LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s posthumous trials and tribulations extended further on Wednesday when reports surfaced that Wade Robson, celebrity choreographer and former friend of Jackson, filed a claim against Jackson’s estate alleging that the pop star molested him for seven years.
The news came as a surprise to some, given that Robson previously testified in Jackson’s 2005 sexual-abuse trial that the singer had not molested him, helping to secure Jackson’s acquittal.
Robson, a 30-year-old choreographer whose clients include Britney Spears, Pink and Justin Timberlake, filed the complaint in Los Angeles under a sealed order.
Court documents obtained by theGrio indicate Robson petitioned to submit the late creditor’s claim on May 1 for an “unfiled complaint of childhood sexual abuse,” and that a hearing date has been set for June 6th.
“Michael Jackson was a monster and in their hearts every normal person knows it,” Henry Gradstein, attorney for Robson, said in a statement to theGrio. “In addition to being one of the most talented people on the planet, Wade Robson is one of the kindest, most gentle, decent and introspective human beings one will ever meet. He is the loving father of a young son and happily married. Last year, on a career trajectory that was off the charts, he collapsed under the stress and sexual trauma of what had happened to him for seven years as a child. He lived with the brainwashing by a sexual predator until the burden of it all crushed him.”
Robson’s claims against Jackson
Gradstein goes on to allege that Jackson said to Robson, “If anyone ever finds out about what we did, we will go to jail for the rest of our lives.” He says Jackson told Robson, “Our lives will be ruined forever.”
Accordingly, Gradstein deems Jackson a “sexual predator” who used intimidation to silence Robson over the years. It is unclear why Robson has chosen this time to come forward, but Gradstein insists there is no financial motive.
The court filing specifies that facts will be supported by affidavits from Dr. David Arredondo, a child’s psychiatrist in San Francisco.
“The irony here is that we were the ones who filed under seal and still tried to keep it secret,” he commented. “No amount of damages is even listed in our papers. There are significant legal issues involved in this case that have the potential to impact lives beyond just our client. But the Jackson money machine, in which everyone is indeed financially motivated, is at it once again to keep the truth from coming out. This time it won’t work.”
Jackson’s camp denies accusations
The Jackson family has not yet responded to the new allegations, though Howard Weitzman, attorney for the Michael Jackson Estate and its co-Executors, dismisses the claims, referring to the complaint as “outrageous and pathetic.”
In a statement, Weitzman said, “This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him. Now, nearly four years after Michael has passed this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is.”
Perry Sanders, a lawyer for Jackson’s mother Katherine, told the NY Daily News the claim was “absurd.”
Next: A kid and his mentor, or a victim?
In 2005, Robson first came into the spotlight for his relationship with Jackson when Blanca Francia, a former maid for the pop singer, told a Santa Barbara County Court she witnessed the two showering together around 1989 or 1990. Robson would have been around 8 years old at the time.
Francia said she saw Robson’s “underwear on the bathroom floor next to Jackson’s white cotton briefs,” and heard the two “playing around” in Jackson’s shower. She could not confirm whether or not touching was involved. Her son also professed to have been molested by Jackson.
During the trial, Robson took the stand and denied Francia’s allegations, admitting only that he’d shared a bed with Jackson on occasion.
Robson, an Australian, was the first witness for the defense at the trial according to Fox News. He testified that he’d known Jackson since he was five years old and had stayed at Neverland Ranch “over 20 times, sleeping in Jackson’s bedroom on all but three or four of those visits.”
Additionally, he said the two “played video games, watched movies, talked and sometimes had pillow fights.”
Tom Mesereau, Jackson’s attorney for the criminal proceedings, told CNN the new allegations were “absurd,” adding that Robson was “one of the strongest witnesses for the defense at Michael Jackson’s criminal trial in 2005. He was adamant under oath that he had never been molested at any time.”
Jackson was acquitted on all 14 charges in the 2005 case.
Strange bedfellows
The timing of Robson’s claims incidentally coincide with the beginning of the trial for Jackson’s wrongful death case, in which his mother and children are suing concert promoter AEG Live. Testimony with dancer Alif Sankey, who participated in the This Is It production, began Wednesday morning.
Mesereau calls it “suspicious” that Robson would come forward now, given AEG’s lawyers have reportedly warned they would be bringing up molestation charges to prove their case.
A background check on Robson
Robson has had a lengthy career as a choreographer and television personality. He created and hosted MTV’s The Wade Robson Project in 2003, a hip-hop dance talent search competition, and has choreographed numerous projects for film, stage and television, including the American Idols LIVE! Tour, MTV Video Music Awards, Criss Angel’s Cirque de Soleil show, and You Got Served.
Notably, Robson choreographed pieces for the second and third seasons of So You Think You Can Dance, garnering two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work.
Currently, he is the creative director for pop star Demi Lovato.
In the past, Robson has commended Jackson, telling Entertainment Tonight in 2009, the year of Jackson’s passing, that their relationship was admirable.
“I learned so much from him, as an artist and as a kind human being, and it’s my goal to just try and continue as much as I can in my own little world that legacy,” Robson remarked. “We talk so much about him as the pop legend, which is important, but it’s nice to remember that he was a man, that he was a father.”
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @CourtGarcia