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{{Short description|First abuse allegations against singer}} |
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In 1993, '''Michael Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse''' by Evan Chandler, on behalf of his then-13-year-old child, Jordan Chandler. [[Michael Jackson|Jackson]] and Jordan had become friends in May 1992, to the father's disapproval and concern. The friendship became well known, as the [[tabloid]] media reported that Jackson became a member of the Chandler family unit. Under the influence of a controversial [[sedative]] administered by Evan Chandler, his son said that Jackson had touched his [[penis]].<ref name = "tara 485-486"/> Evan Chandler was tape-recorded threatening to damage the singer's music career,<ref name = "tara 477-478"/> and engaged Jackson in unsuccessful negotiations to resolve the issue with a financial settlement.<ref name = "campbell 53"/> Jordan Chandler then told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, [[masturbation]], and [[oral sex]], as well as giving a description of the singer's genitals.<ref name = "tara 496-498"/><ref name = "campbell 53"/> |
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{{use mdy dates|date=March 2020}} |
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{{good article}} |
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[[Michael Jackson]], an American pop star, faced allegations of child sexual abuse in 1993 and 2003, with additional claims emerging posthumously. |
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Jackson's home, [[Neverland Ranch]], was searched, even though other children and family members strongly denied that Jackson was a [[pedophile]]. Jackson's older sister, [[La Toya Jackson]], accused her brother of being a pedophile, but later retracted her statement.<ref name = "tara 534-540/> Jackson became dependent on drugs as the stress of the allegations mounted,<ref name = "campbell 89-93"/><ref name = "tara 524-528"/> and canceled the remainder of his tour. He went into [[rehabilitation]] overseas, and began a relationship with [[Lisa Marie Presley]]. On his return to the US, Jackson agreed to a 25-minute [[strip search]], which was required to see if the description of his genitals provided by Jordan Chandler was accurate. Doctors concluded that there were some strong similarities but it was not a definitive match. Jackson proclaimed his innocence, and criticized the media coverage. Jackson's friends and legal advisers took over his defense and finances, persuading him to settle the allegations out of court. |
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In 1993, Evan Chandler, a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, accused Jackson of sexually abusing Chandler's 13-year-old son, Jordan. Jackson had befriended Jordan after renting a vehicle from Jordan's stepfather. Though Evan Chandler initially encouraged the friendship, he later confronted his ex-wife, who had custody of Jordan, with suspicions that the relationship was inappropriate. |
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Tabloid reaction to the allegations were negative towards Jackson,<ref name = "tara 500-507"/> and complaints about the coverage included bias and accepting stories of criminal activity for money, and engaging in illegal activities themselves.<ref name = "campbell 47-50"/> Public polls at the time reported that a large majority of people believed Jackson was innocent.<ref name = "campbell 63-64"/> On [[1 January]] [[1994]], Jackson settled a civil suit out of court with the Chandler family and their legal team for [[$]]22 million. Jordan Chandler refused to testify in the criminal proceedings, so the state closed its criminal investigation, citing lack of evidence. Jackson's support amongst the public then began to waver, and Jackson's own career and image was significantly damaged, which became a recurring theme in Jackson's future music. Prosecution evidence from the 1993 allegations would also be used against the entertainer in the 2005 [[People v. Jackson]] child sexual abuse trial, where he was acquitted on all counts.<ref name = "BBC past catches up with MJ">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4387247.stm |
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|title=Jackson's 'past' allowed in court |publisher=BBC |date=[[2005-03-25]] |accessdate=2008-07-12}}</ref><ref name = "CNN Defense looses bid to stop">{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/28/jackson/index.html |
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|title=Jackson defense loses bid to ban past allegations |publisher=CNN |date=[[2005-03-29]] |accessdate=2008-07-12}}</ref> |
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Chandler wanted to resolve the issue with a financial [[Settlement (litigation)|settlement]], but he and Jackson could not agree on an amount. In July, Jordan told a psychiatrist and police that Jackson had sexually abused him, triggering an investigation. Some of Jackson's staff reported inappropriate behavior, but the police dismissed their accounts as not credible as they had sold their stories to tabloids or had grievances against Jackson. Jackson's legal team maintained that Chandler was attempting to [[Extortion|extort]] Jackson, citing a phone recording in which he said he was going to "humiliate" Jackson and "win big-time". |
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==Friendship, tape recording, allegations and negotiations== |
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By the summer of 1993, it was revealed that Jackson allowed children to sleep over at his Neverland ranch, a fact which came under much media scrutiny when [[child sexual abuse]] allegations were brought against him.<ref name = "1993 allegations">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/24/newsid_2512000/2512077.stm |title=1993: Michael Jackson accused of child abuse |date=[[February 8]], [[2003]]|publisher=BBC |accessdate=2006-11-11|}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes">{{cite web |first=Jon |last=Pareles |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DD123DF93BA25755C0A963958260&scp=4&sq=HIStory+album+michael+jackson+review&st=nyt |title=POP VIEW; Michael Jackson Is Angry, Understand? |accessdate=2008-03-24 |date=[[1995-06-18]] |work=The New York Times }}</ref> Jackson became firm friends with Jordan Chandler and his family after a meeting in May 1992, as he was a fan of Jackson.<ref name = "campbell 47-50"/> Their friendship became so close that the ''[[National Enquirer]]'' ran a featured story with the title "Michael's New Adopted Family", which implied that Jackson had "stolen" the family from the father, Evan Chandler, who was admittedly jealous over Jackson's influence on his son.<ref name = "tara 464-471">Taraborrelli, p. 464–471</ref> Communications between Jackson and the father broke down further when Chandler asked, "Look, are you having sex with my son?". The father's opinion of Jackson then changed, to the extent that he invited Jackson to build an extra wing on their home so that the singer could move in with them permanently.<ref name = "tara 464-471"/> Chandler's concerns about the close friendship returned, and he tried to prevent Jackson from seeing his son, using a prior custody agreement.<ref name = "campbell 47-50"/> |
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In August 1993, as the second leg of Jackson's [[Dangerous World Tour]] began, news of the allegations broke and received worldwide media attention. Jackson canceled the remainder of the tour, citing health problems arising from the scandal. That September, the Chandlers filed a lawsuit against Jackson. They and Jackson reached a financial settlement in January 1994; Jackson and his legal team stressed that this was not an admission of guilt. The investigation found no physical evidence against Jackson. In September 1994, the investigation was closed after the Chandlers declined to cooperate, leaving the case without its main witness. |
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[[Image:TruthSerum.jpg|thumb|left|Once incorrectly labeled a "Truth Serum", sodium Amytal has long been discredited by the medical profession, it is now considered a mind altering sedative]] |
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On [[July 2]], [[1993]], in a private telephone conversation, Chandler was tape recorded as saying, {{Quote|There was no reason why he [Jackson] had to stop calling me...I picked the nastiest son of a bitch I could find [Evan Chandler's lawyer, Barry Rothman], all he wants to do is get this out in the public as fast as he can, as big as he can and humiliate as many people as he can. He's nasty, he's mean, he's smart and he's hungry for publicity. Everything's going to a certain plan that isn't just mine. Once I make that phone call, this guy is going to destroy everybody in sight in any devious, nasty, cruel way that he can do it. I've given him full authority to do that. Jackson is an evil guy, he is worse than that and I have the evidence to prove it. If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever...Michael's career will be over.<ref name = "tara 477-478">Taraborrelli, p. 477–478</ref>|Evan Chandler}} In the same conversation, when asked how this would affect his son, Chandler replied, "That's irrelevant to me"...It will be a massacre if I don't get what I want. It's going to be bigger than all us put together...This man [Jackson] is going to be humiliated beyond belief...He will not sell one more record".<ref name = "tara 477-478">Taraborrelli, p. 477–478</ref> The recorded conversation was a critical aspect of Jackson's defense against the upcoming allegation made against him. He and his supporters argue that he was the victim of a jealous father who's only goal was to extort money from the singer.<ref name = "tara 477-478"/> |
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The allegations affected Jackson's public image and commercial standing. Several of his endorsement deals were canceled, including his decade-long [[Pepsi]] endorsement. Further allegations of abuse by Jackson led to the ''[[People v. Jackson]]'' trial in 2005, in which Jackson was found not guilty on all charges. In November 2009, five months after [[Death of Michael Jackson|Jackson's death]], Evan Chandler died by suicide following several years of depression and estrangement from his family. |
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In early August, Chandler, a registered dentist, extracted a tooth from his son's mouth, and was later forced to admit that he used the controversial sedative [[sodium Amytal]] during the procedure.<ref name = "tara 485-486">Taraborrelli, p. 485–486</ref> Under the influence of the drug Chandler alleged that Jordan had talked about Jackson touching his penis, although experts state that the drug sodium Amytal "makes patients extremely susceptible to suggestions".<ref name = "tara 485-486"/> Dr Lewis Strong, a [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] psychiatrist stated, "You can't trust it, I never use it in my practice. I have found it to be unreliable. It's certainly not a [[truth serum]]".<ref name = "tara 485-486"/> Dr Kenneth Gottlieb, a [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] psychiatrist who has used the drug, stated, "I would never want to use a drug that tampers with a person's unconscious unless there was no other drug available, and I would not use it without resuscitation equipment in case of allergic reaction".<ref name = "tara 485-486"/> |
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==Background== |
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Over the next couple of months both parties engaged in unsuccessful (out of court) financial negotiations, with Chandler and his legal team asking for $20 million, or the issue would be taken to criminal court.<ref name = "campbell 53">Campbell (1995), p. 53</ref> Jackson declined the offer, saying, "No way in Hell". A few weeks later, Jackson's legal team gave a counter-offer to the value of $1 million, which was declined by Chandler.<ref name = "campbell 53"/> The father then lowered his request to $15 million; Jackson rejected this and lowered his original counter-offer to $350,000. With both sides unable to reach an agreement, Chandler decided he would take it to court.<ref name = "campbell 53"/> Chandler then took his son to see a psychiatrist called Dr. Mathis Abrams, and during the three-hour session with the doctor, Jordan Chandler said he had had a sexual relationship with Jackson that included incidents of kissing, masturbation and oral sex that went on for months. He then repeated these allegations to police and gave a detailed description of Jackson's penis.<ref name = "campbell 53"/><ref name = "tara 496-498">Taraborrelli, p. 496–498</ref> |
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[[File:Aerial-NeverlandRanch2-28-08.jpg|thumb|Jackson's [[Neverland Ranch]] home, where the sexual abuse was alleged to have taken place]]According to ''[[Consequence of Sound]]'', in 1993, the American pop star [[Michael Jackson]] was the most popular musician in the world.''<ref name=":4" />'' That February,<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Jeff|date=August 27, 1993|title=Case Files: Boy Says Jackson Molested Him|url=https://www.apnews.com/b271ff7f4d8b6e5ca3c1e76b34c2597c|access-date=June 26, 2019|website=APnews.com|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625001138/https://apnews.com/b271ff7f4d8b6e5ca3c1e76b34c2597c|url-status=dead}}</ref> Jackson's car broke down and was towed to a local garage, [[Rent-a-Wreck|Rent-A-Wreck]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=April 28, 2017|title=The Unsolved Controversies of Michael Jackson|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/04/the-unsolved-controversies-of-michael-jackson/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428071130/https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/04/the-unsolved-controversies-of-michael-jackson/ |archive-date=April 28, 2017 |access-date=|website=[[Consequence of Sound]]}}</ref> The Rent-A-Wreck owner David Schwartz called his wife, June Chandler-Schwartz, to meet Jackson. She brought her son from a previous marriage, Jordan Chandler.<ref name=":4" /> Jordan's father, Evan Chandler, was a dentist who treated Hollywood celebrities. He was also a screenwriter who co-wrote the 1993 comedy ''[[Robin Hood: Men in Tights|Robin Hood: Men In Tights]].<ref name=":4" />'' |
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Jackson and Jordan became close; the ''[[National Enquirer]]'' ran a featured story titled "Michael's New Adopted Family", implying that Jackson had "stolen" Jordan from Evan. Jackson invited Jordan, his stepsister and his mother to visit his home, [[Neverland Ranch]], on the weekends. They would also take trips to Las Vegas and Florida.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LUq1EO5e3S0C&pg=PT342|chapter-url-access=subscription|last=Sullivan|isbn=978-0-8021-4582-6|first=Randall|author-link=Randall Sullivan|title=Untouchable: The Strange Life & Tragic Death of Michael Jackson|year=2012|chapter=South|publisher=Grove/Atlantic |access-date=June 26, 2019}}</ref> These trips interfered with Jordan's scheduled visits with Evan, with Jordan preferring to visit Neverland Ranch.<ref name="campbell 50" /> |
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===Allegations made public, investigation and La Toya Jackson=== |
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On [[August 18]], the Los Angeles Police Department's Sexually Exploited Child Unit began a criminal investigation into Jackson. The same day, Jordan Chandler's mother told police that she personally did not believe Jackson had molested her son.<ref name = "tara 496-498"/><ref name = "1993 allegations"/><ref name="NYTimes"/><ref name = "campbell 42-45">Campbell (1995), p. 42–45</ref> On [[August 21]], a search warrant was issued, allowing police to search Jackson's [[Neverland Ranch]]. Police questioned 30 children who were friends of Jackson, with all denying that the singer was a child molester.<ref name = "1993 allegations"/><ref name = "campbell 42-45"/> A police officer involved in the investigation told ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' that no evidence (medical, photographic or video) could be found that would support a criminal filing.<ref name = "campbell 42-45"/> The same day the allegations were made public, Jackson began the second leg of his [[Dangerous World Tour]] in [[Bangkok]]. On [[August 24]], Jackson's investigator held a press conference accusing Chandler of trying to extort $20 million from the singer, although the investigator failed to mention that Jackson had given several counter-offers.<ref name = "1993 allegations"/><ref name = "campbell 42-45"/> On [[August 25]], Jackson's young friends Brett Barnes and [[Wade Robson]] held a press conference where they stated that they had slept in the same bed as Jackson, but nothing sexual in nature had occurred.<ref name = "tara 500-507">Taraborrelli, p. 500–507</ref><ref name = "cambpell 57-59">Campbell (1995), p. 57–59</ref> Jackson's family soon held a press conference of their own to show support, saying it was their "unequivocal belief that Michael has been made a victim of a cruel and obvious attempt to take advantage of his fame and wealth."<ref name = "tara 500-507"/><ref name = "cambpell 57-59"/> The police then began an investigation into Evan Chandlers's prior actions and found that he was $68,400 behind in his child support payments, even though he was well-paid as a dentist.<ref name = "campbell 47-50">Campbell (1995), p. 47–50</ref> On [[November 8]], police searched the [[Jackson family]] home, Hayvenhurst, but found nothing of importance to add to their investigation.<ref name = "campbell 89-93">Campbell (1995), p. 89–93</ref><ref name = "1993 allegations"/> |
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In May, Evan encouraged Jackson to spend more time with Jordan. Evan suggested that Jackson should build an extension onto Jackson's house; when they were denied [[planning permission]], Chandler suggested Jackson buy him a house. In the same month, Jordan and June flew with Jackson to Monaco for the [[World Music Awards]].<ref name="fischer 217">Fischer, p. 217</ref><ref name="campbell 50">Campbell, p. 50</ref> According to June's lawyer, Michael Freeman, Evan was jealous and felt left out. Upon their return, Jackson stayed in the Schwartz-Chandler home for five days; Jackson slept in a room with Jordan and his stepbrother.<ref name="fischer 217" /> Chandler said this is when he became suspicious of sexual misconduct by Jackson, although he said that Jackson and Jordan were clothed when he saw them in bed together, and never claimed to have witnessed sexual misconduct.<ref name="fischer 217-8">Fischer, pp. 217-218</ref> Jordan and Jackson's contact ended in June 1993.<ref name=":2" /> |
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In the winter of 1993, despite not seeing or speaking to Jackson for a number of years, [[La Toya Jackson]] claimed that her brother was a [[pedophile]] and that she had proof, which she was prepared to disclose for a fee of $500,000. A bidding war between US and UK tabloids began, but fell through when they realised that her revelations were not what she had claimed them to be.<ref name = "tara 534-540/> Then in [[Israel]], she stated, "I cannot and will not be a silent collaborator in his crimes against young children... Forget about the superstar, forget about the icon. If he was any other 35-year-old man who was sleeping with little boys, you wouldn't like this guy".<ref name = "tara 534-540/> She also claimed that checks had been made out to several boys and that Jackson's own physical abuse as a child had turned him into an abuser.<ref name = "tara 534-540/><ref name = "campbell 128">Campbell (1995), p. 128</ref> She would later claim that Jackson had tried to kidnap and kill her.<ref name = "campbell 128"/> The rest of the family disowned her, and in subsequent years she would insist that she was forced to make the allegations by her then husband for financial gain.<ref name = "tara 534-540/> Just prior to making the allegations, her husband was arrested for striking her in the face, arms and legs with a chair.<ref>Campbell (1995), p. 29</ref> By the turn of the [[millennium]] Jackson had forgiven his sister.<ref name = "tara 534-540/> |
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== Allegations == |
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===Lisa Marie Presley, health concerns, rehabilitation and Elizabeth Taylor=== |
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On July 8, 1993, Schwartz phoned Evan to discuss Jordan’s relationship with Jackson. Unbeknownst to Evan, Schwartz recorded the phone call.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/michael-jackson-abuse-allegations-timeline.html|title=A Complete Timeline of the Michael Jackson Abuse Allegations|first=Kyle|last=McGovern|date=February 28, 2019|website=Vulture}}</ref> Chandler was hostile about Jackson, describing him as "evil".<ref name=":4"/> He said he had hired "the nastiest son of a bitch he could find", the lawyer Barry Rothman, to humiliate Jackson, and said:<ref name=":4" /> |
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{{seealso|Michael Jackson's health and appearance}} |
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Jackson first met [[Lisa Marie Presley]] (the daughter of [[Elvis Presley]]) in 1974, during one of Jackson's family engagements at the MGM Grand.<ref name = "tara 500-507"/> In 1993, Jackson was reconnected with Presley through a mutual friend, staying in contact every day by telephone. As the child sexual abuse accusations became public, Jackson became dependent on Lisa Marie for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health and his addiction to drugs.<ref name = "tara 518–520"/> Lisa Marie explained, "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it."<ref>Taraborrelli, p. 510</ref> In one phone call he made to her, she described him as high, incoherent and delusional.<ref name = "tara 518–520"/> Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie over the telephone towards the fall of 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?".<ref name = "tara 518–520"/> The marriage was, in her words, "a married couple's life ... that was sexually active".<ref>Taraborrelli, p. 562–564</ref> They divorced less than two years later, remaining friendly.<ref name = "tara 580–581">Taraborrelli, p. 580–581</ref> The entertainer began taking [[painkiller]]s, [[Valium]], [[Xanax]] and [[Ativan]] to deal with the stress of the allegations made against him.<ref name = "tara 518–520">Taraborrelli, p. 518–520</ref> A few months after the allegations became news, Jackson had lost approximately 10 pounds in weight and had stopped eating.<ref name = "tara 514-516">Taraborrelli, p. 514–516</ref> In a court deposition unrelated to alleged child abuse, Jackson was visibly drowsy, lacked concentration and repeatedly slurred while speaking. He could not remember the dates of his prior album releases or names of people he had worked with and took several minutes to name some of his recent albums.<ref name = "campbell 96-97">Campbell (1995), p. 96–97</ref> Jackson's health had deteriorated to the extent that he canceled the remainder of his tour and flew with [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and her husband to [[London]]. When the singer arrived at the airport, he had to be held up; he was then rushed to the home of [[Elton John]]'s manager and afterwards to a clinic,<ref name = "campbell 89-93"/><ref name = "tara 524-528"/> but when he was searched for drugs on entry, 18 vials of medicine were found in a suitcase. Jackson booked the whole fourth floor of the clinic, and was put on Valium IV to wean him from painkillers.<ref name = "campbell 89-93"/><ref name = "tara 524-528"/><ref name="NYTimes"/> The singer's spokesperson told reporters that Jackson was "barely able to function adequately on an intellectual level".<ref name = "tara 524-528"/> While in the clinic, Jackson took part in group and one-on-one therapy sections.<ref name = "campbell 89-93"/><ref name = "tara 524-528">Taraborrelli, p. 524–528</ref> |
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{{Blockquote|Once I make that phone call, this guy is going to destroy everybody in sight in any devious, nasty, cruel way that he can do it. I've given him full authority to do that ... If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever ... Michael's career will be over ... This man is going to be humiliated beyond belief. He will not believe what is going to happen to him, beyond his worst nightmares. He will not sell one more record.|author=|title=|source=}} |
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When Schwartz asked how this would affect Jordan, Chandler replied:<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Whitefoot|first=John|date=June 25, 2018|title=Michael Jackson's Child Molestation Trial: A Timeline|url=https://crimeola.com/michael-jackson-child-sexual-abuse-case-timeline/|access-date=January 1, 2021|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120140530/https://crimeola.com/michael-jackson-child-sexual-abuse-case-timeline/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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{{Blockquote|text=That’s irrelevant to me. The bottom line is, yes, his mother is harming him, and Michael is harming him. I can prove that, and I will prove that. It cost me tens of thousands of dollars to get the information I got, and you know I don’t have that kind of money. I’m willing to go down financially.|author=|title=|source=}} |
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In August, Chandler extracted one of Jordan's teeth.<ref name="tara 485-486">Taraborrelli, p. 485–486</ref> While Jordan was under the effects of the sedative, Evan asked him if Jackson had ever touched his penis; Jordan said yes.<ref name=":4" /> |
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Chandler and his legal team approached Jackson asking for $20 million, threatening to take the dispute to a criminal court. Jackson refused, saying, "No way in hell." A few weeks later, Jackson's legal team made a counter-offer of $1 million; this was declined by Chandler, who then requested $15 million. Jackson refused and lowered his offer to $350,000, which Chandler also refused.<ref name="campbell 53">Campbell, p. 53</ref><ref name="tara 496-498">Taraborrelli, p. 496–498</ref> According to some sources, Evan unsuccessfully sought a $20-million film production deal with Jackson to avoid going to court.<ref name="lapd dcfs probe">{{cite web |date=August 27, 1993 |title=Police Say Seized Tapes Do Not Incriminate Jackson : Investigation: Officials continue to interview children in connection with molestation allegations |url=https://articles.latimes.com/1993-08-27/news/mn-28516_1_jackson-case |access-date=June 18, 2014 |website=Articles.latimes.com}}</ref> In October 1994, Mary A. Fischer of ''[[GQ]]'' reported it was Chandler who initially accused Jackson of molesting his son, before he demanded a screenwriting deal from Jackson instead of going to the police.<ref name="fischer 266">Fischer, p. 266</ref> |
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On July 15, the child psychiatrist Mathis Abrams wrote to Rothman, who was seeking an expert opinion to help establish the allegations against Jackson. Abrams wrote that there was "reasonable suspicion" of sexual abuse without having met Evan or Jordan. He also said that, if this were not a hypothetical case, he would be required by law to report the matter to the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services.<ref name="sull">{{cite book|last=Sullivan|first=Randall|title=Untouchable: The Strange Life & Tragic Death of Michael Jackson|year=2012|isbn=978-0-8021-4582-6|chapter=South|publisher=Grove/Atlantic |author-link=Randall Sullivan|access-date=July 9, 2019|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LUq1EO5e3S0C&pg=PT264|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="genius">{{cite book|last=Knopper|first=Steve|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60p5DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA212|title=MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson|publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]]|year=2015|isbn=978-1-4767-3038-7|pages=212–213|access-date=July 11, 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="fischer 220">Fischer, p. 220</ref> On August 17, Evan took Jordan to Abrams and told him Jordan had been molested.<ref name=":4" /> Over a three-hour session, Jordan told Abrams that Jackson had sexually abused him for months and gave graphic accounts of masturbation and oral sex.<ref name=":4" /> Jordan repeated these allegations to police and described Jackson's penis.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|date=December 18, 1993|title=Judge Gives Prosecutors Access to Information in Jackson Civil Suit : Courts: Jurist also refuses to restrict attorneys' remarks to the media. Lawyers agree on subjects they won't discuss.|language=en-US|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-18-me-3080-story.html|access-date=June 30, 2019|issn=0458-3035}}</ref><ref name="campbell 53" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Taraborrelli|first=J. Randy|title=Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story|year=2009|isbn=9780446565684|chapter=Jordie Sees a Psychiatrist|publisher=Grand Central |author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli|access-date=June 26, 2019|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HNUr4CBd7ksC&q=%22he+told+the+doctor+that+the+case+wasn%27t+imaginary%22+magic+madness+taraborrelli&pg=PT430|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref> According to the county's [[Child Protective Services|DCFS]] reports, Jordan had difficulty remembering the times and dates of his alleged molestation, but was consistent in his story.<ref name="chandler story">{{cite web |last1=Wallace |first1=Amy |last2=Nazaria |first2=Sonia |date=August 26, 1993 |title=International Furor Stirred by Allegations on Jackson : Inquiry: Police focus on entertainer's contact with at least 4 boys, source says. No charges have been filed |url=https://articles.latimes.com/1993-08-26/news/mn-28196_1_michael-jackson |access-date=June 18, 2014 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> |
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== Investigation == |
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[[File:Michael_Jackson_Dangerous_World_Tour_1993.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Jackson during the [[Dangerous World Tour]] in 1993]] |
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On August 18, 1993, the [[Los Angeles Police Department]]'s Sexually Exploited Child Unit began a criminal investigation into Jackson. June Chandler initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested her son; however, her position wavered a few days later.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sullivan|first=Randall|title=Untouchable: The Strange Life & Tragic Death of Michael Jackson|year=2012|isbn=978-0-8021-4582-6|chapter=South|publisher=Grove/Atlantic |author-link=Randall Sullivan|access-date=June 22, 2019|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LUq1EO5e3S0C&pg=PT266|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref> On August 21, a search warrant was issued, allowing police to search Neverland Ranch. Police questioned 30 children who were friends of Jackson; all stated that he was not a child molester.<ref name="1993 allegations">{{cite news|date=February 8, 2003|title=1993: Michael Jackson accused of child abuse|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/24/newsid_2512000/2512077.stm|access-date=November 11, 2006}}</ref><ref name="campbell 42-45">Campbell, p. 42–45</ref> Gary Hearne, Jackson's chauffeur, testified in his deposition to driving Jackson to Jordan's house at night and collecting him in the morning for a period of about thirty days.<ref name="campbell 167">Campbell, p. 167</ref> |
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On August 24, the day the allegations were made public, Jackson began the third leg of his [[Dangerous World Tour]] in Bangkok. That day, [[Anthony Pellicano]], a private detective hired by Jackson, held a press conference accusing Chandler of trying to extort $20 million from Jackson. He did not mention that Jackson had made several counter-offers.<ref name="1993 allegations" /><ref name="campbell 42-45" /> The [[Jackson family]] also held a press conference, saying it was their "unequivocal belief" that Michael was a victim of extortion.<ref name="tara 500-507">Taraborrelli, p. 500–507</ref><ref name="campbell 57-59">Campbell, pp. 57–59</ref> On August 26, Jackson's promoters released an audiotape of him apologizing to his fans for cancelling his second show in two days.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Newton|first1=Jim|last2=Nazario|first2=Sonia|date=August 27, 1993|title=Investigation: Officials continue to interview children|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-27-mn-28516-story.html|access-date=June 15, 2019}}</ref> |
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On August 31, attorney [[Gloria Allred]] held a press conference stating she had been retained on behalf of the Chandlers, and implied a civil suit against Jackson would be made.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sandler|first=Adam|date=September 3, 1993|title=Lawyer Allred calls for 'truth' in Jackson story|url=https://variety.com/1993/biz/news/lawyer-allred-calls-for-truth-in-jackson-story-110253/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> On September 10, Allred said that she was off the case, declining further comment as to why.<ref>{{cite news|last=Newton|first=Jim|date=September 11, 1993|title=Allred Says She's Off Jackson Case|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-11-me-33944-story.html|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> On September 13, the Chandlers hired Larry R. Feldman, former Los Angeles County Bar Association president.<ref name=":3" /> |
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On October 6, 1993, Jordan Chandler underwent a [[psychiatric interview]] with [[Richard A. Gardner|Dr. Richard Gardner]] in New York. Dr. Gardner had formulated [[Parental Alienation Syndrome]] (PAS) in 1985, a disorder that arises primarily in the context of child-custody disputes.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cN-5BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA322|publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]]|year=2013|isbn=978-1-4614-7177-6|editor1-last=Morewitz|editor1-first=Stephen J.|page=323|doi=10.1007/978-1-4614-7178-3_23|access-date=July 18, 2019|editor2-last=Goldstein|editor2-first=Mark L.|chapter-url-access=subscription |chapter=Parental Alienation |title=Handbook of Forensic Sociology and Psychology }}</ref> Jordan gave his account of what allegedly happened between him and Jackson in May 1993, during their trip to Monaco for the World Music Awards.<ref>{{cite book|last=Halperin|first=Ian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWbFC7coiC4C&q=%22On+October+6,+1993,+Jordan+Chandler+flew+to+New+York%22&pg=PA313|title=Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4391-7717-4|pages=48;313|publisher=Simon and Schuster |author-link=Ian Halperin|access-date=June 13, 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Borsboom|first=Jos|title=Michael Jackson: The Icon|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4475-1692-7|chapter=Kids & Allegations|publisher=Lulu.com |access-date=June 6, 2019|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ui5cCAAAQBAJ&q=%22after+I+returned+from+the+las+vegas%22+borsboom&pg=PT63|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref> On November 8, police searched the Jackson family home, Hayvenhurst.<ref name="1993 allegations" /><ref name="campbell 44-93">Campbell, pp. 44–93</ref><ref name="fischer 267" /> |
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The Schwartzes gave the tape of Chandler's July conversation with Schwartz to the authorities, who leaked it to the press.<ref name=":4" /> The recorded conversation was a critical aspect of Jackson's [[defense (law)|defense]] against the allegations made against him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-31-mn-39718-story.html|title=Tapes Used to Allege Plot to Extort Jackson Released : Inquiry: Singer's aides provide purported comments by boy's father, who has told friends allegations are untrue.|date=August 31, 1993|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=TAPE AIRED TO BACK CLAIMS OF EXTORTION ATTEMPT |url=https://www.deseret.com/1993/9/2/19063925/tape-aired-to-back-claims-of-extortion-attempt |website=Deseret News |access-date=February 17, 2020 |language=en |date=September 2, 1993}}</ref> Jackson and his supporters argued that he was the victim of a jealous father whose only goal was to extort Jackson.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HNUr4CBd7ksC&q=%22Jackson+is+an+evil+guy%22+Taraborrelli&pg=PT415|chapter-url-access=subscription|last=Taraborrelli|first=J. Randy|author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli|title=Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story|year=2009|chapter=The Secret Tape Recording |publisher=Grand Central |isbn=9780446565684|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/tragedy-michael-jacksons-lost-boy-whatever-happened-jordan-chandler/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/tragedy-michael-jacksons-lost-boy-whatever-happened-jordan-chandler/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The tragedy of Michael Jackson's 'lost boy': Whatever happened to Jordan Chandler?|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|last=White|first=Adam|date=March 8, 2019|access-date=June 27, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The tape was publicly released by Pellicano, after edits had been made.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-22-me-4447-story.html|title=Investigator, Lawyer Quit Jackson's Defense Team|date=December 22, 1993|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 30, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> |
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=== Testimony from staff and other children === |
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Brett Barnes, aged 11, publicly said he had shared a bed with Jackson, but insisted there was no sexual abuse: "I was on one side of the bed and he was on the other. It was a big bed." [[Wade Robson]], aged 10, told [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Television]] that he too shared a bed with Jackson but that nothing sexual had happened.<ref name=":2" /> Several parents complained of aggressive investigative techniques by police; they claimed the police frightened their children with lies such as "we have nude photos of you",<ref name="la lapd">{{cite news|last=Newton|first=Jim|date=November 17, 1993|title=Jackson's Lawyers Attack LAPD Investigation|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://articles.latimes.com/print/1993-11-17/local/me-57719_1_michael-jackson|access-date=May 1, 2011}}</ref> and told parents their children had been molested even though their children had denied it.<ref name="fischer 267" /> |
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In September 1993, police officers traveled to the Philippines to interview two of Jackson's ex-housekeepers. However, the ex-employees lacked credibility due to a back salary argument they had with Jackson.<ref name=":7">{{cite news|date=September 23, 1993|title=Jackson's Ex-Staff Questioned|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-23-me-38166-story.html|access-date=June 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name="fischer 267" /> A former security guard made various allegations about Jackson, saying he was fired because he "knew too much", and alleged that he was ordered by Jackson to destroy a photo of a naked boy. Instead of reporting this alleged event to the police, he sold the story to ''[[Hard Copy (TV program)|Hard Copy]]'' for $150,000. On December 13, 1993, Jackson's maid, Blanca Francia, alleged that she "quit in disgust" after seeing Jackson in a shower with a child, but did not inform the police. Lisa D. Campbell reported that Francia had been fired in 1991 and had sold her story to ''Hard Copy'' for $20,000.<ref name="campbell 113-115">Campbell, p. 113–115</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=December 14, 1993|title=Jackson back, maid says she quit in 'disgust'|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-12-14-1993348016-story.html|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> However, when Diane Dimond interviewed Francia on the show, she denied being fired but acknowledged being compensated by ''Hard Copy.''<ref>{{cite book|last=Dimond|first=Diane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3P_bn4og49YC&q=%22i+began+by+asking+Blanca+if+she+had+been+fired%22&pg=PA121|title=Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case|year=2005|isbn=978-0-743-27092-2|pages=121–122|publisher=Simon and Schuster |access-date=June 30, 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Jason Francia, Blanca’s son, testified in 2005 that Jackson had abused him on several occasions when he was seven to ten years old. Francia said that "every time I was being tickled there was some sort of exchange of money", done with the understanding that he would not tell his mother.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/apr/05/michaeljacksontrial.music|title=Jackson abused me and gave me money to keep silent, witness says|last=Glaister|first=Dan|date=2005-04-05|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-01-29|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129122926/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/apr/05/michaeljacksontrial.music|archive-date=January 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[cross-examination]], Francia acknowledged that in his first 1993 interview he told detectives Jackson had not molested him. He said he had denied being improperly touched by Jackson because he did not want to be embarrassed at school. He said he went into counseling until he was eighteen years old.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/04/jackson.trial/index.html|title=CNN.com - Son of Jackson maid says tickling escalated to fondling - Apr 5, 2005|website=www.cnn.com|access-date=2019-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620223116/http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/04/jackson.trial/index.html|archive-date=June 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Thomas Mesereau]], Jackson’s defense attorney, sought to establish that the Francias were goaded into their accusations by overzealous prosecutors and tempted by money offered for media interviews.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/i-saw-jackson-molest-boy-aged-11-claims-former-ranch-guard-528993.html|title=I saw Jackson molest boy, aged 11, claims former ranch guard|date=2005-04-08|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621071958/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/i-saw-jackson-molest-boy-aged-11-claims-former-ranch-guard-528993.html|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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On December 2, 1993, attorney Charles Mathews held a press conference about his clients allegedly being threatened and harassed by Anthony Pellicano's machinations. Mathews was representing Jackson's former security guards in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed on November 22. The lawsuit alleged wrongful termination due to "firsthand personal knowledge of many of [Michael Jackson's] nighttime visits with young boys".<ref>{{cite news|date=December 3, 1993|title=Michael Jackson's guards say they've been threatened|volume=136|newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel|agency=Associated Press|number=331|format=TIFF|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19931203.1.11&srpos=49&e=------199-en--20--41-byDA.rev-txt-txIN-%22michael+jackson%22----1993---1|access-date=June 8, 2019}}</ref> |
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=== Investigation into Chandler === |
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The police also began an investigation into Evan Chandler for extortion, finding that he was $68,400 behind in his [[Child support in the United States|child support]] payments despite being well-paid as a dentist.<ref name="campbell 47-50">Campbell, pp. 47–50</ref> Following a five-month investigation, deputy Los Angeles County District Attorney Michael Montagna released a public statement stating no charges had been brought against Chandler, citing Jackson's lawyers' failure to file for extortion in a timely manner and Jackson's willingness to negotiate with Chandler for several weeks. Montagna explained that settlements were encouraged as they were favored by the law. Montagna also said the discussions between Jackson's representatives and Barry K. Rothman, Chandler's attorney at that time, appeared to have been attempts to settle a possible civil case, not efforts to extort money.<ref name="latimes" /> |
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=== Use of sedatives === |
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Chandler admitted he had used the sedative [[Amobarbital|sodium amytal]] during Jordan's dental surgery, during which Jordan said Jackson had touched his penis. Sodium amytal is a [[barbiturate]] that puts people in a [[hypnotic]] state when injected [[intravenously]]. Studies carried out in 1952 demonstrated that it enabled [[false memories]] to be implanted.<ref name="fischer 221">Fischer, p. 221</ref><ref name=":4" /> According to Alison Winter, a science historian at the [[University of Chicago]], these types of drug place people in a state of "extreme suggestibility ... People will pick up on cues about what questioners want to hear and repeat that back."<ref name=":4" /> |
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Mark Torbiner, the dental [[anesthesiologist]] who administered the drug, told ''[[GQ]]'' that if sodium amytal was used, "it was for dental purposes".<ref name="fischer 221" /> According to [[Diane Dimond]] of the tabloid TV program ''Hard Copy'', Torbiner's records show that [[Robinul]] and [[Vistaril]] were administered instead of sodium amytal.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dimond|first=Diane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3P_bn4og49YC&q=diane+dimond+be+careful+who+you+love+sodium+amytal&pg=PA62|title=Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7432-7092-2|pages=61–62|publisher=Simon and Schuster |author-link=Diane Dimond|access-date=June 26, 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The [[U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration]] was investigating Torbiner's administration of drugs during house calls, where he mostly gave patients [[morphine]] and [[Demerol]].<ref name="fischer 221" /> Torbiner's credentials with the Board of Dental Examiners indicated that he was restricted by law to administering drugs solely for dental procedures, but he had not adhered to those restrictions; for example, he had given [[general anesthetic]] to Barry Rothman during hair transplant procedures.<ref name="fischer 265">Fischer, p. 265</ref> Torbiner had introduced Chandler and Rothman in 1991, when Rothman needed dental work.<ref name="fischer 221" /> |
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===Strip search=== |
===Strip search=== |
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On February 10, 1993,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 8, 1993|title=Michael Jackson Gives First Live Interview to Oprah Winfrey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1boDAAAAMBAJ&q=oprah+interview+jackson&pg=PA62|magazine=Jet|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> Jackson had revealed in a televised interview that he had [[vitiligo]], a skin disorder that destroys skin pigmentation and creates blotches. The interview was watched by 90 million viewers, and after it aired expert information on vitiligo was widely shared in the media.<ref name="campbell 16-17">Campbell, pp. 16–17</ref> According to Pellicano, Jordan Chandler said in July 1993 that Jackson did lift his shirt once to show the blotches on his skin.<ref name="campbell 53" /> |
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{{seealso|Michael Jackson's health and appearance}} |
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[[Image:Michael Jackson gives autographCropped.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Michael Jackson in 1988, two years after he was diagnosed with vitiligo, pictured in the early stages of the disease <ref>Original by Alan Light</ref>]] |
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In December, Jackson was served with a [[warrant]] for a strip search of his body, as police wanted to verify Jordan Chandler's description of Jackson's genitals, and details of patches of [[vitiligo]] on the singer's body; an illness Jackson was diagnosed with in the mid 1980s.<ref name = "tara 534-540/><ref name = "campbell 16"/> The order stated that officers were to examine, photograph and videotape Jackson's entire body, "including his penis, anus, hips, buttocks and any other part of his body".<ref name = "tara 534-540>Taraborrelli, p. 534–540</ref><ref name = "campbell 16">Campbell (1995), p. 16</ref><ref name = "CNN D.S.">{{cite web|title=Michael Jackson sings of D.A. on previous album|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/19/jackson.prosecutor.reut/index.html|date=[[2003-11-20]]|accessdate=2008-08-11}}</ref> The warrant stated that refusal to comply would be used in court as a possible indication of guilt. The strip search took place on [[December 20]] at the entertainer's ranch. Those present for the prosecution were [[District Attorney]] [[Tom Sneddon]], a detective, a photographer and a doctor. Those present on behalf of Jackson were his two attorneys, a physician, a detective, a bodyguard and a photographer.<ref name = "tara 534-540/> The attorneys and Sneddon agreed to leave the room when the examination took place, and Jackson demanded that the prosecution detective should also leave, which he subsequently did. In an emotional state, Jackson stood on a platform in the middle of the room, took off all his clothes and was examined for approximately 25 minutes, although he was never physically touched.<ref name = "tara 534-540/> The search report concluded that there were strong similarities between Chandler's description and Jackson's body, but they could not say there was a definite match.<ref name = "tara 534-540/> |
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On December 20, 1993, investigators for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and the LAPD issued Jackson with a [[search warrant|warrant]] for a [[strip search]], as police wanted to verify Jordan's description of Jackson's private anatomy. The officers photographed Jackson's entire body.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last=Brockell |first=Gillian |date=March 3, 2019 |title=The Michael Jackson denial of child sexual abuse carried live around the world |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/03/02/michael-jackson-denial-child-sexual-abuse-carried-live-around-world/}}</ref><ref name="CNN D.S.">{{cite news|date=November 20, 2003|title=Michael Jackson sings of D.A. on previous album|publisher=CNN|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/19/jackson.prosecutor.reut/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=May 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604042429/http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/19/jackson.prosecutor.reut/index.html|archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> The police were looking for discoloration, any signs of vitiligo that Jordan had spoken about, or any other skin disorder. Refusal to comply would have been used in court as an indication of guilt.<ref name="campbell 141">Campbell, p. 141</ref> |
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===Jackson speaks out=== |
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On [[December 22]], Jackson responded to the allegations and everything that had occurred for the first time via [[satellite]] from his ranch: {{Quote|As you may already know, after my tour ended I remained out of the country [US] undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication...There have been many disgusting statements made recently concerning allegations of improper conduct on my part. These statements about me are totally false...I will say I am particularly upset by the handling of the mass matter by the incredible, terrible mass media. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions. I ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me. Don't treat me like a criminal, because I am innocent. I have been forced to submit to a dehumanizing and humiliating examination...It was the most humiliating ordeal of my life...But if this is what I have to endure to prove my innocence, my complete innocence, so be it.<ref name = "1993 allegations"/><ref name="NYTimes"/>|Michael Jackson}} A poll at the time, conducted by ''[[A Current Affair]]'', found that nearly 75 percent of people believed Jackson was telling the truth in his response.<ref name = "campbell 140-143">Campbell (1995), p. 140–143</ref><ref name="(find) MJ speaks out">{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n10_v85/ai_14947357?tag=artBody;col1 |title=Michael Jackson speaks: 'I am totally innocent of any wrongdoing.' |publisher=''Jet'' |date=[[1994-01-10]] |accessdate=2008-08-03 }}</ref> While Jackson sought medical help for his faltering health, his legal team and friends, such as Presley and Taylor, took control of his defense and finances.<ref name = "tara 514-516"/> Much of Jackson's legal team would meet three times a week at Taylor's home to discuss the case.<ref name = "tara 514-516"/> Taylor then called in more legal professionals on Jackson's behalf. Eventually Presley, Taylor, and Jackson's team all agreed that the singer should settle out of court; it was their opinion that the entertainer's health had deteriorated to such a degree that he could not endure a lengthy trial.<ref name = "tara 524-528"/> |
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Those present for the prosecution were District Attorney [[Thomas W. Sneddon, Jr.|Tom Sneddon]], a detective, a photographer, and a doctor. Those present on behalf of Jackson were his two attorneys, a physician, a detective, a bodyguard, and a photographer. The attorneys and Sneddon agreed to leave the room when the examination took place. At Jackson's insistence, the prosecution detective also left. In an emotional state, Jackson stood on a platform in the middle of the room and disrobed. The search lasted for approximately 25 minutes. He was never touched.<ref name="tara 534-540" /> |
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==Media reaction and settlement== |
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Complaints about the coverage and media included using sensational headlines to draw in readers and viewers when the content itself did not support the headline,<ref name = "campbell 42-45"/> accepting stories of Jackson's alleged criminal activity in return for money,<ref name = "campbell 77-80">Campbell (1995), p. 77–80</ref> accepting confidential leaked material from the police investigation in return for money paid,<ref name = "campbell 47-50"/> deliberately using pictures of Jackson's appearance at its worst,<ref name = "tara 500-507"/> a lack of objectivity<ref name = "tara 500-507"/> and using headlines that strongly implied Jackson's guilt.<ref name = "tara 500-507"/> |
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On January 28, 1994, [[Reuters]] and ''[[USA Today]]'' reported that an unidentified source had told that the pictures did not match Jordan's description<ref name="campbell 173">Campbell, p. 173</ref> According to LAPD detective and pedophilia expert Bill Dworin, who spoke to [[NBC News]] in February 2003, Jordan's description matched the photos of Jackson's genitalia. Dworin did not believe that Jordan's accusations were coached.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 17, 2003|title=New look at dark accusations|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/3080078/ns/dateline_nbc-newsmakers/t/new-look-dark-accusations/|access-date=June 30, 2019|website=nbcnews.com|language=en}}</ref> The DA and the sheriff's photographer stated that the description was accurate, but the jurors felt that the photos did not match the description.<ref>{{cite book|last=Halperin|first=Ian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyaFQdNxU7sC&q=photos+of+Michael+Jackson's+genitals+do+not+match+description+given+by+the+boy&pg=PT84|title=Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson|date=July 14, 2009|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781439177198|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ebert|first=John David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6TitThCzkkC&q=Jackson+to+be+stripped+searched+for+the+second+time.&pg=PA201|title=Dead Celebrities, Living Icons: Tragedy and Fame in the Age of the Multimedia Superstar|date=April 18, 2019|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313377648|via=Google Books}}</ref> In March 1994, Jackson's mother [[Katherine Jackson|Katherine]] was called to testify in front of the LA County Grand Jury. Investigators asked whether her son had altered the appearance of his genitalia.<ref>{{cite news|last=Newton|first=Jim|date=March 16, 1994|title=Grand Jury Calls Michael Jackson's Mother to Testify|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-16-me-34715-story.html|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> Jordan claimed that Jackson was circumcised.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ferguson|first=Lee|date=July 29, 2009|title=An interview with Jackson biographer Ian Halperin|website=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/the-final-chapter-1.845074|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> However, Jackson's autopsy report showed that he had not been circumcised and his foreskin appeared intact, with no signs of surgical restoration.<ref name="Michael Jackson's autopsy">[https://archive.org/stream/251735-autopsy-0001-optimized/251735-autopsy-0001-optimized_djvu.txt] Michael Jackson's autopsy</ref> |
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The ''[[New York Post]]'' ran the headline "Peter Pan or [[Pervert]]", despite minimal information being disclosed by the police.<ref name = "tara 500-507"/> Just two weeks after the allegations were reported, the headline, "Michael Jackson: A Curtain Closes" reflected the attitude of most tabloid-orientated media.<ref name = "campbell 71-73">Campbell (1995), p. 71–73</ref> In a piece for ''[[Hard Copy]]'', [[Diane Dimond]]—a journalist who would spend the next 15 years trying to prove Jackson was a pedophile—ran a story stating, "And one more shocker, ''Hard Copy'' has obtained new documents in the criminal investigation of Michael Jackson, and they are chilling; they contain the name of child movie actor [[Macaulay Culkin]]". The document itself stated that Culkin strongly denied being harmed by Jackson.<ref name = "campbell 42-45"/> |
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On January 4, 1994, Larry Feldman filed a court motion in an effort to obtain the police photographs of Jackson. The motion stated a "multiple choice" request: either provide copies of the photographs, submit Jackson to a second search, or the court can bar the photographs from the civil trial as evidence. Feldman said that the district attorney's office previously refused the request of these photographs.<ref name="seeks">{{cite news|date=January 5, 1994|title=Boy's Lawyer Seeks Photos of Michael Jackson's Body|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-05-me-8514-story.html|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> Jackson's lawyers asked a Santa Barbara County judge to order prosecutors to return the nude photographs, fearing they would become public, but were denied.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sandler|first1=Adam|date=February 11, 1994|title=Jackson VP testifies; prosecutors keep photos|url=https://variety.com/1994/biz/news/jackson-vp-testifies-prosecutors-keep-photos-118239/|access-date=June 30, 2019|website=Variety|language=en}}</ref> |
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Two tabloid television shows accepted confidential leaked documents from the Los Angeles County Department of Children's Services for $20,000.<ref name = "campbell 47-50"/> A number of Jackson's former employees—most of whom had worked at his ranch—sold stories to the tabloids of alleged prior sexual misconduct on Jackson's part, instead of reporting their claims to police. One couple initially asked for $100,000 claiming that Jackson sexually caressed Macaulay Culkin. They were prepared to expand upon this allegation for a fee of $500,000, whereby they would allege that Jackson put his hands down Culkin's pants. When the story broke, Culkin strongly denied the allegation, and did so again in court.<ref name = "campbell 77-80"/> A former security guard made various allegations about Jackson, saying he was fired because he "knew too much",<ref name = "campbell 113-115"/> and alleged that he was ordered by Jackson to destroy a photo of a naked boy. Instead of reporting this to police, ''Hard Copy'' accepted the story in return for $150,000.<ref name = "campbell 113-115">Campbell (1995), p. 113–115</ref> Afterwards, Jackson's maid, Branca Francia, alleged that she "quit in disgust" after seeing Jackson in a shower with a child, but did not inform the police. It later emerged that Francia was actually fired in 1991, but nevertheless sold her story to ''Hard Copy'' for $20,000.<ref name = "campbell 113-115"/> |
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== Allegations by La Toya Jackson == |
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When Jackson left the US to go into rehabilitation, the media showed the singer little sympathy. The ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' (UK) held a "Spot the Jacko" contest, offering readers a trip to [[Disney World]] if they could correctly predict where the entertainer would appear next.<ref name = "campbell 89-93"/> A ''[[The Daily Express|Daily Express]]'' headline read, "Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run", while a ''[[News of the World]]'' headline accused Jackson of being a [[fugitive]]. These tabloids also alleged that Jackson had traveled to Europe to have [[cosmetic surgery]] that would make him unrecognizable on his return.<ref name = "campbell 89-93"/> [[Geraldo Rivera]] set up a mock trial, with a jury made up of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime at that point.<ref>Campbell (1995), p. 104–106</ref> |
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On September 2, 1993, as a guest on the [[Today (American TV program)|''Today'']] show, Jackson's sister [[La Toya Jackson]] expressed support for her brother, stating: "I stand by [Michael] one thousand percent… If you think about it, he has been convicted before a trial." In the same interview, she said she could not tell if the allegations were true and that, not being a judge, could not assess this. A few weeks later, on the [[Maury (talk show)|''Maury'']] show, La Toya said Jackson was being convicted by the public without having been charged with any crime. She said there was nothing inappropriate about his relationship with children and that she would never believe such allegations.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1S4bMjM8LoC|title = Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour|isbn = 9780828320030|last1 = Campbell|first1 = Lisa D.|year = 1994| publisher=Branden Publishing Company }}</ref> |
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[[File:La Toya Jackson cropped.jpg|thumb|240x240px|Jackson's sister [[La Toya Jackson]] in 2010]] |
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===Public reaction prior to settlement=== |
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However, on December 8, 1993, La Toya, who had been estranged from the [[Jackson family]] and not seen her brother for several years, said Jackson was a pedophile.<ref name="tara 534-540">Taraborrelli, pp. 534–540</ref><ref name="campbell 128">Campbell, p. 128</ref> She said she had seen checks made out to different boys' families and that Jackson's own childhood physical abuse had turned him into an abuser. She and her then-husband [[Jack Gordon (entertainment manager)|Jack Gordon]] also said that Jackson had tried to kidnap and kill her.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-09-me-49-story.html|date=December 9, 1993 |first=Jim |last=Newton|title=Sister Says She Believes He Is a Molester: 'This has been going on since 1981, and it's not just one child,' LaToya tells reporters in Tel Aviv.|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/12/09/la-toya-charges-are-true/8a89ad75-1576-468a-9be2-ff806de274f6/|date=December 9, 1993|title=La Toya: Charges Are True: Family Says Jackson Never Molested Kids|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref> On December 9, La Toya repeated her suspicions to [[Katie Couric]] on ''Today'': "I do know he'd have boys over all the time and they'd stay in his room for days. Then they would come out ... There'd be another boy and he'd bring someone else but never two at a time."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/325241/LATOYAS-VIEWS-LEAVE-GUMBEL-SPEECHLESS.html|title=Latoya's views leave Gumbel 'Speechless'|agency=United Press International (UPI)|date=December 10, 1993 |access-date=June 7, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/03/05/699995484/michael-jackson-a-quarter-century-of-sexual-abuse-allegations|title=Jackson: A Quarter-Century Of Sexual Abuse Allegations |website=[[NPR]]|date=March 5, 2019|first= Anastasia|last=Tsioulcas|access-date=June 7, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Bors">{{cite book|title=Michael Jackson: The Icon|last=Borsboom|first=Jos|year=2011|chapter=Kids & Allegations|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-4475-1692-7|access-date=June 6, 2019|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ui5cCAAAQBAJ&q=%22The+first+step+was+simply+Michael+Jackson+hugging+me%22+%22kiss+on+the+cheek.%22&pg=PT63|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref> |
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Despite the negative attitude of the media, the public (at least before the out-of-court settlement) still supported Jackson. A phone-in poll conducted by ''A Current Affair''—known for its unfavorable coverage of the allegations—found that more than 80 percent of callers did not believe the Chandlers.<ref name = "campbell 63-64">Campbell (1995), p. 63–64</ref> A poll of teenagers—Jackson's central fan base at the time—also reported that 75 percent did not believe the allegations; this rose to nearly 90 percent amongst [[African American]] teenagers. Two thirds of children between the ages of 13 to 15—the approximate age of Jordan Chandler at the time—believed he was innocent.<ref name = "campbell 63-64"/> A poll conducted by ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' showed that only 12 percent of adults believed the allegations, and only 8 percent of people were less likely to buy a product endorsed by the entertainer. The same poll also concluded that public opinion of Jackson had risen since the allegations, with Jackson's past records selling at a faster rate.<ref name = "campbell 63-64"/><ref name = "campbell 71-73"/> |
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La Toya said she had proof of Jackson's pedophilia and offered to disclose it for $500,000. A bidding war between US and UK tabloids began, but fell through when, as Jackson's biographer [[J. Randy Taraborrelli]] wrote, "She didn't have much to offer, after all."<ref>Taraborrelli, p. 539</ref> The Jackson family disowned her, and in later years she recanted the allegations, saying she had been forced to make them by her husband.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0303/04/lkl.00.html |title=CNN.com - Transcripts |publisher=Transcripts.cnn.com |date=2003-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=La Toya Jackson |url=https://twitter.com/latoyajackson/status/1106261766802149376 |title=La Toya Jackson on Twitter |work=Twitter.com |date=2019-03-14}}</ref> Prior to making the allegations, Gordon had been arrested for assaulting her, and the couple divorced three years later.<ref>Campbell, p. 29</ref> By the turn of the millennium, Jackson had forgiven his sister.<ref name="tara 534-540" /> In 2009, when recanting her 1993 statements to the broadcaster [[Barbara Walters]], she said that Jackson had not been a pedophile and had never indulged in improper relations with a child.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Toya Jackson: Life After Michael's Death |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/MichaelJackson/la-toya-jackson-life-michael-jackson-barbara-walters/story?id=8541838 |website=[[ABC News]]}}</ref> |
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===Out of court settlement=== |
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By [[January 1]] [[1994]], $2 million had been spent by prosecution departments in California, two Grand Juries had questioned two hundred witnesses, but Jordan's allegations could not corroborated.<ref name = "tara 540-545"/> A few weeks later, Chandler's attorney, Larry Feldman, petitioned the court that he should be allowed access to Jackson's finances over concerns that the singer's wealth would give him an unfair advantage in court. One adviser to Jackson stated, "You can take pictures of Michael's dick and he's not gonna like it, but once you start trying to figure out how much money he has, that's where he stops playing around."<ref name = "tara 540-545"/> On [[January 25]], Jackson settled a civil suit out of court. He agreed to pay a total of $22 million to Jordan, Chandler, June Chandler (the mother) and prosecution attorney Larry Feldman.<ref name = "CNN D.S."/><ref name = "tara 540-545"/> Neither the police or the Grand Jury pressed criminal charges, citing a lack of evidence as Jordan refused to testify in a criminal trial, Jackson was not be charged with a crime.<ref name = "BBC past catches up with MJ"/><ref name = "1993 allegations"/><ref name = "CNN D.S."/><ref name = "tara 540-545"/> Both parties signed a legal agreement declaring they would not speak about the case details. When asked why he paid off his accuser, Jackson answered, "I wanted to go on with my life. Too many people had already been hurt. I want to make records. I want to sing. I want to perform again...It's my talent. My hard work. My life. My decision."<ref name = "tara 540-545"/> He also wanted to avoid a "[[media circus]]".<ref name = "BBC past catches up with MJ"/> |
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== Lisa Marie Presley == |
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According to Chris Cadman, Jackson met the singer [[Lisa Marie Presley]] around May 26, 1974, during a [[Jackson 5]] engagement in Lake Tahoe. Her father, [[Elvis Presley]], was closing a two-week engagement at the Sahara Tahoe while the Jackson 5 were just about to begin one.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAJ5BwAAQBAJ&q=%22Elvis+Presley%22+%22Sahara+Tahoe%22+%22Jackson%22&pg=PT65|chapter-url-access=subscription|isbn=978-0-7552-1609-3|last=Cadman|first=Chris|title=Michael Jackson: The Maestro, Definitive A-Z Volume II - K-Z|year=2015|chapter=Lisa Marie Presley|publisher=Chris Cadman |access-date=June 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name="tara 500-507" /> In November 1992, Jackson was reconnected with Presley through a mutual friend, and they talked almost every day by telephone.<ref name="gliatto">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20103653,00.html |title=Neverland Meets Graceland |author=Gliatto, Tom |date=August 15, 1994 |work=People |access-date=May 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110329202724/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0%2C%2C20103653%2C00.html |archive-date=March 29, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> As the abuse accusations became public, he became dependent on Presley for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health.<ref name="tara 518–520">Taraborrelli, pp. 518–520</ref> She stated, "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it."<ref>Taraborrelli, p. 510</ref> She described him in one call as high, incoherent and delusional. He proposed to her over the phone in late 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?"<ref name="tara 518–520" /> They divorced less than two years later.<ref name="tara 580–581">Taraborrelli, pp. 580–581</ref> |
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== Jackson's health == |
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Jackson took [[painkiller]]s for his scalp surgeries following an accident while filming a [[Pepsi]] commercial in 1984, and became dependent on them to deal with the stress of the allegations.<ref name="deseret">{{cite web|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/321101/WARRANT-ALLOWS-A-STRIP-SEARCH-OF-JACKSON.html|title=Warrant allows a strip-search of Jackson|date=November 16, 1993|website=DeseretNews.com|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=July 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716033938/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/321101/WARRANT-ALLOWS-A-STRIP-SEARCH-OF-JACKSON.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Within a few months of the allegations becoming news, he had lost approximately 10 pounds and stopped eating.<ref name="tara 514-516">Taraborrelli, p. 514–516</ref> According to Jackson, he had a tendency to stop eating when "really upset or hurt" and his friend [[Elizabeth Taylor]] had to make him eat: "She took the spoon and would put it into my mouth." He said that he eventually became unconscious and had to be fed intravenously.<ref name="mjtapes vieira">{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32987303/ns/dateline_nbc-newsmakers/page/5/ |title=The Michael Jackson Tapes |author=Vieira, Meredith|date=September 25, 2009 |work=Dateline MSNBC |access-date= January 13, 2011}}</ref> |
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While in Mexico on November 8, 1993, in a court [[Deposition (law)|deposition]] unrelated to the alleged child abuse, Jackson appeared drowsy, lacked concentration, and slurred while speaking. He said he could not remember the dates of his album releases or the names of people he had worked with, and took several minutes to name some of his recent albums.<ref name="campbell 96-97">Campbell, pp. 96–97</ref> On November 12, Jackson canceled the remainder of his tour and flew with Taylor and her husband to London. When Jackson arrived at the airport, he collapsed and was rushed to the home of [[Elton John]]'s manager and afterward to a clinic. When he was searched for drugs on entry, 18 vials of medicine were found in a suitcase. Jackson booked the whole fourth floor of the clinic and was put on a Valium IV to wean him from painkillers. While in the clinic, he took part in group and one-on-one therapy sessions.<ref name="tara 524-528" /><ref name="campbell 89-93">Campbell, pp. 89–93</ref> |
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On November 15, Jackson's lawyer, [[Bert Fields]], spoke publicly of their last meeting in Mexico City and Jackson's painkiller addiction: "[Michael's] life was in danger if he continued taking these massive quantities of drugs. He was barely able to function adequately on an intellectual level."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-16-mn-57518-story.html|title=Jackson 'Barely Able to Function,' His Lawyer Says|last1=Newton|first1=Jim|last2=Hall|first2=Carla|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 16, 1993|access-date=June 23, 2019}}</ref><ref name="tara 524-528">Taraborrelli, pp. 524–528</ref><ref name="deseret" /> Fields insisted that a U.S. drug rehabilitation center would not have the privacy Jackson wanted. He also stated that his client was not trying to evade investigation: "If Michael Jackson wanted an excuse to stay out of the United States, all he had to do is stay on his tour."<ref name="deseret" /> On November 23, Fields resigned from the case.<ref name=":5" /> |
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==Jackson's response== |
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On December 22, 1993, Jackson responded to the accusations for the first time via satellite from Neverland Ranch. He denied all the allegations and stated his intent to prove his innocence. He accused the media of manipulating the allegations to "reach their own conclusions", and described the "dehumanizing" police search as "the most humiliating ordeal of my life".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rothstein|first=Katie|date=February 28, 2019|title=Every Time Michael Jackson Addressed Sexual-Abuse Allegations on the Record|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/every-time-michael-jackson-addressed-abuse-allegations.html|website=Vulture}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=June 18, 1995|title=POP VIEW; Michael Jackson Is Angry, Understand?|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/18/arts/pop-view-michael-jackson-is-angry-understand.html?sq=HIStory+album+michael+jackson+review&scp=4&st=nyt|access-date=March 24, 2008}}</ref> On January 5, 1994, a few weeks before the settlement, Jackson gave a five-minute speech at the [[26th NAACP Image Awards]] asserting his innocence and received a standing ovation. During the ceremony, one presenter had included Jackson in a list of names, calling him "Michael (Innocent Until Proven Guilty) Jackson".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-07-ca-9458-story.html|title=Jackson gets cheers in a show marked by controversy|last=Leonardi|first=Marisa|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 7, 1994|access-date=June 25, 2019}}</ref> |
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==Media reaction== |
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Most of the information available on the allegations was released (officially or unofficially) by the prosecution and unchallenged by Jackson. He was largely portrayed as guilty by the media, which used [[Sensationalism|sensational headlines]] implying guilt when the content itself did not support the headline.<ref name="ct itstime">{{cite web|last=Thomson|first=Charles|date=March 2, 2010|title=Michael Jackson: It's Time for Outlets to Take Responsibility in Covering the Rock Star|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-thomson/michael-jackson-its-time_b_482176.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817163027/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-thomson/michael-jackson-its-time_b_482176.html|archive-date=August 17, 2011|access-date=January 24, 2011|work=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref><ref name="campbell 42-45"/> Stories were purchased of his alleged criminal activity,<ref name = "campbell 77-80">Campbell, p. 77–80</ref> police investigation material was leaked,<ref name = "campbell 47-50"/> and unflattering photographs of Jackson were printed.<ref name = "tara 500-507"/> |
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Two weeks after the allegations were reported, the headline "Michael Jackson: A Curtain Closes" reflected the attitude of most tabloid media.<ref name="campbell 71-73">Campbell, p. 71–73</ref> The ''[[New York Post]]'' ran the headline "Peter Pan or pervert".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/09/01/malice-in-neverland-the-michael-jackson-story/730a7aee-90a5-4c77-95d8-306f2dc71ab1/|title=MALICE IN NEVERLAND? THE MICHAEL JACKSON STORY|first=Howard|last=Kurtz|date=September 1, 1993|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref name = "tara 500-507"/> In a piece for ''Hard Copy'', Dimond—a journalist who spent the next fifteen years trying to prove Jackson was a pedophile—ran a story stating it had acquired "new documents in the criminal investigation of Michael Jackson, and they are chilling; they contain the name of child movie actor [[Macaulay Culkin]]". In fact, the document stated that Culkin denied being abused by Jackson.<ref name = "campbell 42-45"/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6253DwAAQBAJ&q=In+a+piece+for+Hard+Copy%2C+Dimond+ran+a+story+stating+it+had+acquired+%22new+documents+in+the+criminal+investigation+of+Michael+Jackson%2C+and+they+are+chilling%3B+they+contain+the+name+of+child+movie+actor+Macaulay+Culkin%22.&pg=PT171|title=The Truth Is What You Believe|first=Warren|last=Brewin|date=September 30, 2018|publisher=Balboa Press|isbn=9781504397544|via=Google Books}}</ref> |
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Two tabloid media outlets bought confidential leaked documents from the LAPD for $20,000.<ref name = "campbell 47-50"/> A number of Jackson's former employees—most of whom had worked at Neverland—sold stories which alleged prior sexual misconduct on Jackson's part, instead of reporting their claims to police. One couple asked for $100,000, claiming that Jackson had sexually caressed Culkin. For a fee of $500,000, they would also allege that Jackson put his hands down Culkin's pants. Culkin strongly denied the allegation and did so again in court during [[Trial of Michael Jackson|Jackson's 2005 trial]].<ref name = "campbell 77-80"/> |
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When Jackson left the US to go into drug rehabilitation, the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' (UK) held a "Spot the Jacko" contest, offering readers a trip to [[Disney World]] if they could correctly predict where he would appear next.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/transatlantic-hide-and-seek-191488|title=Transatlantic Hide-And-Seek|first=Newsweek Staff On 11/28/93 at 7:00 PM|last=EST|date=November 28, 1993|website=Newsweek}}</ref> A ''[[The Daily Express|Daily Express]]'' headline read "Drug treatment star faces life on the run", while a ''[[News of the World]]'' headline said Jackson was a [[fugitive]]. These tabloids also falsely alleged that Jackson had traveled to Europe to have [[cosmetic surgery]] that would make him unrecognizable.<ref name="campbell 89-93" /> [[Geraldo Rivera]] set up a [[mock trial]], with a jury made up of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime.<ref>Campbell, p. 104–106</ref> A poll at the time, conducted by ''[[A Current Affair (U.S. TV series)|A Current Affair]]'', found that nearly 75 percent of Americans believed Jackson was telling the truth.<ref name="campbell 140-143">Campbell, p. 140–143</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.throwbacks.com/michael-jackson-settlement/|title=The True Story Behind the Child Abuse Allegations That Cost Michael Jackson over $20 Million|date=December 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-08-31-1993243131-story.html|title=Treating Michael Jackson with a kid glove|first=Jonathan|last=Alter|website=baltimoresun.com|access-date=December 15, 2020|archive-date=June 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622111940/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-08-31-1993243131-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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== Lawsuit == |
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On September 14, 1993, Jordan Chandler and his parents filed a lawsuit<ref group="note">The lawsuit is distinguished from the criminal investigation, which happened simultaneously. The ending of a lawsuit does not preclude the continuation of an investigation.</ref> against Jackson.<ref name="la sued">{{cite news|last=Nazario|first=Sonia|title=Jackson Sued by Boy Who Alleged Sexual Molestation|url=https://articles.latimes.com/print/1993-09-15/local/me-35320_1_sexual-battery|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 15, 1993| access-date= May 1, 2011}}</ref> The lawsuit claimed that Jackson had committed sexual battery, seduction, willful misconduct, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud and negligence.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|date=January 11, 1994|title=Jackson's Accuser Details Sexual Allegations|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/11/us/jackson-s-accuser-details-sexual-allegations.html|access-date=June 6, 2019}}</ref><ref name="lawwar"/> In November, Jackson's lawyers asked the case be put on hold for as long as six years or until the criminal case was concluded.<ref name="lawwar">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/11/08/while-jackson-tours-the-lawyers-war/6fed8ee1-73d6-4326-b5db-1198d372088d/|title=While Jakson tours, the lawyers war|last=Crosby|first=Jessica|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 8, 1993|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-13-me-56202-story.html|title=Jackson Reportedly Cancels Rest of World Tour|last1=Philips|first1=Chuck|last2=Newton |first2=Jim|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 13, 1993|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> Concerns about a civil trial during an ongoing criminal investigation, and prosecutors' access to plaintiffs' civil trial information, stemmed from Jackson's [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment]] rights.<ref name="billofrights">{{cite web|title=Bill of Right Transcript|url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html|work=Bill of Rights|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration|access-date=January 24, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110208205437/http://archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html| archive-date= February 8, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Since two grand juries deemed there was insufficient evidence for criminal charges by the end of the investigation, the prosecution could have been able to form the elements of a case around the defense strategy in the trial, creating a situation akin to [[double jeopardy]].<ref name="taraborrelli1">Taraborrelli, p. 540–545</ref><ref name="dblejep">{{cite web|title=Reasons for Double Jeopardy Protection|url=http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/criminal_rights/double-jeopardy/reasons-for-double-jeopardy-protection.html|work=[[Findlaw]]|access-date=January 27, 2011}}</ref> |
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Superior Court Judge David M. Rothman ordered Jackson's [[Deposition (law)|deposition]] scheduled before the end of January 1994 but said he might reconsider if Jackson was [[indictment|indicted]] on criminal charges. Jackson agreed to be deposed on January 18. His attorneys said he was eager to testify, but also said they might oppose the deposition if criminal charges were filed or were still under consideration on his deposition date. They said if charges were filed, they would want the criminal trial to go first.<ref name="la postponement">{{cite news|last=Newton|first=Jim|title=Jackson to Give Deposition About Allegations Lawsuit: The singer has agreed to tell his side Jan. 18. Postponement is possible if the status of criminal investigation changes, his lawyer says.|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1993-12-04/local/me-63891_1_criminal-investigation |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 4, 1993| access-date= May 1, 2011}}</ref> However, when authorities notified Jackson's lawyers that they expected their investigation to continue at least through February, Jackson's team failed to win a delay of the civil case. Rothman denied the motion to delay the civil proceedings until the criminal investigation had been completed, and set March 21, 1994, as the trial start date.<ref name="var civiltrial" /> |
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Pellicano said Chandler's negotiations had been an attempt to extort Jackson. To try to demonstrate this, he produced illicit recordings of his negotiations with Rothman. Illicit recordings are generally not admissible as evidence, but may be used in California where extortion is threatened. Jackson's lawyer [[Howard Weitzman]] turned over the tapes to the district attorney's office.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 2, 1993|title=Jackson Aides Go Back on the Offensive|language=en-US|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-02-me-30818-story.html|access-date=June 30, 2019|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> |
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On December 17, 1993, Rothman allowed the prosecutors to receive information from Jackson's lawyers and approved [[Discovery (law)|discovery]] information for media disclosure. Both Feldman's and Jackson's camps expressed concerns about Jackson's [[right to a fair trial]] being compromised by publicly discussing discovery results. [[Johnnie Cochran]] and Weitzman, attorneys representing Jackson, argued that investigators were trying to use the suit to advance their criminal investigation, a technique that should not be allowed.<ref name=":6"/> |
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On January 24, 1994, prosecutors announced that they would not bring charges against Chandler for attempted extortion, as Jackson's camp had been slow to report an extortion claim to the police and had tried to negotiate a settlement for several weeks.<ref name="latimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-25-me-15027-story.html|last=Newton|first=Jim|title=Boy's Father in Jackson Case Won't Be Charged : Investigation: Singer claimed parent of alleged molestation victim tried to extort money from him. D.A. says the decision not to prosecute is unrelated to reports that settlement is near.|date=January 25, 1994|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 30, 2019|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Chandler had made his settlement demand in early August 1993, and the Jackson camp had filed extortion charges against the Chandler camp in late August.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-31-mn-39718-story.html|title=Tapes Used to Allege Plot to Extort Jackson Released : Inquiry: Singer's aides provide purported comments by boy's father, who has told friends allegations are untrue.|date=August 31, 1993|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 30, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> In the extortion investigation, a search warrant was never sought to search the homes and offices of Chandler and Barry Rothman. No grand jury convened when both men refused police interviews.<ref name="fischer 268">Fischer, p. 268</ref> In contrast, the police had searched Jackson's residences solely based on Jordan's allegations,<ref name="campbell 44-45">Campbell, pp. 44–45</ref><ref name="fischer 266-7">Fischer, pp. 266–267</ref> and taken lengths to interview or intimidate witnesses.<ref name="la lapd" /><ref name="fischer 267">Fischer, p. 267</ref> Weitzman said they had not gone to the police earlier because "It was our hope that this would all go away. We tried to keep it as much in-house as we could."<ref>{{cite magazine|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OcEDAAAAMBAJ&q=%22it+was+our+hope+that%22+%22jet%22+%22michael+jackson%22+1993&pg=PA52|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|title=Family & fans support Michael Jackson in child abuse investigation|date=September 13, 1993|magazine=Jet|page=59|access-date=June 30, 2019}}</ref> |
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=== Settlement === |
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Jackson's legal team met three times a week at Taylor's home to discuss the case.<ref name="tara 514-516" /> Eventually, they agreed that Jackson was too sick to endure a lengthy trial and that he should settle out of court.<ref name="tara 524-528" /> The lawsuit was settled on January 25, 1994, with $15,331,250 to be held in a [[Trust law|trust fund]] for Jordan, $1.5 million for each of his parents, and $5 million for the family's lawyer, for a total of approximately $23 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/16/michael.jackson/|title=CNN.com - Jackson settlement from 1993 allegations topped $20 million - Jun 16, 2004|website=www.cnn.com|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> According to a motion passed to Judge Melville in 2004, "the settlement was for global claims of negligence and the lawsuit was defended by Mr. Jackson's insurance carrier. The [carrier] negotiated and paid the settlement, over the protests of Mr. Jackson and his personal legal counsel."<ref name="Santa Barbara Public Access - Objection">SBSC Public Access [https://web.archive.org/web/20200318232646/http://www.sbscpublicaccess.org/docs/ctdocs/032205mjmemospprtobj.pdf Superior Court of the State of California], accessed March 6, 2012.</ref> |
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On January 29, 1994, the [[Associated Press]] reported that Jackson had requested his insurance company, Transamerica Insurance Group (TIG), contribute to the settlement. A lawyer for TIG, Jordan Harriman, had made a "one-time-only" offer to Jackson on January 13 to resolve his claim. Jackson refused that offer but further negotiations followed. Russ Wardrip, a TIG claims analyst, had sent a January 13 registered letter to Jackson's lawyer, Howard Weitzman:<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TDtOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6627,4168543|title=Jackson 'sought insurance help to pay boy'|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=New Straits Times |date=January 30, 1994 |access-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19940129.1.6&srpos=30&e=------199-en--20--21-byDA-txt-txIN-%22michael+jackson%22----1994---1|format=TIFF|title=Report says Jackson wanted insurance to pay teen accuser|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |volume=137 |number=28 |date=January 29, 1994 |access-date=June 6, 2019}}</ref> |
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{{Blockquote|...acts of sexual activity do not constitute [accidental] bodily injury. Further, acts of sexual activity, especially those against a minor, are inherently intentional, wrongful and harmful. Coverage for such acts is precluded by [the] [[California Insurance Code]].}} |
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According to Jackson's attorney [[Thomas Mesereau]], Jackson's insurance company was "the source of the settlement amounts", as noted in a 2005 memorandum in ''[[People v. Jackson]]''. The memorandum also noted that "an insurance carrier has the right to settle claims covered by insurance where it decides settlement is expedient and the insured may not interfere with nor prevent such settlements", as established by a number of [[precedent]]s in California.<ref name="mesereau">Mesereau et al., pp. 2–4</ref> Defeating the right would involve convincing a court with the power to [[overrule]] the precedent that the earlier decision was either wrongly decided or more often, "clearly" wrong (depending on the criteria of the court)<ref name="precedent stanford">[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/legal-reas-prec/index.html#Pre "Precedent and Analogy in Legal Reasoning: 2. Precedent"]. ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.'' June 20, 2006. "The lower court is ‘strictly’ bound because it has no power to overrule the higher court's decision. Equally, most appeal courts are bound by their own earlier decisions, though they are generally entitled in certain circumstances to overrule those decisions. There is enormous variation in the circumstances that are necessary for a court to overrule one of its own decisions: at a minimum, it must regard the earlier decision as wrongly decided, but generally, more is required than this, e.g. that the decision is ‘clearly’ or ‘plainly’ wrong. Finally, courts are generally not bound by the decisions of lower courts"</ref> or the court must be convinced to [[distinguish]] the case. That is, to make the ruling narrower than that in the precedent due to some difference in facts between the current and precedent case while supporting the result reached in the earlier case.<ref name="distinguishing stanford">[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/legal-reas-prec/index.html#PreLayDowRul "Precedent and Analogy in Legal Reasoning: 2.1 Precedents as laying down rules: 2.1.2 The practice of distinguishing"]. ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.'' June 20, 2006.</ref> |
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In 2004, Mesereau said: "People who intended to earn millions of dollars from [Jackson's] record and music promotions did not want negative publicity from these lawsuits interfering with their profits. Michael Jackson now regrets making these payments. These settlements were entered into with one primary condition – that condition was that Mr. Jackson never admitted any wrongdoing. [He] always denied doing anything wrong ... Mr. Jackson now realizes the advice he received was wrong."<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2004-09-17/justice/jackson.hearing_1_attorney-thomas-mesereau-child-molestation-false-imprisonment-and-extortion?_s=PM:LAW |title=Jackson 'regrets' out-of-court settlements – CNN |publisher=Articles.cnn.com |date=September 17, 2004 |access-date=September 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005003658/http://articles.cnn.com/2004-09-17/justice/jackson.hearing_1_attorney-thomas-mesereau-child-molestation-false-imprisonment-and-extortion?_s=PM:LAW |archive-date=October 5, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Jackson explained why he had settled: "I wanted to go on with my life. Too many people had already been hurt. I want to make records. I want to sing. I want to perform again ... It's my talent. My hard work. My life. My decision."<ref name="taraborrelli1" /> He also wanted to avoid a "[[media circus]]".<ref name="BBC past catches up with MJ">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4387247.stm |title=Jackson's 'past' allowed in court |work=BBC |date=March 25, 2005| access-date= May 1, 2011}}</ref> Mesereau later said Jackson regretted settling.<ref name="ReferenceA2">{{cite web |date=September 17, 2004 |title=Jackson 'regrets' out-of-court settlements |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2004-09-17/justice/jackson.hearing_1_attorney-thomas-mesereau-child-molestation-false-imprisonment-and-extortion?_s=PM:LAW |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005003658/http://articles.cnn.com/2004-09-17/justice/jackson.hearing_1_attorney-thomas-mesereau-child-molestation-false-imprisonment-and-extortion?_s=PM:LAW |archive-date=October 5, 2012 |access-date=September 22, 2011 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> |
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The settlement cannot be used as evidence of guilt in future civil and criminal cases.<ref name="Mesereau">Mesereau et al., pp. 2–12</ref> In 1994, Larry Feldman said "nobody bought anybody's silence" with the civil settlement.<ref name="gjtoconvene latimes">{{cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-05/local/me-19273_1_santa-barbara/2|title=Grand Jury to convene in Jackson Case Law: Sources close to the investigation say a panel in Santa Barbara will hear testimony next week about alleged molestation of boy.|last=Newton|first=Jim|date=February 5, 1994|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 25, 2010|page=2}}</ref> [[Bribery]] to not testify in a trial is a [[felony]] according to California [[Penal Code]] 138. Receiving such a bribe is also a felony according to this law.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://law.onecle.com/california/penal/138.html|title=California Penal Code Section 138 - California Attorney Resources - California Laws|website=law.onecle.com|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> |
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==Closure of investigation== |
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District Attorney [[Gil Garcetti]] said that the settlement did not affect criminal prosecution and that the investigation was ongoing.<ref name="nyt millions">Weinraub, Bernard. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/26/us/michael-jackson-settles-suit-for-sum-said-to-be-in-millions.html?pagewanted=1 Michael Jackson Settles Suit For Sum Said to Be in Millions]." ''The New York Times''. January 26, 1994.</ref> Jordan Chandler was interviewed after the settlement by detectives seeking evidence of child molestation, but no criminal charges were filed.<ref name="Mesereau p9">Mesereau et al., p. 9</ref> On May 2, 1994, the [[Santa Barbara County]] grand jury disbanded without [[indicting]] Jackson, while a [[Los Angeles County]] grand jury continued to investigate the sexual abuse allegations.<ref name="sbdisbanded">{{cite web|url=http://site2.mjeol.com/important-article/jackson-grand-jury-disbanded-1994.html|title=Jackson Grand Jury Disbanded – 1994|date=May 3, 1994|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428133350/http://site2.mjeol.com/important-article/jackson-grand-jury-disbanded-1994.html|archive-date=April 28, 2015|url-status=dead|website=MJEOL}} Transcript of report by anchor Jim Moret (May 2, 1994) Showbiz Today.</ref><ref name="ind jcase">{{cite news|title=Jackson Case|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/jackson-case-1433170.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/jackson-case-1433170.html |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=May 2, 1994|location=London| access-date= May 1, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |
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On April 11, 1994, the grand jury session in Santa Barbara was extended by 90 days, allowing DA Sneddon to gather more evidence. Prosecution sources said they were frustrated in their grand jury probe, failing to find direct evidence of the molestation charges.<ref name="garcetti denies">{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1994/biz/news/d-a-garcetti-denies-jackson-probe-ended-120071/|last=Sandler|first=Adam|title=D.A. Garcetti denies Jackson probe ended|magazine=Variety|date=April 12, 1994|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> The final grand jury disbanded in July without returning an indictment against Jackson.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-07-me-12852-story.html|title=Jackson & Arson Cases in Limbo: Investigations: Grand jury disbanded without bringing indictments against either the pop superstar or two firefighters|last=Meyer|first=Josh|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 7, 1994|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> |
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The Chandlers stopped co-operating with the criminal investigation around July 6, 1994.<ref name="jointDAstmt">{{cite web|url=http://atgbook.net/abcfinal.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225151006/http://atgbook.net/abcfinal.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 25, 2005|title=MICHAEL JACKSON, ABC NEWS, AND THE CALIFORNIA COURTS|date=December 25, 2005|access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref> Until that time, Jordan Chandler had indicated his possible willingness to testify according to prosecutors.<ref>[https://www.deseret.com/1994/9/22/19132202/jackson-thankful-probe-is-over JACKSON THANKFUL PROBE IS OVER]</ref> The police never pressed criminal charges.<ref name="BBC past catches up with MJ" /> Citing a lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994.<ref name="nyt nocharges">{{cite news|last=Mydans|first=Seth|title=No Charges for Now Against Michael Jackson|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/22/us/no-charges-for-now-against-michael-jackson.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 22, 1994| access-date= May 1, 2011}}</ref> District attorney Sneddon and Lauren Weis, head of the county DA's Sex Crimes Unit, said that ending the investigation did not reflect any lack of faith in the alleged victims' credibility. The entire investigation involved two grand juries and more than 400 people interviewed over a period of 13 months.<ref name=":3">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/la-me-michael-jackson-lawsuit-22-sept-94-story.html|title=Jackson Not Charged but Not Absolved|last=Newton|first=Jim|date=September 22, 1994|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 24, 2019}}</ref><ref name="lawwar"/> |
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Sneddon said several leads were explored which were later discovered to be false.<ref>{{cite news |title=JACKSON CASE DROPPED |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209165428/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/09/22/jackson-case-dropped/274acda8-2da6-48e8-9c98-01cc259095bf/ |archive-date=2022-02-09 |url-status=live |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/09/22/jackson-case-dropped/274acda8-2da6-48e8-9c98-01cc259095bf/}}</ref> According to the grand juries, the evidence presented by the [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] police and the [[LAPD]] was not convincing enough to indict Jackson or subpoena him,<ref name="sbdisbanded" /> even though grand juries can indict the accused purely on [[hearsay]] evidence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/public/guidelines/206826.htm#IVD2|title=Chapter Four: Grand Jury Manual – Department of Justice|website=Justice.gov|access-date=September 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221201902/http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/guidelines/206826.htm#IVD2|archive-date=February 21, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to a 1994 report by [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']], a source in contact with the grand juries said that none of the witnesses had produced anything to directly implicate Jackson.<ref name="var civiltrial">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1993/biz/news/jackson-told-to-cooperate-in-civil-trial-116092/|title=Jackson told to cooperate in civil trial|last=Sandler|first=Adam|date=November 23, 1993|newspaper=Variety|access-date=May 1, 2011}}</ref> According to a 1994 report by ''[[Showbiz Today]]'', the grand jurors claimed that "no damaging evidence was heard" and they "did not hear any damaging testimony" during the hearings.<ref name="sbdisbanded" /> |
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In February 1994, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury convened to assess whether [[criminal charges]] should be filed. The Los Angeles County Grand Jury began in March 1994.<ref name=":3" /> By 1994 prosecution departments in California had spent $2 million and convened two [[Grand jury|grand juries]], but Jordan Chandler's allegations could not be [[Corroborating evidence|corroborated]].<ref name="taraborrelli1" /> In September, Sneddon and Garcetti admitted the 18-month investigation had produced no evidence against Jackson.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McDonell-Parry |first=Amelia |date=2019-01-29 |title=Michael Jackson Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: A Timeline |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/michael-jackson-child-sexual-abuse-allegations-timeline-785746/ |access-date=2023-01-15 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[FBI files on Michael Jackson]], released after Jackson's death, also noted that the prosecution had no outstanding leads.<ref>[https://vault.fbi.gov/Michael%20Jackson/Michael%20Jackson%20Part%2003%20of%2007/view FBI Records: The Vault — Michael Jackson]. Part 3, Page 56</ref> |
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==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
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A week after the settlement in January 1994, L.A. District Attorney Garcetti announced that he supported amending a law that prohibited sexual assault victims from being compelled to testify in criminal proceedings.<ref name="campbell 163-4">Campbell, pp. 163–164</ref> The amendment, introduced into the state assembly in February, would have immediately allowed Garcetti to compel Jordan Chandler's testimony.<ref name="usatoday">{{Cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55227649.html?did=55227649&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Feb+7%2C+1994&author=&desc=Officials+desperate+to+nail+Michael+Jackson|title=Officials desperate to nail Michael Jackson|date=February 7, 1994|newspaper=USA Today|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507000529/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55227649.html?did=55227649&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Feb+7%2C+1994&author=&desc=Officials+desperate+to+nail+Michael+Jackson|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> |
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Three years later Jordan Chandler's account of the relationship was detailed in a book by journalist Victor M Gutierrez. The book was said to be based on a diary the boy had kept at the time and included details of alleged sexual encounters between Jackson and himself.<ref name = "1993 allegations"/> In 1996, Chandler sued Jackson for around $60 million, claiming Jackson had breached an agreement never to discuss the case. In 1999, a court ruled in Jackson's favor and threw out the lawsuit.<ref name = "1993 allegations"/> |
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On February 15, 1994, ''[[Frontline (American TV program)|PBS Frontline]]'' aired the documentary ''Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Story'' about the [[Yellow journalism|tabloid sensationalism]], more preoccupied with selling papers than reporting an accurate narrative of the scandal. The documentary reported Jackson's housekeepers Mark and Faye Quindoy selling stories about Jackson for money, and bargaining for more money regarding child abuse allegations. They were depicted as untrustworthy. Phillip and Stella LeMarque, another pair of former employees to Jackson, sold a child abuse story to tabloids through pornographic film actor [[Paul Barresi]], who once successfully sold a story to the ''[[National Enquirer]]''. At the opportunity of the scandal, Barresi made a taped recording of alleged evidence and told the ''[[Globe (tabloid)|Globe]]'' that he intended to turn it over to the district attorney. The ''Globe'' and Barresi agreed on $15,000 for his story. ''[[Splash News]]'' journalist Kevin Smith said, "A lot of people who claimed to have witnessed Jackson doing this, that or the other—they weren't going to the police first. Their main interest was money, and they would come to journalists who could give them money. So in those circumstances, journalists know more about what happened than the police do."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/tabloid-truth-the-michael-jackson-story/|title=Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Story|website=FRONTLINE|language=en-US|access-date=August 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|date=February 15, 1994|title=Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Story|medium=film|language=en|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldc61tv-EgE| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/Ldc61tv-EgE| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|format=video|publisher=PBS}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |
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Today, Jordan Chandler is in his late twenties living in a $2.35 million home in [[Long Island]] under an assumed name. He and his family also own a [[high-rise apartment]] in [[Manhattan]] and a [[condominium]] in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]]. Chandler lives in Long Island under an assumed name, and June Chandler's second marriage ended sometime afterward. Jordan Chandler and Jackson never spoke to each other again; he received his last installment from Jackson in June 1999.<ref name = "tara 540-545">Taraborrelli, p. 540–545</ref> |
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Three years later, Victor M. Gutierrez self-published a book on the relationship between Jordan Chandler and Jackson. Gutierrez claimed that the book is based on a diary Jordan had kept at the time and included details of alleged sexual encounters with Jackson.<ref name="1993 allegations" /><ref name="kober13">{{Cite news|url=https://taz.de/!629753/|title=Es war Liebe!|last=KOBER|first=HENNING|date=April 5, 2005|work=Die Tageszeitung: taz|access-date=June 27, 2019|page=13|language=de|issn=0931-9085}}</ref> According to German newspaper ''[[Die Tageszeitung]]'', Gutierrez attended meetings of [[North American Man Boy Love Association]] (NAMBLA), a group advocating the decriminalization of pedophilia and pederasty, as a reporter in the 1980s. He said the group thought of Jackson as "one of us" and they insisted that the relationship between Jordan and Jackson was romantic.<ref name="kober13"/> |
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===Effect on Jackson's career=== |
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Jackson's commercial appeal and public image declined, and further controversies involving Jackson, as well as a general decline within the music industry were also factors. The allegations had other notable affects: the singer released material less frequently, toured less and the allegations against him became a recurring theme in his music. |
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In 1997, Jackson filed a civil suit against Gutierrez for [[slander]] after the writer claimed that he had a tape of Jackson molesting his nephew Jeremy, son of [[Jermaine Jackson]]. The jury ruled in Jackson's favor, awarding him $2.7 million. Gutierrez fled to Chile after the suit.<ref name="kober13"/> Jackson's attorney Zia Modabber said, "Jurors told us that they not only wanted to compensate Mr. Jackson and punish Victor Gutierrez, but to send a message that they are tired of tabloids lying about celebrities for money."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-04-10-9804110192-story.html|title=MICHAEL JACKSON WINS $2.7 MILLION SUIT AGAINST WRITER|last=Tribune|first=Chicago|website=chicagotribune.com|date=April 10, 1998 |language=en-US|access-date=June 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,2828,00.html |access-date=November 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050209225608/http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0%2C1%2C2828%2C00.html |archive-date=February 9, 2005 |title=Michael Jackson's Victory |last1=Ryan |first1=Joel |date=April 10, 1998 }}</ref> Jackson also filed a $100 million lawsuit against [[Diane Dimond]] after she appeared on [[KABC (AM)|KABC]] morning show ''Ken and Barkley'' to discuss Gutierrez's alleged tape. After the report was broadcast, Jackson announced he would sue members of the media who "spread vicious lies and rumors about me in their attempts to make money, benefit their careers, sell papers or get viewers to watch their programs." It was dismissed in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/jackson-s-hard-copy-suit-dismissed-1117341899/|title=Jackson's 'Hard Copy' suit dismissed|last=Sandler|first=Adam|date=May 5, 1997|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=June 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-13-me-19724-story.html|title=Michael Jackson Sues 'Hard Copy' Reporter and Radio Talk Show|date=January 13, 1995|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 22, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> |
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The album he had released prior to the allegations was ''[[Dangerous (album)|Dangerous]]'' in 1991, and with shipments of seven million copies in the US and 27 million copies sold worldwide, it stands as one of the world's best-selling records.<ref name="RIAA certifications">{{cite web |url=http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Michael%20Jackson&format=ALBUM&go=Search&perPage=100 |
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|title=Gold and Platinum |publisher=RIAA |accessdate=2008-04-27}}</ref><ref>Taraborrelli, p. 610–611</ref> The album's appeal meant that singles were still being released through 1993 (at the time of the allegations) and Jackson was still traveling the world on his [[Dangerous World Tour]]. However, by the fall of 1993, with criticism mounting, the ninth single "[[Gone Too Soon]]" did not sell enough in the UK, and the tenth single "Dangerous" was canceled.<ref name = "Nelson George overview 45">George, p. 45</ref> Jackson's canceled the end of the tour, before performing in the US.<ref name = "campbell 89-93"/><ref name="NYTimes"/> |
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Jordan [[emancipation|legally emancipated]] himself from his parents in 1994, at age 14.<ref name="ct shameful"/> In 1996, Evan Chandler sued Jackson for around $60 million, claiming Jackson had breached an agreement never to discuss the case. In 1999, a court ruled in Jackson's favor and threw out the lawsuit.<ref name="1993 allegations" /> In 2006, Jordan accused his father of attacking him with a [[barbell]], choking him and spraying his face with [[mace (spray)|mace]]. The charges were dropped.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/11/18/2009-11-18_dad_of_jacko_molest_accuser_kills_self_in_swanky_jersey_pad.html |title=Evan Chandler, dad of boy who accused Michael Jackson of molestation, commits suicide in New Jersey |work=NYDailyNews.com |date=November 18, 2009 |access-date=June 25, 2010 | first=Bill | last=Hutchinson |location=New York}}</ref> On November 5, 2009, fourteen weeks after [[Death of Michael Jackson|Jackson's death]], Evan Chandler was found dead from [[suicide]].<ref name="father">{{Cite news|last=Allen|first=Nick|date=November 17, 2009|title=Michael Jackson: father of Jordan Chandler shoots himself dead|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/6593458/Michael-Jackson-father-of-Jordan-Chandler-shoots-himself-dead.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/6593458/Michael-Jackson-father-of-Jordan-Chandler-shoots-himself-dead.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=June 17, 2019|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |
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After the allegations broke, songs specifically recorded by Jackson for the ''[[Addams Family Values]]'' movie and soundtrack were dropped.<ref name = "campbell 63-64"/> Plans to market new Michael Jackson fragrances for Men and Women were shelved by the maker because of Jackson's drug problems.<ref>Campbell (1995), p. 148–149</ref> By the end of 1994, the ten year partnership between Jackson and drinks manufacturer [[Pepsi]] was dissolved, even though Jackson had grossed the company $500 million in a decade. Jackson's fans then boycotted the company; its stock value fell 20 percent the following year.<ref name = "campbell 96-97"/> |
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===Effect on Jackson's career=== |
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His next studio album was ''[[HIStory]]''; released in the summer of 1995. It was a double album, making its level of success difficult to compare up against ''Dangerous''. Worldwide sales were 18 million copies, but as a double disc album, it sold 36 million individual units.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 Albums (Page 2)|url=http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=tblTop100&action=|publisher=RIAA|date=2008-04-16|accessdate=2008-04-16}}</ref> It was Jackson's second-best album in terms of grossed revenue, behind ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'', and is the best-selling multiple-disc album of all time.<ref name="KOP achievements">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15529981/ |
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Jackson's commercial standing and public image declined in the wake of the allegations. The government of [[Dubai]] forbade him from performing in response to an anonymous [[pamphlet]] campaign that attacked him as immoral.<ref name="Pepsi">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/11/15/pepsi-drops-elusive-michael-jackson/f0c015b8-1a3b-4017-9307-76b74b4fd818/|title=Pepsi Drops Elusive Michael Jackson|last=Robinson|first=Eugene|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 15, 1993|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> Jackson backed out of a deal to create a song and video for the film ''[[Addams Family Values]]'', returning an estimated $5 million,<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/16/arts/jackson-being-treated-abroad-for-addiction-lawyer-says.html|title=Jackson Being Treated Abroad For Addiction, Lawyer Says|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|date=November 16, 1993|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and a brand of fragrances was canceled because of Jackson's drug problems.<ref>Campbell, p. 148–149</ref> Jackson completed the video once planned for ''Addams Family Values'' and released it as ''[[Ghosts (1997 film)|Ghosts]]'' in 1996'','' with a framing story about an eccentric maestro who entertains children and is pursued by a bigoted local official.<ref name="lewis 125-126">Lewis p. 125–126</ref> On November 14, 1993, [[PepsiCo]] dropped their nine-year partnership with Jackson, causing some fans to boycott the company.<ref name="campbell 96-97" /><ref name="Pepsi"/> Jackson composed music for the video game ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', but left the project and went uncredited, possibly due to the allegations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nightingale |first1=Ed |date=23 June 2022 |title=Yuji Naka confirms Michael Jackson wrote music for Sonic 3 |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/yuji-naka-confirms-michael-jackson-wrote-music-for-sonic-3 |access-date=23 June 2022 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |language=en-gb}}</ref> |
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|title=The return of the King of Pop |publisher=MSNBC |date=[[2006-11-02]] |accessdate=2008-06-08}}</ref> He promoted the album with the [[HIStory World Tour]]; it remains his most successful show to date with 4.5 million tickets sold. Despite the show's success the singer avoided taking it to his home country; Jackson has not toured the world since.<ref>Lewis, p. 95</ref> |
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Jackson produced a special show for the premium cable network [[HBO]], ''For One Night Only'', to be recorded in front of a special invited audience at New York City's [[Beacon Theatre (New York City)|Beacon Theatre]] for broadcast in December 1995. The shows were canceled after Jackson collapsed at the theater on December 6 during rehearsals. Jackson was admitted overnight to Beth Israel Medical Center North. The shows were never rescheduled. The following year, Jackson began the [[HIStory World Tour]]. The only concerts in the USA were two shows at the [[Aloha Stadium]] in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]].<ref>Lewis, p. 95</ref> |
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The allegations also had an affect on the content of Jackson's music: ''HIStory'', which was released shortly after the allegations, "creates an atmosphere of paranoia", according to one writer.<ref name="ALG HIStory">{{cite web |first=Stephen |last=Erlewine |url=http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:rz60tr7qklkx |title=Michael Jackson HIStory Overview |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=2008-06-15}}</ref> Its content focuses on the public struggles Jackson went through just prior to its production. In the songs "[[Scream/Childhood|Scream]]" and "Tabloid Junkie", along with the ballad "[[You Are Not Alone]]", Jackson directs much of his anger and personal hurt at the media.<ref name="RS HIStory">{{cite web |first=James |last=Hunter |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/albums/album/312830/review/5943497/history_past_present_and_future_book_1 |
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|title=Michael Jackson HIStory |publisher=''Rolling Stone'' |date=[[1995-08-10]]|accessdate=2008-06-15}}</ref> In the track "[[D.S. (song)|D.S.]]", Jackson launched a verbal attack against a character who is often cited to be Tom Sneddon; the District Attorney that requested his strip search. He describes the person as an antisocial, white supremacist who wanted to, "get my ass, dead or alive". Of the song Sneddon said, "I have not, shall we say, done him the honor of listening to it, but I’ve been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot."<ref name="Sneddon profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.ndaa.org/ndaa/profile/tom_sneddon_jan_feb_2003.html |title=Thomas W. (Tom) Sneddon, Jr. |
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|publisher=ndaa.org |accessdate=2008-07-12}}</ref> In the introspective ballad "[[Stranger in Moscow]]", Jackson laments over his "fall from grace".<ref name="ALG HIStory"/><ref name="RS HIStory"/> |
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Jackson's album ''[[HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I|HIStory]]'', released shortly after the allegations, "creates an atmosphere of paranoia," according to critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]]. Its content focuses on the public struggles Jackson went through prior to its production. In the songs "[[Scream (Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson song)|Scream]]", "Tabloid Junkie", and "[[You Are Not Alone]]", Jackson expresses his anger and hurt at the media. In the ballad "[[Stranger in Moscow]]", he laments his "swift and sudden fall from grace".<ref name="ALG HIStory">{{cite web |first=Stephen |last=Erlewine |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r216079|pure_url=yes}} |title=Michael Jackson HIStory Overview |website=Allmusic |access-date=June 15, 2008}}</ref><ref name="RS HIStory">{{cite magazine |first=James |last=Hunter |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/albums/album/312830/review/5943497/history_past_present_and_future_book_1 |
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Released in 1997, and premiering at the 1996 [[Cannes Film Festival]], ''[[Ghosts (Michael Jackson film)|Ghosts]]'' was a short film written by Jackson and [[Stephen King]] (directed by [[Stan Winston]]).<ref name = "lewis 125-126">Lewis 125–126</ref> The story was based loosely on how Jackson felt after he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. In the plot, the [[Maestro]]—played by Jackson—is nearly chased out of his town by the residents and the mayor, because they believe him to be a "freak".<ref name = "lewis 125-126"/> |
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|title=Michael Jackson HIStory |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=August 10, 1995|access-date=June 15, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080622040842/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/albums/album/312830/review/5943497/history_past_present_and_future_book_1| archive-date= June 22, 2008| url-status= dead}}</ref> In "[[D.S. (song)|D.S.]]", he attacks a character identified as Tom Sneddon, the District Attorney who requested his strip search. Jackson describes the person as a [[white supremacist]] who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive". Sneddon said: "I have not, shall we say, done him the honor of listening to it, but I've been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot."<ref name="Sneddon profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.ndaa.org/ndaa/profile/tom_sneddon_jan_feb_2003.html |title=Thomas W. (Tom) Sneddon, Jr. |
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|publisher=ndaa.org |access-date=July 12, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080102103101/http://www.ndaa.org/ndaa/profile/tom_sneddon_jan_feb_2003.html |archive-date = January 2, 2008}}</ref> |
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According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', the [[O.J. Simpson trial]] overshadowed Jackson's scandal. A source from the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said the scandal took "a back seat" once the Simpson case emerged.<ref name=":1" /> In 2021, a judge noted that Jackson had earned no money from his image and likeness between 2006 and 2008, and said this demonstrated the effect of the allegations on his career until his death.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-05|title=After years, court hands tax win to Michael Jackson heirs|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/after-years-court-hands-tax-win-to-michael-jackson-heirs-michael-jackson-irs-los-angeles-wade-robson-james-safechuck-b1842200.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/after-years-court-hands-tax-win-to-michael-jackson-heirs-michael-jackson-irs-los-angeles-wade-robson-james-safechuck-b1842200.html |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-16|website=The Independent|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |
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Jackson's last album to date, ''[[Invincible (album)|Invincible]]'', was released six years later in 2001, which was the longest period the singer has ever taken between records. It was seen as a relative commercial disappointment when compared to Jackson's prior solo material; it shipped two million copies in the US (worldwide sales stand at approximately 10 million copies).<ref name="RIAA certifications"/><ref name = "tara 614–616">Taraborrelli, p. 614–616</ref> The album spawned three singles: "[[You Rock My World]]", "[[Cry (Michael Jackson song)|Cry]]" and "[[Butterflies (Michael Jackson song)|Butterflies]]", but only one reached the top 10 in the US.<ref name = "Nelson George overview 52">George, p. 52</ref> The low sales were accredited to the lack of a supporting world tour, only one music video being released to promote the album, and hampered by a label dispute. Just before the release of ''Invincible'', Jackson had informed the head of Sony Music Entertainment, [[Tommy Mottola]], that he was not going to renew his contract.<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|title=Michael Jackson — Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kifuxqe5ldae~T1 |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=2006-11-11}}</ref> As a result, all singles releases, video shootings and promotions concerning the ''Invincible'' album were canceled.<ref name=allmusic /> |
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=== Further allegations === |
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===People v. Jackson (Evidence Code 1108)=== |
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{{Main|Trial of Michael Jackson}} |
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[[Image:Michael Jackson fans waving posters in support of MJ.jpg|thumb|right|A decade later fans show their support as further allegations are made against the entertainer]] |
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On December 18, 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse and two counts of [[Alcoholic beverage#Government regulation|administering an intoxicating agent]] to commit a child sexual abuse felony against Gavin Arvizo.<ref name="cnn formal">{{cite news|title=Michael Jackson formally charged in molestation case|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2003-12-18/justice/jackson.case_1_district-attorney-tom-sneddon-child-molestation-jackson-attorney-mark-geragos?_s=PM:LAW|work=CNN|date=December 18, 2003|access-date=May 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004071426/http://articles.cnn.com/2003-12-18/justice/jackson.case_1_district-attorney-tom-sneddon-child-molestation-jackson-attorney-mark-geragos?_s=PM:LAW|archive-date=October 4, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Jackson denied the allegations. Sneddon again led the prosecution.<ref name="CBSNews1">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/17/earlyshow/leisure/main589094.shtml|title=Who Is Tom Sneddon? |publisher=CBS |access-date=May 29, 2007 | date=December 17, 2003| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070520230555/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/17/earlyshow/leisure/main589094.shtml| archive-date= May 20, 2007| url-status= live}}</ref> |
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The [[People v. Jackson]] trial began in [[Santa Maria, California |
The ''[[People v. Jackson]]'' trial began in [[Santa Maria, California]], on January 31, 2005.<ref name="nyt jury">{{cite news|last=Broder|first=John M.|author2=LeDuff, Charlie|title=Jackson Trial Starts, With Fanfare and Jury Selection|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/01/national/01jackson.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 1, 2005| access-date= May 1, 2011}}</ref> The judge allowed testimony about past allegations, including the 1993 case, to establish whether the defendant had a propensity to commit certain crimes.<ref name = "BBC past catches up with MJ"/><ref name = "CNN Defense looses bid to stop">{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/28/jackson/index.html |
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|title=Jackson defense loses bid to ban past allegations |publisher=CNN |date=March 29, 2005| access-date= May 1, 2011}}</ref> However, Jordan Chandler left the country to avoid testifying. Mesereau later said: "The prosecutors tried to get [Chandler] to show up and he wouldn't. If he had, I had witnesses who were going to come in and say he told them it never happened and that he would never talk to his parents again for what they made him say."<ref name="ct shameful">{{cite web|author=Thomson, Charles|title=One of the Most Shameful Episodes In Journalistic History|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-thomson/one-of-the-most-shameful_b_610258.html|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=January 24, 2011|date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> |
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|title=Michael Jackson jury reaches verdict |
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|author=Associated Press |
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June Chandler testified that she had not spoken to her son in 11 years. During her testimony, she claimed that she could not remember being counter-sued by Jackson and that she had never heard of her own attorney. She also said she never witnessed any molestation. Jackson was found not guilty of all 14 charges on June 13, 2005.<ref name="ct shameful" /> |
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|pub=Guardian |
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|date=June 13, 2005|accessdate=2008-07-12}}</ref> |
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In 2013, Wade Robson, who testified in Jackson's defense, reversed his position and filed a lawsuit against Jackson's estate,<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|last=Duke|first=Alan|date=8 May 2013|title=Michael Jackson defender files sex abuse claim|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/showbiz/michael-jackson-sex-claim/index.html|access-date=1 March 2019|website=CNN}}</ref> saying Jackson had sexually abused him when Robson was aged between seven and 14.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news|agency=Australian Associated Press|date=28 February 2019|title=Australian choreographer tells of sexual abuse in Michael Jackson documentary|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/01/australian-choreographer-tells-of-sexual-abuse-in-michael-jackson-documentary|access-date=1 March 2019|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The allegations by Robson and another man, James Safechuck, are the focus of the 2019 documentary ''[[Leaving Neverland]]''.<ref name=":12" /> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist| |
{{reflist|group=note}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=Lisa|title=Michael Jackson: The King of Pops Darkest Hour|publisher=Branden|date=1995|isbn=0828320039|language=English}} |
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*[[Nelson George|George, Nelson]] (2004). ''[[Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection]]'' booklet. [[Sony BMG]]. |
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==Works cited== |
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*{{cite book |last=Guinness World Records |title=Guinness World Records 2004 |year=2003 |publisher=Guinness |id=ISBN 1892051206 |language=English}} |
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<!-- Please note the following are not Further reading. They are correctly listed after the citation list according to [[MOS:APPENDIX]] --> |
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*{{cite book |last=Guinness World Records |title=Guinness World Records 2006 |year=2005 |publisher=Guinness |id=ISBN 1-904994-02-4 |language=English}} |
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*{{cite book |
* {{cite book| last = Campbell| first = Lisa D.| title = Michael Jackson: The King of Pops Darkest Hour| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=n1S4bMjM8LoC| date = September 1994| publisher = Branden Books| isbn = 978-0-8283-2003-0 | access-date= September 22, 2011}} |
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* {{Cite journal|author=Fischer, Mary A.|title=Did Michael do it? / Was Michael Jackson Framed? The Untold Story|journal=[[GQ]]|date=October 1994|volume=64|issue=10|pages=214, 216–221, 265–269}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Taraborrelli |first=J. Randy |authorlink=J. Randy Taraborrelli |title=The Magic and the Madness |year=2004 |publisher=Headline |location=Terra Alta, WV |id=ISBN 0-330-42005-4 }} |
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* [[Nelson George|George, Nelson]] (2004). ''[[Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection]]'' booklet. [[Sony BMG]]. |
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*{{cite book|last=Warner|first=Jay|title=On this Day in Black Music History|publisher=Hal Leonard|location=Milwaukee|date=2006|pages=329|isbn=0634066935|language=English}} |
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* {{cite book| last = Jones| first = Aphrodite| author-link = Aphrodite Jones| author2 = Tom Mesereau| title = Michael Jackson Conspiracy| url = https://archive.org/details/michaeljacksonco00jone| access-date = August 6, 2009| date = June 1, 2007| publisher = iUniverse| isbn = 978-0-9795498-0-9| url-access = registration}} |
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* {{cite book| last = Lewis (Jones)| first = Jel D. | title = Michael Jackson, the king of pop: the big picture : the music! the man! the legend! the interviews : an anthology| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LuEPnk7irOMC| date = June 1, 2005| publisher = Amber Communications Group, Inc.| isbn = 978-0-9749779-0-4 | access-date= September 22, 2011}} |
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* {{cite web|last=Mesereau|first=Thomas A.|author-link=Thomas Mesereau|title=Mr. Jackson's Memorandum In Support Of Objection To Subpoena To Larry Feldman For Settlement Documents|url=http://www.sbscpublicaccess.org/docs/ctdocs/032205mjmemospprtobj.pdf|publisher=Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara|access-date=January 24, 2011|author2=Sanger, Robert M.|author3=Oxman, Brian|date=March 22, 2005|archive-date=August 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802224838/http://www.sbscpublicaccess.org/docs/ctdocs/032205mjmemospprtobj.pdf|url-status=dead}} |
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* {{cite book| first= J. Randy| publisher = Grand Central Publishing| last= Taraborrelli |author-link= J. Randy Taraborrelli| title = Michael Jackson: the magic and the madness| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M5fyao4Z0O8C| date = June 4, 2004| isbn = 978-0-330-42005-1 | access-date= September 22, 2011}} |
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{{Michael Jackson}} |
{{Michael Jackson}} |
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{{Portalbar|1990s}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Child Sexual Abuse Accusations Against Michael Jackson, 1993}} |
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[[Category:Child sexual abuse]] |
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[[Category:Child sexual abuse in the United States|Jackson, Michael]] |
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[[Category:Michael Jackson]] |
[[Category:Michael Jackson]] |
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[[Category:Criticism of journalism]] |
[[Category:Criticism of journalism]] |
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[[Category:1993 in the United States]] |
[[Category:1993 controversies in the United States]] |
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[[Category:1993 in California]] |
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[[Category:1990s crimes in California]] |
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[[ja:マイケル・ジャクソンの1993年の性的虐待疑惑]] |
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[[Category:Sexual misconduct allegations|Jackson, Michael]] |
Revision as of 00:34, 17 December 2023
Michael Jackson, an American pop star, faced allegations of child sexual abuse in 1993 and 2003, with additional claims emerging posthumously.
In 1993, Evan Chandler, a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, accused Jackson of sexually abusing Chandler's 13-year-old son, Jordan. Jackson had befriended Jordan after renting a vehicle from Jordan's stepfather. Though Evan Chandler initially encouraged the friendship, he later confronted his ex-wife, who had custody of Jordan, with suspicions that the relationship was inappropriate.
Chandler wanted to resolve the issue with a financial settlement, but he and Jackson could not agree on an amount. In July, Jordan told a psychiatrist and police that Jackson had sexually abused him, triggering an investigation. Some of Jackson's staff reported inappropriate behavior, but the police dismissed their accounts as not credible as they had sold their stories to tabloids or had grievances against Jackson. Jackson's legal team maintained that Chandler was attempting to extort Jackson, citing a phone recording in which he said he was going to "humiliate" Jackson and "win big-time".
In August 1993, as the second leg of Jackson's Dangerous World Tour began, news of the allegations broke and received worldwide media attention. Jackson canceled the remainder of the tour, citing health problems arising from the scandal. That September, the Chandlers filed a lawsuit against Jackson. They and Jackson reached a financial settlement in January 1994; Jackson and his legal team stressed that this was not an admission of guilt. The investigation found no physical evidence against Jackson. In September 1994, the investigation was closed after the Chandlers declined to cooperate, leaving the case without its main witness.
The allegations affected Jackson's public image and commercial standing. Several of his endorsement deals were canceled, including his decade-long Pepsi endorsement. Further allegations of abuse by Jackson led to the People v. Jackson trial in 2005, in which Jackson was found not guilty on all charges. In November 2009, five months after Jackson's death, Evan Chandler died by suicide following several years of depression and estrangement from his family.
Background
According to Consequence of Sound, in 1993, the American pop star Michael Jackson was the most popular musician in the world.[1] That February,[2] Jackson's car broke down and was towed to a local garage, Rent-A-Wreck.[1] The Rent-A-Wreck owner David Schwartz called his wife, June Chandler-Schwartz, to meet Jackson. She brought her son from a previous marriage, Jordan Chandler.[1] Jordan's father, Evan Chandler, was a dentist who treated Hollywood celebrities. He was also a screenwriter who co-wrote the 1993 comedy Robin Hood: Men In Tights.[1]
Jackson and Jordan became close; the National Enquirer ran a featured story titled "Michael's New Adopted Family", implying that Jackson had "stolen" Jordan from Evan. Jackson invited Jordan, his stepsister and his mother to visit his home, Neverland Ranch, on the weekends. They would also take trips to Las Vegas and Florida.[3] These trips interfered with Jordan's scheduled visits with Evan, with Jordan preferring to visit Neverland Ranch.[4]
In May, Evan encouraged Jackson to spend more time with Jordan. Evan suggested that Jackson should build an extension onto Jackson's house; when they were denied planning permission, Chandler suggested Jackson buy him a house. In the same month, Jordan and June flew with Jackson to Monaco for the World Music Awards.[5][4] According to June's lawyer, Michael Freeman, Evan was jealous and felt left out. Upon their return, Jackson stayed in the Schwartz-Chandler home for five days; Jackson slept in a room with Jordan and his stepbrother.[5] Chandler said this is when he became suspicious of sexual misconduct by Jackson, although he said that Jackson and Jordan were clothed when he saw them in bed together, and never claimed to have witnessed sexual misconduct.[6] Jordan and Jackson's contact ended in June 1993.[2]
Allegations
On July 8, 1993, Schwartz phoned Evan to discuss Jordan’s relationship with Jackson. Unbeknownst to Evan, Schwartz recorded the phone call.[7] Chandler was hostile about Jackson, describing him as "evil".[1] He said he had hired "the nastiest son of a bitch he could find", the lawyer Barry Rothman, to humiliate Jackson, and said:[1]
Once I make that phone call, this guy is going to destroy everybody in sight in any devious, nasty, cruel way that he can do it. I've given him full authority to do that ... If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever ... Michael's career will be over ... This man is going to be humiliated beyond belief. He will not believe what is going to happen to him, beyond his worst nightmares. He will not sell one more record.
When Schwartz asked how this would affect Jordan, Chandler replied:[1][8]
That’s irrelevant to me. The bottom line is, yes, his mother is harming him, and Michael is harming him. I can prove that, and I will prove that. It cost me tens of thousands of dollars to get the information I got, and you know I don’t have that kind of money. I’m willing to go down financially.
In August, Chandler extracted one of Jordan's teeth.[9] While Jordan was under the effects of the sedative, Evan asked him if Jackson had ever touched his penis; Jordan said yes.[1]
Chandler and his legal team approached Jackson asking for $20 million, threatening to take the dispute to a criminal court. Jackson refused, saying, "No way in hell." A few weeks later, Jackson's legal team made a counter-offer of $1 million; this was declined by Chandler, who then requested $15 million. Jackson refused and lowered his offer to $350,000, which Chandler also refused.[10][11] According to some sources, Evan unsuccessfully sought a $20-million film production deal with Jackson to avoid going to court.[12] In October 1994, Mary A. Fischer of GQ reported it was Chandler who initially accused Jackson of molesting his son, before he demanded a screenwriting deal from Jackson instead of going to the police.[13]
On July 15, the child psychiatrist Mathis Abrams wrote to Rothman, who was seeking an expert opinion to help establish the allegations against Jackson. Abrams wrote that there was "reasonable suspicion" of sexual abuse without having met Evan or Jordan. He also said that, if this were not a hypothetical case, he would be required by law to report the matter to the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services.[14][15][16] On August 17, Evan took Jordan to Abrams and told him Jordan had been molested.[1] Over a three-hour session, Jordan told Abrams that Jackson had sexually abused him for months and gave graphic accounts of masturbation and oral sex.[1] Jordan repeated these allegations to police and described Jackson's penis.[17][10][18] According to the county's DCFS reports, Jordan had difficulty remembering the times and dates of his alleged molestation, but was consistent in his story.[19]
Investigation
On August 18, 1993, the Los Angeles Police Department's Sexually Exploited Child Unit began a criminal investigation into Jackson. June Chandler initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested her son; however, her position wavered a few days later.[20] On August 21, a search warrant was issued, allowing police to search Neverland Ranch. Police questioned 30 children who were friends of Jackson; all stated that he was not a child molester.[21][22] Gary Hearne, Jackson's chauffeur, testified in his deposition to driving Jackson to Jordan's house at night and collecting him in the morning for a period of about thirty days.[23]
On August 24, the day the allegations were made public, Jackson began the third leg of his Dangerous World Tour in Bangkok. That day, Anthony Pellicano, a private detective hired by Jackson, held a press conference accusing Chandler of trying to extort $20 million from Jackson. He did not mention that Jackson had made several counter-offers.[21][22] The Jackson family also held a press conference, saying it was their "unequivocal belief" that Michael was a victim of extortion.[24][25] On August 26, Jackson's promoters released an audiotape of him apologizing to his fans for cancelling his second show in two days.[26]
On August 31, attorney Gloria Allred held a press conference stating she had been retained on behalf of the Chandlers, and implied a civil suit against Jackson would be made.[27] On September 10, Allred said that she was off the case, declining further comment as to why.[28] On September 13, the Chandlers hired Larry R. Feldman, former Los Angeles County Bar Association president.[29]
On October 6, 1993, Jordan Chandler underwent a psychiatric interview with Dr. Richard Gardner in New York. Dr. Gardner had formulated Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) in 1985, a disorder that arises primarily in the context of child-custody disputes.[30] Jordan gave his account of what allegedly happened between him and Jackson in May 1993, during their trip to Monaco for the World Music Awards.[31][32] On November 8, police searched the Jackson family home, Hayvenhurst.[21][33][34]
The Schwartzes gave the tape of Chandler's July conversation with Schwartz to the authorities, who leaked it to the press.[1] The recorded conversation was a critical aspect of Jackson's defense against the allegations made against him.[35][36] Jackson and his supporters argued that he was the victim of a jealous father whose only goal was to extort Jackson.[37][38] The tape was publicly released by Pellicano, after edits had been made.[39]
Testimony from staff and other children
Brett Barnes, aged 11, publicly said he had shared a bed with Jackson, but insisted there was no sexual abuse: "I was on one side of the bed and he was on the other. It was a big bed." Wade Robson, aged 10, told Fox Television that he too shared a bed with Jackson but that nothing sexual had happened.[2] Several parents complained of aggressive investigative techniques by police; they claimed the police frightened their children with lies such as "we have nude photos of you",[40] and told parents their children had been molested even though their children had denied it.[34]
In September 1993, police officers traveled to the Philippines to interview two of Jackson's ex-housekeepers. However, the ex-employees lacked credibility due to a back salary argument they had with Jackson.[41][34] A former security guard made various allegations about Jackson, saying he was fired because he "knew too much", and alleged that he was ordered by Jackson to destroy a photo of a naked boy. Instead of reporting this alleged event to the police, he sold the story to Hard Copy for $150,000. On December 13, 1993, Jackson's maid, Blanca Francia, alleged that she "quit in disgust" after seeing Jackson in a shower with a child, but did not inform the police. Lisa D. Campbell reported that Francia had been fired in 1991 and had sold her story to Hard Copy for $20,000.[42][43] However, when Diane Dimond interviewed Francia on the show, she denied being fired but acknowledged being compensated by Hard Copy.[44] Jason Francia, Blanca’s son, testified in 2005 that Jackson had abused him on several occasions when he was seven to ten years old. Francia said that "every time I was being tickled there was some sort of exchange of money", done with the understanding that he would not tell his mother.[41] On cross-examination, Francia acknowledged that in his first 1993 interview he told detectives Jackson had not molested him. He said he had denied being improperly touched by Jackson because he did not want to be embarrassed at school. He said he went into counseling until he was eighteen years old.[45] Thomas Mesereau, Jackson’s defense attorney, sought to establish that the Francias were goaded into their accusations by overzealous prosecutors and tempted by money offered for media interviews.[46]
On December 2, 1993, attorney Charles Mathews held a press conference about his clients allegedly being threatened and harassed by Anthony Pellicano's machinations. Mathews was representing Jackson's former security guards in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed on November 22. The lawsuit alleged wrongful termination due to "firsthand personal knowledge of many of [Michael Jackson's] nighttime visits with young boys".[47]
Investigation into Chandler
The police also began an investigation into Evan Chandler for extortion, finding that he was $68,400 behind in his child support payments despite being well-paid as a dentist.[48] Following a five-month investigation, deputy Los Angeles County District Attorney Michael Montagna released a public statement stating no charges had been brought against Chandler, citing Jackson's lawyers' failure to file for extortion in a timely manner and Jackson's willingness to negotiate with Chandler for several weeks. Montagna explained that settlements were encouraged as they were favored by the law. Montagna also said the discussions between Jackson's representatives and Barry K. Rothman, Chandler's attorney at that time, appeared to have been attempts to settle a possible civil case, not efforts to extort money.[49]
Use of sedatives
Chandler admitted he had used the sedative sodium amytal during Jordan's dental surgery, during which Jordan said Jackson had touched his penis. Sodium amytal is a barbiturate that puts people in a hypnotic state when injected intravenously. Studies carried out in 1952 demonstrated that it enabled false memories to be implanted.[50][1] According to Alison Winter, a science historian at the University of Chicago, these types of drug place people in a state of "extreme suggestibility ... People will pick up on cues about what questioners want to hear and repeat that back."[1]
Mark Torbiner, the dental anesthesiologist who administered the drug, told GQ that if sodium amytal was used, "it was for dental purposes".[50] According to Diane Dimond of the tabloid TV program Hard Copy, Torbiner's records show that Robinul and Vistaril were administered instead of sodium amytal.[51] The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was investigating Torbiner's administration of drugs during house calls, where he mostly gave patients morphine and Demerol.[50] Torbiner's credentials with the Board of Dental Examiners indicated that he was restricted by law to administering drugs solely for dental procedures, but he had not adhered to those restrictions; for example, he had given general anesthetic to Barry Rothman during hair transplant procedures.[52] Torbiner had introduced Chandler and Rothman in 1991, when Rothman needed dental work.[50]
Strip search
On February 10, 1993,[53] Jackson had revealed in a televised interview that he had vitiligo, a skin disorder that destroys skin pigmentation and creates blotches. The interview was watched by 90 million viewers, and after it aired expert information on vitiligo was widely shared in the media.[54] According to Pellicano, Jordan Chandler said in July 1993 that Jackson did lift his shirt once to show the blotches on his skin.[10]
On December 20, 1993, investigators for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and the LAPD issued Jackson with a warrant for a strip search, as police wanted to verify Jordan's description of Jackson's private anatomy. The officers photographed Jackson's entire body.[55][56] The police were looking for discoloration, any signs of vitiligo that Jordan had spoken about, or any other skin disorder. Refusal to comply would have been used in court as an indication of guilt.[57]
Those present for the prosecution were District Attorney Tom Sneddon, a detective, a photographer, and a doctor. Those present on behalf of Jackson were his two attorneys, a physician, a detective, a bodyguard, and a photographer. The attorneys and Sneddon agreed to leave the room when the examination took place. At Jackson's insistence, the prosecution detective also left. In an emotional state, Jackson stood on a platform in the middle of the room and disrobed. The search lasted for approximately 25 minutes. He was never touched.[58]
On January 28, 1994, Reuters and USA Today reported that an unidentified source had told that the pictures did not match Jordan's description[59] According to LAPD detective and pedophilia expert Bill Dworin, who spoke to NBC News in February 2003, Jordan's description matched the photos of Jackson's genitalia. Dworin did not believe that Jordan's accusations were coached.[60] The DA and the sheriff's photographer stated that the description was accurate, but the jurors felt that the photos did not match the description.[61][62] In March 1994, Jackson's mother Katherine was called to testify in front of the LA County Grand Jury. Investigators asked whether her son had altered the appearance of his genitalia.[63] Jordan claimed that Jackson was circumcised.[64] However, Jackson's autopsy report showed that he had not been circumcised and his foreskin appeared intact, with no signs of surgical restoration.[65]
On January 4, 1994, Larry Feldman filed a court motion in an effort to obtain the police photographs of Jackson. The motion stated a "multiple choice" request: either provide copies of the photographs, submit Jackson to a second search, or the court can bar the photographs from the civil trial as evidence. Feldman said that the district attorney's office previously refused the request of these photographs.[66] Jackson's lawyers asked a Santa Barbara County judge to order prosecutors to return the nude photographs, fearing they would become public, but were denied.[67]
Allegations by La Toya Jackson
On September 2, 1993, as a guest on the Today show, Jackson's sister La Toya Jackson expressed support for her brother, stating: "I stand by [Michael] one thousand percent… If you think about it, he has been convicted before a trial." In the same interview, she said she could not tell if the allegations were true and that, not being a judge, could not assess this. A few weeks later, on the Maury show, La Toya said Jackson was being convicted by the public without having been charged with any crime. She said there was nothing inappropriate about his relationship with children and that she would never believe such allegations.[68]
However, on December 8, 1993, La Toya, who had been estranged from the Jackson family and not seen her brother for several years, said Jackson was a pedophile.[58][69] She said she had seen checks made out to different boys' families and that Jackson's own childhood physical abuse had turned him into an abuser. She and her then-husband Jack Gordon also said that Jackson had tried to kidnap and kill her.[70][71] On December 9, La Toya repeated her suspicions to Katie Couric on Today: "I do know he'd have boys over all the time and they'd stay in his room for days. Then they would come out ... There'd be another boy and he'd bring someone else but never two at a time."[72][73][74]
La Toya said she had proof of Jackson's pedophilia and offered to disclose it for $500,000. A bidding war between US and UK tabloids began, but fell through when, as Jackson's biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote, "She didn't have much to offer, after all."[75] The Jackson family disowned her, and in later years she recanted the allegations, saying she had been forced to make them by her husband.[76][77] Prior to making the allegations, Gordon had been arrested for assaulting her, and the couple divorced three years later.[78] By the turn of the millennium, Jackson had forgiven his sister.[58] In 2009, when recanting her 1993 statements to the broadcaster Barbara Walters, she said that Jackson had not been a pedophile and had never indulged in improper relations with a child.[79]
Lisa Marie Presley
According to Chris Cadman, Jackson met the singer Lisa Marie Presley around May 26, 1974, during a Jackson 5 engagement in Lake Tahoe. Her father, Elvis Presley, was closing a two-week engagement at the Sahara Tahoe while the Jackson 5 were just about to begin one.[80][24] In November 1992, Jackson was reconnected with Presley through a mutual friend, and they talked almost every day by telephone.[81] As the abuse accusations became public, he became dependent on Presley for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health.[82] She stated, "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it."[83] She described him in one call as high, incoherent and delusional. He proposed to her over the phone in late 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?"[82] They divorced less than two years later.[84]
Jackson's health
Jackson took painkillers for his scalp surgeries following an accident while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984, and became dependent on them to deal with the stress of the allegations.[85] Within a few months of the allegations becoming news, he had lost approximately 10 pounds and stopped eating.[86] According to Jackson, he had a tendency to stop eating when "really upset or hurt" and his friend Elizabeth Taylor had to make him eat: "She took the spoon and would put it into my mouth." He said that he eventually became unconscious and had to be fed intravenously.[87]
While in Mexico on November 8, 1993, in a court deposition unrelated to the alleged child abuse, Jackson appeared drowsy, lacked concentration, and slurred while speaking. He said he could not remember the dates of his album releases or the names of people he had worked with, and took several minutes to name some of his recent albums.[88] On November 12, Jackson canceled the remainder of his tour and flew with Taylor and her husband to London. When Jackson arrived at the airport, he collapsed and was rushed to the home of Elton John's manager and afterward to a clinic. When he was searched for drugs on entry, 18 vials of medicine were found in a suitcase. Jackson booked the whole fourth floor of the clinic and was put on a Valium IV to wean him from painkillers. While in the clinic, he took part in group and one-on-one therapy sessions.[89][90]
On November 15, Jackson's lawyer, Bert Fields, spoke publicly of their last meeting in Mexico City and Jackson's painkiller addiction: "[Michael's] life was in danger if he continued taking these massive quantities of drugs. He was barely able to function adequately on an intellectual level."[91][89][85] Fields insisted that a U.S. drug rehabilitation center would not have the privacy Jackson wanted. He also stated that his client was not trying to evade investigation: "If Michael Jackson wanted an excuse to stay out of the United States, all he had to do is stay on his tour."[85] On November 23, Fields resigned from the case.[39]
Jackson's response
On December 22, 1993, Jackson responded to the accusations for the first time via satellite from Neverland Ranch. He denied all the allegations and stated his intent to prove his innocence. He accused the media of manipulating the allegations to "reach their own conclusions", and described the "dehumanizing" police search as "the most humiliating ordeal of my life".[92][93] On January 5, 1994, a few weeks before the settlement, Jackson gave a five-minute speech at the 26th NAACP Image Awards asserting his innocence and received a standing ovation. During the ceremony, one presenter had included Jackson in a list of names, calling him "Michael (Innocent Until Proven Guilty) Jackson".[94]
Media reaction
Most of the information available on the allegations was released (officially or unofficially) by the prosecution and unchallenged by Jackson. He was largely portrayed as guilty by the media, which used sensational headlines implying guilt when the content itself did not support the headline.[95][22] Stories were purchased of his alleged criminal activity,[96] police investigation material was leaked,[48] and unflattering photographs of Jackson were printed.[24]
Two weeks after the allegations were reported, the headline "Michael Jackson: A Curtain Closes" reflected the attitude of most tabloid media.[97] The New York Post ran the headline "Peter Pan or pervert".[98][24] In a piece for Hard Copy, Dimond—a journalist who spent the next fifteen years trying to prove Jackson was a pedophile—ran a story stating it had acquired "new documents in the criminal investigation of Michael Jackson, and they are chilling; they contain the name of child movie actor Macaulay Culkin". In fact, the document stated that Culkin denied being abused by Jackson.[22][99]
Two tabloid media outlets bought confidential leaked documents from the LAPD for $20,000.[48] A number of Jackson's former employees—most of whom had worked at Neverland—sold stories which alleged prior sexual misconduct on Jackson's part, instead of reporting their claims to police. One couple asked for $100,000, claiming that Jackson had sexually caressed Culkin. For a fee of $500,000, they would also allege that Jackson put his hands down Culkin's pants. Culkin strongly denied the allegation and did so again in court during Jackson's 2005 trial.[96]
When Jackson left the US to go into drug rehabilitation, the Daily Mirror (UK) held a "Spot the Jacko" contest, offering readers a trip to Disney World if they could correctly predict where he would appear next.[100] A Daily Express headline read "Drug treatment star faces life on the run", while a News of the World headline said Jackson was a fugitive. These tabloids also falsely alleged that Jackson had traveled to Europe to have cosmetic surgery that would make him unrecognizable.[90] Geraldo Rivera set up a mock trial, with a jury made up of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime.[101] A poll at the time, conducted by A Current Affair, found that nearly 75 percent of Americans believed Jackson was telling the truth.[102][103][104]
Lawsuit
On September 14, 1993, Jordan Chandler and his parents filed a lawsuit[note 1] against Jackson.[105] The lawsuit claimed that Jackson had committed sexual battery, seduction, willful misconduct, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud and negligence.[106][107] In November, Jackson's lawyers asked the case be put on hold for as long as six years or until the criminal case was concluded.[107][108] Concerns about a civil trial during an ongoing criminal investigation, and prosecutors' access to plaintiffs' civil trial information, stemmed from Jackson's Fifth Amendment rights.[109] Since two grand juries deemed there was insufficient evidence for criminal charges by the end of the investigation, the prosecution could have been able to form the elements of a case around the defense strategy in the trial, creating a situation akin to double jeopardy.[110][111]
Superior Court Judge David M. Rothman ordered Jackson's deposition scheduled before the end of January 1994 but said he might reconsider if Jackson was indicted on criminal charges. Jackson agreed to be deposed on January 18. His attorneys said he was eager to testify, but also said they might oppose the deposition if criminal charges were filed or were still under consideration on his deposition date. They said if charges were filed, they would want the criminal trial to go first.[112] However, when authorities notified Jackson's lawyers that they expected their investigation to continue at least through February, Jackson's team failed to win a delay of the civil case. Rothman denied the motion to delay the civil proceedings until the criminal investigation had been completed, and set March 21, 1994, as the trial start date.[113]
Pellicano said Chandler's negotiations had been an attempt to extort Jackson. To try to demonstrate this, he produced illicit recordings of his negotiations with Rothman. Illicit recordings are generally not admissible as evidence, but may be used in California where extortion is threatened. Jackson's lawyer Howard Weitzman turned over the tapes to the district attorney's office.[114]
On December 17, 1993, Rothman allowed the prosecutors to receive information from Jackson's lawyers and approved discovery information for media disclosure. Both Feldman's and Jackson's camps expressed concerns about Jackson's right to a fair trial being compromised by publicly discussing discovery results. Johnnie Cochran and Weitzman, attorneys representing Jackson, argued that investigators were trying to use the suit to advance their criminal investigation, a technique that should not be allowed.[17]
On January 24, 1994, prosecutors announced that they would not bring charges against Chandler for attempted extortion, as Jackson's camp had been slow to report an extortion claim to the police and had tried to negotiate a settlement for several weeks.[49] Chandler had made his settlement demand in early August 1993, and the Jackson camp had filed extortion charges against the Chandler camp in late August.[115] In the extortion investigation, a search warrant was never sought to search the homes and offices of Chandler and Barry Rothman. No grand jury convened when both men refused police interviews.[116] In contrast, the police had searched Jackson's residences solely based on Jordan's allegations,[117][118] and taken lengths to interview or intimidate witnesses.[40][34] Weitzman said they had not gone to the police earlier because "It was our hope that this would all go away. We tried to keep it as much in-house as we could."[119]
Settlement
Jackson's legal team met three times a week at Taylor's home to discuss the case.[86] Eventually, they agreed that Jackson was too sick to endure a lengthy trial and that he should settle out of court.[89] The lawsuit was settled on January 25, 1994, with $15,331,250 to be held in a trust fund for Jordan, $1.5 million for each of his parents, and $5 million for the family's lawyer, for a total of approximately $23 million.[120] According to a motion passed to Judge Melville in 2004, "the settlement was for global claims of negligence and the lawsuit was defended by Mr. Jackson's insurance carrier. The [carrier] negotiated and paid the settlement, over the protests of Mr. Jackson and his personal legal counsel."[121]
On January 29, 1994, the Associated Press reported that Jackson had requested his insurance company, Transamerica Insurance Group (TIG), contribute to the settlement. A lawyer for TIG, Jordan Harriman, had made a "one-time-only" offer to Jackson on January 13 to resolve his claim. Jackson refused that offer but further negotiations followed. Russ Wardrip, a TIG claims analyst, had sent a January 13 registered letter to Jackson's lawyer, Howard Weitzman:[122][123]
...acts of sexual activity do not constitute [accidental] bodily injury. Further, acts of sexual activity, especially those against a minor, are inherently intentional, wrongful and harmful. Coverage for such acts is precluded by [the] California Insurance Code.
According to Jackson's attorney Thomas Mesereau, Jackson's insurance company was "the source of the settlement amounts", as noted in a 2005 memorandum in People v. Jackson. The memorandum also noted that "an insurance carrier has the right to settle claims covered by insurance where it decides settlement is expedient and the insured may not interfere with nor prevent such settlements", as established by a number of precedents in California.[124] Defeating the right would involve convincing a court with the power to overrule the precedent that the earlier decision was either wrongly decided or more often, "clearly" wrong (depending on the criteria of the court)[125] or the court must be convinced to distinguish the case. That is, to make the ruling narrower than that in the precedent due to some difference in facts between the current and precedent case while supporting the result reached in the earlier case.[126]
In 2004, Mesereau said: "People who intended to earn millions of dollars from [Jackson's] record and music promotions did not want negative publicity from these lawsuits interfering with their profits. Michael Jackson now regrets making these payments. These settlements were entered into with one primary condition – that condition was that Mr. Jackson never admitted any wrongdoing. [He] always denied doing anything wrong ... Mr. Jackson now realizes the advice he received was wrong."[127] Jackson explained why he had settled: "I wanted to go on with my life. Too many people had already been hurt. I want to make records. I want to sing. I want to perform again ... It's my talent. My hard work. My life. My decision."[110] He also wanted to avoid a "media circus".[128] Mesereau later said Jackson regretted settling.[129]
The settlement cannot be used as evidence of guilt in future civil and criminal cases.[130] In 1994, Larry Feldman said "nobody bought anybody's silence" with the civil settlement.[131] Bribery to not testify in a trial is a felony according to California Penal Code 138. Receiving such a bribe is also a felony according to this law.[132]
Closure of investigation
District Attorney Gil Garcetti said that the settlement did not affect criminal prosecution and that the investigation was ongoing.[133] Jordan Chandler was interviewed after the settlement by detectives seeking evidence of child molestation, but no criminal charges were filed.[134] On May 2, 1994, the Santa Barbara County grand jury disbanded without indicting Jackson, while a Los Angeles County grand jury continued to investigate the sexual abuse allegations.[135][136]
On April 11, 1994, the grand jury session in Santa Barbara was extended by 90 days, allowing DA Sneddon to gather more evidence. Prosecution sources said they were frustrated in their grand jury probe, failing to find direct evidence of the molestation charges.[137] The final grand jury disbanded in July without returning an indictment against Jackson.[138]
The Chandlers stopped co-operating with the criminal investigation around July 6, 1994.[139] Until that time, Jordan Chandler had indicated his possible willingness to testify according to prosecutors.[140] The police never pressed criminal charges.[128] Citing a lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994.[141] District attorney Sneddon and Lauren Weis, head of the county DA's Sex Crimes Unit, said that ending the investigation did not reflect any lack of faith in the alleged victims' credibility. The entire investigation involved two grand juries and more than 400 people interviewed over a period of 13 months.[29][107]
Sneddon said several leads were explored which were later discovered to be false.[142] According to the grand juries, the evidence presented by the Santa Barbara police and the LAPD was not convincing enough to indict Jackson or subpoena him,[135] even though grand juries can indict the accused purely on hearsay evidence.[143] According to a 1994 report by Variety, a source in contact with the grand juries said that none of the witnesses had produced anything to directly implicate Jackson.[113] According to a 1994 report by Showbiz Today, the grand jurors claimed that "no damaging evidence was heard" and they "did not hear any damaging testimony" during the hearings.[135]
In February 1994, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury convened to assess whether criminal charges should be filed. The Los Angeles County Grand Jury began in March 1994.[29] By 1994 prosecution departments in California had spent $2 million and convened two grand juries, but Jordan Chandler's allegations could not be corroborated.[110] In September, Sneddon and Garcetti admitted the 18-month investigation had produced no evidence against Jackson.[144] The FBI files on Michael Jackson, released after Jackson's death, also noted that the prosecution had no outstanding leads.[145]
Aftermath
A week after the settlement in January 1994, L.A. District Attorney Garcetti announced that he supported amending a law that prohibited sexual assault victims from being compelled to testify in criminal proceedings.[146] The amendment, introduced into the state assembly in February, would have immediately allowed Garcetti to compel Jordan Chandler's testimony.[147]
On February 15, 1994, PBS Frontline aired the documentary Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Story about the tabloid sensationalism, more preoccupied with selling papers than reporting an accurate narrative of the scandal. The documentary reported Jackson's housekeepers Mark and Faye Quindoy selling stories about Jackson for money, and bargaining for more money regarding child abuse allegations. They were depicted as untrustworthy. Phillip and Stella LeMarque, another pair of former employees to Jackson, sold a child abuse story to tabloids through pornographic film actor Paul Barresi, who once successfully sold a story to the National Enquirer. At the opportunity of the scandal, Barresi made a taped recording of alleged evidence and told the Globe that he intended to turn it over to the district attorney. The Globe and Barresi agreed on $15,000 for his story. Splash News journalist Kevin Smith said, "A lot of people who claimed to have witnessed Jackson doing this, that or the other—they weren't going to the police first. Their main interest was money, and they would come to journalists who could give them money. So in those circumstances, journalists know more about what happened than the police do."[148][149]
Three years later, Victor M. Gutierrez self-published a book on the relationship between Jordan Chandler and Jackson. Gutierrez claimed that the book is based on a diary Jordan had kept at the time and included details of alleged sexual encounters with Jackson.[21][150] According to German newspaper Die Tageszeitung, Gutierrez attended meetings of North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), a group advocating the decriminalization of pedophilia and pederasty, as a reporter in the 1980s. He said the group thought of Jackson as "one of us" and they insisted that the relationship between Jordan and Jackson was romantic.[150]
In 1997, Jackson filed a civil suit against Gutierrez for slander after the writer claimed that he had a tape of Jackson molesting his nephew Jeremy, son of Jermaine Jackson. The jury ruled in Jackson's favor, awarding him $2.7 million. Gutierrez fled to Chile after the suit.[150] Jackson's attorney Zia Modabber said, "Jurors told us that they not only wanted to compensate Mr. Jackson and punish Victor Gutierrez, but to send a message that they are tired of tabloids lying about celebrities for money."[151][152] Jackson also filed a $100 million lawsuit against Diane Dimond after she appeared on KABC morning show Ken and Barkley to discuss Gutierrez's alleged tape. After the report was broadcast, Jackson announced he would sue members of the media who "spread vicious lies and rumors about me in their attempts to make money, benefit their careers, sell papers or get viewers to watch their programs." It was dismissed in 1997.[153][154]
Jordan legally emancipated himself from his parents in 1994, at age 14.[155] In 1996, Evan Chandler sued Jackson for around $60 million, claiming Jackson had breached an agreement never to discuss the case. In 1999, a court ruled in Jackson's favor and threw out the lawsuit.[21] In 2006, Jordan accused his father of attacking him with a barbell, choking him and spraying his face with mace. The charges were dropped.[156] On November 5, 2009, fourteen weeks after Jackson's death, Evan Chandler was found dead from suicide.[157]
Effect on Jackson's career
Jackson's commercial standing and public image declined in the wake of the allegations. The government of Dubai forbade him from performing in response to an anonymous pamphlet campaign that attacked him as immoral.[158] Jackson backed out of a deal to create a song and video for the film Addams Family Values, returning an estimated $5 million,[159] and a brand of fragrances was canceled because of Jackson's drug problems.[160] Jackson completed the video once planned for Addams Family Values and released it as Ghosts in 1996, with a framing story about an eccentric maestro who entertains children and is pursued by a bigoted local official.[161] On November 14, 1993, PepsiCo dropped their nine-year partnership with Jackson, causing some fans to boycott the company.[88][158] Jackson composed music for the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but left the project and went uncredited, possibly due to the allegations.[162]
Jackson produced a special show for the premium cable network HBO, For One Night Only, to be recorded in front of a special invited audience at New York City's Beacon Theatre for broadcast in December 1995. The shows were canceled after Jackson collapsed at the theater on December 6 during rehearsals. Jackson was admitted overnight to Beth Israel Medical Center North. The shows were never rescheduled. The following year, Jackson began the HIStory World Tour. The only concerts in the USA were two shows at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.[163]
Jackson's album HIStory, released shortly after the allegations, "creates an atmosphere of paranoia," according to critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Its content focuses on the public struggles Jackson went through prior to its production. In the songs "Scream", "Tabloid Junkie", and "You Are Not Alone", Jackson expresses his anger and hurt at the media. In the ballad "Stranger in Moscow", he laments his "swift and sudden fall from grace".[164][165] In "D.S.", he attacks a character identified as Tom Sneddon, the District Attorney who requested his strip search. Jackson describes the person as a white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive". Sneddon said: "I have not, shall we say, done him the honor of listening to it, but I've been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot."[166]
According to The Washington Post, the O.J. Simpson trial overshadowed Jackson's scandal. A source from the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said the scandal took "a back seat" once the Simpson case emerged.[55] In 2021, a judge noted that Jackson had earned no money from his image and likeness between 2006 and 2008, and said this demonstrated the effect of the allegations on his career until his death.[167]
Further allegations
On December 18, 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent to commit a child sexual abuse felony against Gavin Arvizo.[168] Jackson denied the allegations. Sneddon again led the prosecution.[169]
The People v. Jackson trial began in Santa Maria, California, on January 31, 2005.[170] The judge allowed testimony about past allegations, including the 1993 case, to establish whether the defendant had a propensity to commit certain crimes.[128][171] However, Jordan Chandler left the country to avoid testifying. Mesereau later said: "The prosecutors tried to get [Chandler] to show up and he wouldn't. If he had, I had witnesses who were going to come in and say he told them it never happened and that he would never talk to his parents again for what they made him say."[155]
June Chandler testified that she had not spoken to her son in 11 years. During her testimony, she claimed that she could not remember being counter-sued by Jackson and that she had never heard of her own attorney. She also said she never witnessed any molestation. Jackson was found not guilty of all 14 charges on June 13, 2005.[155]
In 2013, Wade Robson, who testified in Jackson's defense, reversed his position and filed a lawsuit against Jackson's estate,[172] saying Jackson had sexually abused him when Robson was aged between seven and 14.[173] The allegations by Robson and another man, James Safechuck, are the focus of the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland.[173]
Notes
- ^ The lawsuit is distinguished from the criminal investigation, which happened simultaneously. The ending of a lawsuit does not preclude the continuation of an investigation.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "The Unsolved Controversies of Michael Jackson". Consequence of Sound. April 28, 2017. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017.
- ^ a b c Wilson, Jeff (August 27, 1993). "Case Files: Boy Says Jackson Molested Him". APnews.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Sullivan, Randall (2012). "South". Untouchable: The Strange Life & Tragic Death of Michael Jackson. Grove/Atlantic. ISBN 978-0-8021-4582-6. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ a b Campbell, p. 50
- ^ a b Fischer, p. 217
- ^ Fischer, pp. 217-218
- ^ McGovern, Kyle (February 28, 2019). "A Complete Timeline of the Michael Jackson Abuse Allegations". Vulture.
- ^ Whitefoot, John (June 25, 2018). "Michael Jackson's Child Molestation Trial: A Timeline". Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Taraborrelli, p. 485–486
- ^ a b c Campbell, p. 53
- ^ Taraborrelli, p. 496–498
- ^ "Police Say Seized Tapes Do Not Incriminate Jackson : Investigation: Officials continue to interview children in connection with molestation allegations". Articles.latimes.com. August 27, 1993. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- ^ Fischer, p. 266
- ^ Sullivan, Randall (2012). "South". Untouchable: The Strange Life & Tragic Death of Michael Jackson. Grove/Atlantic. ISBN 978-0-8021-4582-6. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ Knopper, Steve (2015). MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson. Scribner. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-1-4767-3038-7. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
- ^ Fischer, p. 220
- ^ a b "Judge Gives Prosecutors Access to Information in Jackson Civil Suit : Courts: Jurist also refuses to restrict attorneys' remarks to the media. Lawyers agree on subjects they won't discuss". Los Angeles Times. December 18, 1993. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
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