Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who have accused Michael Jackson of sexually assaulting them as children, are demanding $400 million in court, Us Weekly can exclusively report.
John Branca and John McClain, the two men in charge of the late pop star’s estate, dropped the revelation in court documents related to Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson’s separate request about legal fees.
In court docs filed on September 15, the executors explained that they spent a substantial amount of money to employ various law firms that helped with the estate, which included the attorneys fighting Robson and Safechuck’s lawsuit.
Branca, 74, and McClain claim that if the court sides with Paris, 27, — who does not want the estate to pay all of the fees — it would have “profoundly destabilizing consequences for the estate.”
They explained that if Paris gets her way, “the Estate would likely have to default in [Robson and Safechuck’s lawsuit], where numerous depositions, discovery matters, and other matters are scheduled to take place over the next several months, and where [Robson and Safechuck] are seeking $400 million.” (The amount Robson, 43, and Safechuck, 47, were seeking was previously unknown.)
The executors added, “It would be disastrous for the Estate to default in this case.” In addition, they argue their work and the work done by the lawyers they employed, “has taken an Estate mired in almost half a billion dollars of debt to a multi-billion dollar powerhouse.”
As Us first reported, Branca and McClain are involved in a dispute with Paris over certain legal fees they are requesting be paid for by the estate. Paris said she had serious questions over certain expenses approved by the executors and asked that the court intervene.
The executors scoffed at Paris’ claims and said all payments requested were proper.
As Us previously reported, Safechuck claimed he met the pop star while working on a Pepsi commercial in 1986 when he was 10 years old. He claims Michael invited him to hang out months later. The two became close. Safechuck alleged that Michael sexually abused him when he was seven. He claimed the abuse lasted for years.
Robson also claimed Michael abused him as a child. He said the sexual assault started when he was 7 years old and carried on for many years.
The pop star faced similar accusations during his lifetime but was never convicted of a crime. Robson and Safechuck spoke out about their alleged experiences in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which was released in 2019.
Robson and Safechuck are suing Michael’s companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures. The companies denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
In their recent motion, the executors claimed that without the legal assistance, other business ventures would also suffer.
They argued, “Without counsel, the Estate would be forced to default in pending litigations, where liability would be devastating. The Estate would also lose the benefit of counsel maintaining its intellectual property portfolio, the lifeblood of its businesses. The Estate would lose the benefit of legal advice regarding its numerous successful projects and investments … MJ One Cirque show, MJ: The Musical and the upcoming motion picture, Michael.”
In her motion, Paris opposed certain fees she felt were excessive and asked the court to limit the executors’ powers when it came to paying legal fees. The executors disagree with her position and feel the fees paid and requested are average within the industry.
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