New date for Michael Jackson trial

James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who claim they were sexually abused as children by Michael Jackson, have been given a new trial date, now scheduled for 2028.

Safechuck and Robson appeared in the 2019 documentary "Leaving Neverland" by director Dan Reed, in which they detailed the alleged abuse.

Both claim that Jackson befriended and then abused them at his Neverland Ranch in California when they were between the ages of seven and 10. They also accuse employees of his companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, of enabling and covering up the alleged abuse.

Robson, a choreographer and director, and Safechuck, a screenwriter, actor and director, filed separate lawsuits against the companies in 2013 and 2014, alleging negligence, breach of duty of care and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In 2024, they were granted the right to consolidate their cases after their previously dismissed lawsuits were reinstated on appeal. The appeals court then concluded that companies may have a separate duty to protect potential victims even when they are wholly owned by the person accused of abuse.

Their lawyer, John Carpenter, had previously wanted the trial to take place before the release of the biopic "Michael," but the proceedings have been postponed several times. The trial was previously scheduled for October 2027.

A judge in California has agreed to set a new trial date. Lawyers for both sides have agreed to waive deadlines that would have required an earlier start to the process.

They stated that Sejfcak's testimony was delayed due to his attorney's schedule, as well as the limited availability of the officer tasked with overseeing multiple hearings and witness testimony.

Judge Michael E. Whitaker scheduled the trial to begin on February 14, 2028, but ordered a new hearing in September to ensure the case moves forward as planned.

Safechuck recently issued a statement of support for victims of child sexual abuse in connection with the release of the film “Michael.” Meanwhile, director Dan Reed criticized the film, claiming that Jackson was “worse than Jeffrey Epstein” and questioning why the film does not address the abuse allegations.

The film "Michael" follows the singer's life from childhood to the peak of his popularity in the late 1980s and ends before the first allegations were made against him. Jackson and his estate have consistently denied all allegations of abuse.

The film ends in 1988, while the first public accusation against Jackson did not emerge until 1993, which many critics found problematic.

The allegations were originally planned to be part of the film's plot, but a clause in a legal agreement led to $15 million in additional filming. As a result, the film ended at an earlier point in the singer's life and focused more on his relationship with his father.

Despite the controversy, the film was a huge box office success. With a global gross of $217 million in its opening weekend, it broke records for musical biopics and surpassed the results of "Bohemian Rhapsody."