February 03 : Wade Robson and James Safechuck are now asking the judge to combine their cases and allow them to go to trial together. “This motion is made on the grounds that all actions arise out of the same type of harmful, abusive, course of conduct, by the same Defendants, at the same locations and physical places, in the presence of the same employees, employed by Defendants, during the same time period, in a pattern of abuse that was common to both Plaintiffs,” their lawyers stated in court documents. The trial conference on the motion is still set for February 28 before Judge Mark A. Young for the Robson’s case.
February 09 : Susan Yu was by the side of Thomas Mesereau during the 2005 trial and she has now joined the Michael Jackson Estate defense team against the Robson & Safechuck lawsuit.
February 15 : New court documents from the Estate vs Katherine Jackson case have emerged regarding the secret deal which is now obviously the sale of 50% of Michael Jackson Music Catalog (MIJAC) to Sony. Katherine has revealed that two of Michael’s children have objected to the deal. But despite the rebuttal, the judge granted the motion and approved the deal: “The proposed transaction is approved, and the executors are authorized and instructed to take all actions necessary to implement the proposed transaction, including but not limited to signing all contracts and performing all obligations required of the estate.” The executors were ordered to respond to Katherine’s appeal brief by January 30. No response was filed by the due date. The sale of the music catalog was announced on February 9. It’s unclear if Katherine and the executors reached a deal before the news of the sale was announced.
February 20 : The Estate agrees to let Robson & Safechuck combine their cases
Lawyers for Michael Jackson’s companies informed the court that they are agreeing with Wade Robson and James Safechuck’s plea to consolidate their lawsuits into one case. This motion to combine cases was filled at the beginning of the month. The Estate also requested to move the case to the Complex Litigation Program which means the case will move court location in Los Angeles.
February 28 : Pre trial hearing in the Robson case : No trial date set. Trial readiness hearing is June 5, 2024. Judge wants their reports by May 22, 2024. All other info I have to wait for. “A lawyer for Jackson’s companies said during the hearing that her clients plan to waive a three-year speedy trial rule because she believes the case won’t be ready for jurors until after December 2026. She said the trial likely would last more than 20 days with dozens of witnesses.” Estate is looking for December of 2026 or later for trial.
MJ Estate attorneys on discovery: “Before this case can be tried, there are numerous discovery issues and legal issues that need to be addressed, making it impractical to have this matter ready for trial within 12 months. …The deposition of third- party Charli Michaels remains open and needs to be completed. Robson’s deposition was also left open. As discussed below, however, there is extensive additional discovery needed as a result of Robson’s participation in the Leaving Neverland film.”
Wade & James express they are open to alternative dispute resolutions via mediation. This is common when hoping to reach a pre-trial settlement. (Contradicting their “we just want a platform to speak!”) The defense is NOT open to any ADR.
March 08 : According to court documents, John Branca and John McCain asked a California appeals court to reject Katherine’s recent petition. They said the proposed transaction could net the estate over $400 million. The executors asked the court to dismiss Katherine’s concerns. They said she had a history of objecting to deals they secured. McClain and Branca pointed to the concert film This is It! — which they said pulled in a $60 million advance and a substantial back-end for the estate despite Katherine’s objection to the project. Katherine testified that she did not like the deal. She said Paris and Bigi were on her side.
March 22 : Bigi Jackson doesn’t want Katherine to appeal against the Estate.
But on Monday, filed a court document saying that there is no point to appeal against the Estate. “It is readily apparent that a reversal on appeal would be an extreme longshot, given those odds, Bigi decided not to waste his resources to participate in an appeal. Nonetheless, Katherine has decided to appeal this court’s ruling. That decision is not for the benefit of the heirs.”In conclusion, Bigi has gave up the fight against the Estate and this court case might have damaged the relationship between members of the Jackson family.
March 23 : Thomas Mesereau has filed a 14 page questionnaire which will grill former Neverland Ranch Security Guard who previously claimed to have seen Michael Jackson touching accuser Wade Robson. Charli Michaels, former employee at the Neverland Ranch, claimed to have witnessed the inappropriate behaviour and came to light in 1993 during the Jordan Chandler trial.
March 26 : Katherine Jackson refused to back down from the Estate
After Bigi Jackson stated in court that he doesn’t think the Estate should pay for Katherine Jackson’s appear to the “secret” deal (MIJAC sold to Sony), Katherine Jackson is fighting back on the comment and against the Estate refusing to pay for her legal team. In her newly filed motion, Katherine said despite the executors’ claims her petition did identify the source from which the requested payment should be made. Her lawyer added, “It seems clear to her that the Executors are holding all of the assets in the Estate in order to keep control over them, and to avoid the more liberal distribution requirements of the Trust.” In addition, Katherine argued the estate is “currently holding something in the range of $1.5 billion.” She said, “this vastly exceeds its potential liabilities and leaves hundreds of millions of dollars available for the remainder beneficiaries.”
April 09 : Filming for the MJ BIOPIC takes place at Wilshire Blvd – Center West Set.
The Estate is fighting to keep sealed photos of Michael from 1993 : Michael Jackson Estate is fighting to keep sealed court records out of the hands of Robson and Safechuck ahead of trial. Robson and Safechuck’s lawyers have subpoenas the county sheriff’s offices and the district attorneys of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties to obtain sealed police records from the 1993 case. The Estate believes that Robson and Safechuck’s are after those photos taken by the police.
May 25 : Robson & Safechuck’s trial potentially pushed to 2026
According to court documents, the Robson and Safechuck’s trial might be set to August 17, 2026. Depending on the judge’s confirmation on June 5, it seems that all parties are in agreement despite earlier reports that the “plaintiffs” wanted the court date to be before the release of the upcoming Michael Jackson Biopic next April. Court documents also showcase that Robson and Safechuck proposed a settlement stated that the Estate admit that Michael Jackson abused them during their childhood. However, the Estate’s team has no interest in settling saying those allegations are “unequivocally” false.
August 21 : It’s over for Katherine Jackson vs The Estate
After nearly two years of legal disputes concerning Michael Jackson’s estate, a Los Angeles court has ruled in favor of the estate’s co-executors, dismissing Katherine Jackson’s ongoing objections to a proposed catalog sale with a significant price tag. Katherine, 94, had repeatedly contested the decision after attorney John Branca and A&R executive John McClain, co-executors of Michael’s estate and trustees of the Michael Jackson Family Trust, secured a probate court ruling last year. This ruling permitted them to proceed with a reported $600 million sale of half of Michael’s music catalogue to Sony.
August 22 : Judge says no to use the precedent criminal case files
A California judge ruled in favor of Michael Jackson’s estate on Thursday (August 22), denying a request by accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck to access “the entirety of the criminal file” related to child molestation allegations against Michael Jackson in Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County dating back to the early 1990s. The request included photographs of Michael Jackson’s nude body and genitalia taken during a 1993 criminal investigation. Although the plaintiffs disagree with the structure of the discovery and motion schedule proposed by the defense, they have agreed to the defendant’s request for a trial date in 2026 or sooner, depending on the availability of the court and defense counsel. During an April 26, 2024, meet-and-confer, the defendants proposed a trial date of August 17, 2026. The plaintiffs did not object to this date or suggest any alternatives. The next court date is scheduled for October 22.
Jackson Dynasty 