Michael Jackson Update: Judge To Rule On Wade Robson Case Within Days
Attorneys for Wade Robson, the former child dancer who claims Michael Jackson molested him over 20 years ago, attempted to convince a Los Angeles judge on Tuesday to allow the case to continue. The judge is expected to make his decision within a few days.
My News LA reports that since Robson, 32, waited nearly four years after Jackson’s death to file his probate suit, he now needs Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff’s permission to proceed. Robson claims that from 1990 until 1997, Jackson repeatedly molested him, and brainwashed him into thinking it was normal.
Maryann Marzano, one of the lawyers representing Robson, argued in court that Robson should be have the opportunity of a full hearing, given the allegations against Jackson. Marzano feels that the evidence “cries out” for justice, despite the fact that Robson waited until past the California statute of limitations to file his lawsuit.
On the other hand, Jonathan Steinsapir, attorney for the Michael Jackson estate, argues that cases such as these need a time limit, which can ultimately stop frivolous lawsuits in the future. If Robson’s case were to go forward, Steinsapir contends that Jackson’s estate may be sued over and over for years to come.
Yet, Marzano quickly pointed out that her client was “brainwashed,” and there is no way to put a time frame on a case such as this one. In other words, the attorney claims that it can take a victim numerous years to have the defining moment in which they fully understand what happened was inappropriate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0QNwRL9ATs
Robson alleges that the date he realized Jackson acted inappropriately didn’t occur until May 8, 2012. He claims that a 2011 mental breakdown convinced him to seek therapy, and it was during one of the sessions that he began understand what took place.
“I began to recognize for myself that Jackson had molested me. It was on that date in my therapy session … that I first spoke about the sexual activity I had with Jackson. This revelation initiated an enormous emotional, psychological and physiological upheaval in my life that continues until this day.”
When questioned it took him another year after his therapy session to come forward, Robson insisted that he was still scared of Jackson, even though the King of Pop passed away in 2009.
“It speaks to the fear and paranoia I was dealing with in relation to who my abuser was and his massive celebrity status. Jackson had made me think in terms of what would happen if I told anyone about the sexual conduct and then that person told someone else who then told the press.”
During Jackson’s 2005 molestation trial, brought against the “P.Y.T.” singer by the Garviso family, Robson took the witness stand for the defense. It was his convincing testimony that Jackson never once molested him that played a part in the singer’s acquittal.
In 2013, Howard Weitzman, a lawyer for the Jackson estate, released a statement shortly after Robson changed his tune against the singer.
“Mr. Robson has adamantly denied under oath and in numerous interviews over the past 20 years that Michael Jackson ever did anything inappropriate to him. He now wants us to believe that he committed perjury at least twice and has been lying to anyone and everyone about Mr. Jackson since the early ’90s so he can file a claim for money. Mr. Robson’s transparent lawsuit comes nearly 4 years after Michael passed. His claim is outrageous and sad.”
Lawyers for the Jackson estate indicate that if Judge Beckloff allows the case to continue, they will immediately reject it, which will force the lawsuit into civil court. The judge said he will have his decision within a few days.
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson continues to receive support from his children, Prince, Paris, and Blanket. All three kids are willing to go to bat for their father to help protect his legacy and defend him from Robson’s allegations, which they feel are entirely untrue.
[Photo Courtesy of Connie Aramaki & Carlo Allegri/Getty Images]
