James Safechuck, one of two men who have accused late pop star Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them when they were children, is scheduled to give a deposition on September 14 as his long-running civil lawsuit against companies linked to Jackson continues.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Safechuck is expected to be questioned under oath on Monday, September 14. His mother, Stephanie Safechuck, is scheduled for depositions on October 15 and 20.
Stephanie is expected to play an important role in the case because of her family’s relationship with Jackson during her son’s childhood. She also appeared in the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, where she discussed how Jackson became close to the family after meeting James during a Pepsi commercial shoot when he was about nine years old.
Safechuck and fellow accuser Wade Robson have alleged that Jackson sexually abused them when they were minors. They are suing Jackson’s companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, claiming the businesses failed to protect them from the alleged abuse. Jackson’s companies have denied the allegations.
Safechuck originally filed his lawsuit in 2014, but the case was dismissed by a lower court. It was later revived after a California appeals court ruled in 2023 that the lawsuit could proceed. Robson’s separate case was also revived, and the two lawsuits were subsequently consolidated.
In June, a California judge scheduled the trial for February 14, 2028, following further delays in the lengthy legal proceedings. The cases had previously been set for an earlier trial date.
Safechuck and Robson’s allegations against Jackson received widespread public attention after both men appeared in Leaving Neverland, the 2019 documentary that detailed their accounts of alleged sexual abuse during their childhoods.
Jackson died in 2009 and was acquitted in his 2005 criminal trial on charges of child molestation.
The allegations made by Safechuck and Robson remain disputed and have not been established as facts through a criminal conviction.
Source: TMZ
