conversation. You just can’t shut down people without listening. We have to talk about the scary and the nasty stuff. That’s the only way it’s going to change.'
Safechuck, who also spoke to the magazine, says he 'didn’t set out to change minds.'
'That would be an unhealthy expectation,' he explains. 'I just set out to talk to other survivors. And that’s something that I can do. But changing somebody’s mind about Michael is a really unhealthy goal. If that’s the point of doing the movie, you’re setting yourself up to be really disappointed.'
Rose is a Senior Editor at ELLE overseeing features and projects about women's issues. She is an accomplished and compassionate storyteller and editor who excels in obtaining exclusive interviews and unearthing compelling features.
