Michael Jackson accusers' civil trial delayed to February 14, 2028 amid discovery issues

A Los Angeles County judge set a new trial date of 14 February 2028 on Friday for the civil abuse case brought by Wade Robson and James Safechuck against companies formerly owned by Michael Jackson, a source confirmed to People.

The date was moved from the previously scheduled November 2027 slot. "The parties agreed to this date because there have been some delays in the discovery," the source said. "Nothing unusual." The new date was first reported by Rolling Stone.

The allegations

Robson and Safechuck, both featured in the 2019 four-hour HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, have alleged that Jackson sexually abused them during childhood in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Choreographer and Director Wade Robson claimed the abuse began when he was seven years old in 1990 and continued for seven years.

Director, Writer and Actor James Safechuck alleged the abuse started in Paris in 1988, when he was ten years old, and lasted until 1992. Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50 from a propofol overdose, repeatedly denied any child abuse took place throughout his lifetime.

The lawsuit

The civil suit was filed against MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures — two corporations of which Jackson was the sole owner and lone shareholder prior to his death — alleging negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit further alleges that employees of Jackson's companies were liable for permitting the alleged abuse of both men.

Robson and Safechuck initially filed separate lawsuits in 2013 and 2014 respectively, but both were dismissed due to statute of limitations rules that required claims to be filed before the plaintiffs turned 26 — by which point both men were already in their thirties.

Legal setbacks and eventual consolidation

In October 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation extending the timeframe for those alleging childhood sexual abuse to bring their claims. Despite this, the lawsuits were dismissed again in April 2021 when a judge ruled that Jackson's companies had no legal duty to protect children from sexual abuse.

That ruling was subsequently overturned, and in 2024 the men won the right to consolidate their cases, Rolling Stone reported. An attorney for Robson and Safechuck did not respond to People's request for comment.

Jackson's criminal history

Jackson was criminally charged in 2003 with molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo and was acquitted of all charges two years later in 2005.