Nephews of deceased singer claim libel by online publication
Relatives of deceased pop-music legend Michael Jackson have filed a $100 million libel lawsuit against Radar Online, over Radar’s suggestion that the singer might have sexually abused his nephews.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday by Jackson’s nephews Taj, TJ and Taryll Jackson, accuses Radar Online of wrongfully reporting that Jackson “sexually abused young boys [and] implied that this included his ‘nephews,’ but added that his ‘family’ (which, of course, includes plaintiffs) resisted any inquiry into that criminal conduct.”
“Radar reported that Michael Jackson ‘bought them’ a ‘brand new car’ to ‘shut them up,'” the lawsuit reads, adding that Radar also reported that a relative, which readers would have understood to be one of the nephews, was “‘spirited off to an island’ to buy his silence, after which he refused to tell police anything ‘bad’ about Michael Jackson.”
The suit claims that Radar’s reporting is wholly untrue.
“Radar’s statements were entirely false and defamatory,” the complaint reads. “In fact, although plaintiffs are Michael Jackson’s ‘nephews,’ ‘relatives’ and ‘members of the family,’ none of them was ever sexually abused by Michael Jackson or ever had any sort of sexual contact with him.”
The lawsuit also takes issue with Radar’s report that the late King of Pop “even used sexy photos of his own nephews, who were in the band 3T, in their underwear to excite young boys.”
The suit goes on to state that the plaintiffs demanded a correction from Radar in July, but that Radar “refused to correct any of its libelous assertions about plaintiffs, thereby aggravating its wrongful conduct.”
A spokesperson for Radar Online has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
“In publishing Radar’s libelous stories, Radar was aware that its defamatory assertions, which the public will understand to include and refer to plaintiffs, were, in fact, not true of plaintiffs or any of them,” the suit continues. “Radar’s conduct alleged hereinabove was fraudulent, oppressive and malicious, calling, in addition, for an award of exemplary damages in an amount sufficient to punish Radar and its owners and to deter them from publishing such vicious, false and defamatory ‘reports.'”
The suit seeks a judgment for “$100 million and such other and further sum as shall be found.”
Jackson Nephews File $100M Libel Suit Against Radar Online Over Porn Allegations
The lawsuit claims a series of stories published by the gossip website defame the late King of Pop and his three nephews.
Michael Jackson's nephews are taking Radar Online to court over stories that allege they were sexually abused by their uncle and accepted gifts to cover it up, stemming from purported documents from a 2003 raid of Neverland Ranch.
Radar has built a business of publishing false, embarrassing and hurtful gossip for profit and its latest victims are the members of the band 3T, Taj, TJ and Taryll Jackson, according to the $100 million libel lawsuit filed Wednesday by Bert Fields.
"Radar has tried to profit by launching a vicious and unrelenting attack on [Jackson] based on claims that, years ago, he was guilty of sexual abuse, even though, at the time, he was found 'not guilty' of that very charge," Fields writes. "Radar represents its 'reports' as 'new' and based on official 'Detective Reports.' Not only have those Detective Reports been available to the public for many years, Radar has misrepresented what the Reports say."
In June, Radar Online posted a series of stories claiming newly discovered documents show Jackson had been "stockpiling images of pornography, animal torture, S&M and gore in a bid to seduce innocent young boys." Radar claims the documents came from Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department reports and quotes a "private investigator with direct knowledge of the raids" saying "the report cites Michael even used sexy photos of his own nephews, who were in the band 3T, in their underwear to excite young boys.”
Fields says the statements are entirely false and argues that any reasonable reader would understand that to mean "plaintiffs knowingly allowed themselves to be photographed in salacious, lascivious poses and that they know or should have known that their photos would be, or at least could be used 'to excite young boys.'"
According to the complaint, Radar also published that Jackson sexually abused young boys, implied that his nephews were included and that Jackson bought them a brand new car to keep them quiet.
"In doing so, Radar falsely accused plaintiffs of committing a felony by participating in the concealment of criminal activity on the part of Michael Jackson and of being bribed to do so," Fields writes, adding that the false information spread around the globe. "Based on Radar's Libelous Stories, the international media reported to the public that 'Michael Jackson molested his own nephews...and silenced them with threats and gifts.'"
The Jacksons say the statements are entirely false and defamatory.
"None of them was ever sexually abused by Michael Jackson or ever had any sort of sexual contact with him," Fields writes. "None of plaintiffs ever, in any way, resisted any effort by detectives to inquire about Michael Jackson's supposed criminal conduct."
The complaint says the Jacksons demanded a correction of the libelous stories on July 5 and received a refusal from Radar two days later.
In June, the estate issued a statement defending the King of Pop and referring to Radar's stories as tabloid trash. "Those who continue to shamelessly exploit Michael via sleazy internet 'click bait' ignore that he was acquitted by a jury in 2005 on every one of the 14 salacious charges brought against him in a failed witch hunt," says the statement. "Michael remains just as innocent of these smears in death as he was in life even though he isn't here to defend himself. Enough is enough."
Michael Jackson lawsuit: Nephews sue tabloid for sexual abuse reports
Three of singer Michael Jackson’s nephews filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that a celebrity website defamed them by suggesting that their late uncle molested them.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Taj, TJ and Taryll Jackson against Radar Online. The plaintiffs are seeking $100 million in damages.
A Radar Online representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
The suit alleges that Radar Online “falsely accused plaintiffs of committing a felony by participating in the concealment of criminal activity on the part of Michael Jackson and of being bribed to do so.”
Jackson never abused his relatives, according to his nephews’ court papers.
“In fact, although plaintiffs are Michael Jackson’s nephews …none of them was ever sexually abused by Michael Jackson or ever had any sort of sexual contact with him,” the lawsuit says.
The plaintiffs never “did anything to conceal any criminal conduct of Michael Jackson” and never resisted any inquiries into such conduct, according to the suit filed by attorney Bert Fields.
The plaintiffs allege that Radar Online falsely stated that Jackson used “sexy photos of his nephews in their underwear to excite young boys.” The tabloid additionally published untrue statements that Jackson bought his nephews a “brand new car to shut them up” about his alleged criminal conduct, according to the lawsuit.
Jackson’s nephews have always believed in his innocence of all molestation allegations made against him, according to the lawsuit.
“They have never said or done anything to indicate otherwise,” the suit states. Jackson was acquitted in 2005 of charges that he molested an underage boy. The singer settled out of court in 1994 another claim in which he was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy.
Jackson died in Los Angeles on June 25, 2009, at age 50 of an overdose of a powerful anesthetic administered as a sleep aid as he rehearsed for a series of concerts in London.
–City News Service
