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SANTA MARIA, CA – JUNE 13: Michael Jackson prepares to enter the Santa Barbara County Superior Court to hear the verdict read in his child molestation case June 13, 2005 in Santa Maria, California. After seven days of deliberation the jury has reached a not guilty verdict on all 10 counts in the trial against Michael Jackson. Jackson was charged in a 10-count indictment with molesting a boy, plying him with liquor and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He pleaded innocent. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian-Pool\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Since his untimely death in 2009, Michael Jackson\u2019s estate has been defending his legacy and his fortune against posthumous lawsuits, <\/a>including two from men who claim Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. Now, his executors are back in court defending the late pop star against a former friend and manager they say is trying to use their relationship to make a profit.<\/p>\n The Michael Jackson Estate and The Michael Jackson Company, LLC filed a lawsuit<\/a> on July 9 in Los Angeles County Superior Court\u00a0accusing Frank Cascio of trying to extort 213 million dollars to prevent the release of abuse allegations to the public. The suit alleges Cascio threatened to release damaging information about Jackson which the estate maintains is false if he didn\u2019t receive the massive payout. Jackson\u2019s estate says Cascio\u2019s actions are nothing but a shakedown.<\/p>\n \u201cFor over 30 years, Mr. Cascio proudly described himself as part of Michael\u2019s \u2018second family,\u2019 and repeatedly and publicly denied any misconduct by Mr. Jackson,\u201d a spokesperson for the estate told The Blast.<\/a> \u201cNow, years after Michael\u2019s passing, Mr. Cascio is attempting to profit by reversing his position and manufacturing claims he previously denounced as false.\u201d<\/p>\n If the estate\u2019s allegations are true, it would be a complete 180 for Cascio, a long-time friend who has fiercely defended Jackson in television interviews with Wendy Williams, Oprah Winfrey and others.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna tell you something, if Michael Jackson ever laid a finger on me, I would not be in this chair right now,\u201d he said in a 2024 Dateline interview.<\/a><\/p>\n Cascio also had nothing but love for Jackson in his 2011 memoir \u201cMy Friend Michael,\u201d calling him a \u201cbrother, mentor and friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
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