Australian dancer Wade Robson’s molestation claims against Michael Jackson have been labelled “outrageous and pathetic” by a lawyer representing the former king of pop’s estate.
Robson, 30, originally from Brisbane, has asked a Los Angeles judge for permission to file a late claim against the dead singer’s estate and an order to seal a complaint for childhood sexual abuse.
His claim for damages against the singer’s estate comes almost four years after Jackson’s June 2009 death. Details of his allegations were not publicly available.
The move is a surprise as Robson, his mother Joy and sister Chantal, were staunch supporters and key witnesses during Jackson’s 2005 molestation trial in Santa Maria, California.
Robson testified at the trial Jackson did not sexually assault him during sleepovers when he was a child at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and Las Vegas homes, despite a maid telling the court she saw Robson, then aged eight or nine, in a shower with the singer.
“Mr Robson’s claim is outrageous and pathetic,” Jackson estate lawyer Howard Weitzman said.
“This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him.
“Now, nearly four years after Michael has passed, this sad and less than credible claim has been made.”
US website TMZ.com reported Robson is claiming he suffered from “repressed memory”.
On Wednesday, Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstein, accused Jackson of brainwashing and intimidating Robson to keep him from coming forward.
“Last year, on a career trajectory that was off the charts, he (Robson) collapsed under the stress and sexual trauma of what had happened to him for seven years as a child,” Gradstein said.
He added that Robson had no financial motive and did not request a specific amount of damages in his claim.
Robson worked as a choreographer for pop singer Britney Spears and former boy band ‘N Sync in the late 1990s and appeared as a judge on the US TV dance competition So You Think You Can Dance.
He also appeared as a dancer in Jackson’s 1991 music video for the single, Black or White.
Robson was a frequent guest at the Neverland Ranch while aged between seven and 14.
Jackson, who died aged 50, was found not guilty at the 2005 molestation trial and after the verdict Robson’s mother said the family felt vindicated.
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“I’ve never questioned Michael,” Ms Robson said. “That’s the bottom line. I’ve never ever had a second of a concern.”
After Jackson’s death, Robson issued a statement praising the king of pop.
“He is the reason I dance, the reason I make music, and one of the main reasons I believe in the pure goodness of human kind,” Robson said.
Jackson’s estate is in the process of settling dozens of claims from creditors and others who had dealings with the King of Pop during his long career.
Robson’s complaint coincides with the wrongful death trial in Los Angeles launched by Jackson’s mother Katherine Jackson and Michael Jackson’s children against AEG, the promoter of Jackson’s proposed 50 concerts in London.
-AAP with Reuters
