Four siblings who once publicly defended Michael Jackson will now have to pursue their explosive abuse claims against his estate in private arbitration after a federal judge enforced an agreement they signed years ago.
According to Billboard, U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera ruled Wednesday, August 12, that Edward Cascio, Dominic Cascio, Marie Nicole Porte and Aldo Cascio could not continue litigating their claims against the Michael Jackson estate in federal court. Vera determined that an arbitration provision contained in an earlier agreement between the parties must be enforced, moving the dispute away from a public courtroom.
Federal court records confirm that the four siblings filed their case on February 27, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. According to the federal docket, defendants include The Michael Jackson Company, MJJ Productions, MJJ Ventures, estate executors John Branca and John McClain, and Herman Weisberg. The estate related defendants formally moved to compel arbitration in April.
According to the complaint, the siblings accused Jackson of grooming and sexually abusing them during childhood, with some of the alleged conduct beginning when they were seven or eight years old. The lawsuit alleged that Jackson used his wealth, celebrity and access to the family to manipulate the siblings and sexually assault them over a period of years. Those claims remain allegations and have been denied by Jackson’s estate.
The history between the family and Jackson makes the case particularly complicated. The siblings’ father, Dominic Cascio Sr., met Jackson while working at a luxury New York hotel frequented by the singer. Jackson later developed a close relationship with the family. The Cascios would eventually describe their connection with him as being his “second family,” and members of the family publicly defended Jackson against allegations of inappropriate behavior for years.
That position changed after HBO released “Leaving Neverland” in 2019. The siblings have said the documentary “deprogrammed” them and caused them to reconsider what they say happened during their childhoods. The family now alleges Jackson had “groomed and brainwashed” them, an explanation they have offered for why their current accusations conflict with their earlier public statements.
Money and confidentiality agreements have also become central to the legal fight. A settlement involving five members of the Cascio family ultimately totaled about $16.5 million, with payments completed in 2025. The outlet reported that the arrangement was structured around the purchase of the family members’ life rights and provided each accuser with approximately $3.3 million over several years. The Michael Jackson estate did not admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
The arbitration language became crucial once Edward, Dominic, Marie Nicole and Aldo attempted to pursue their allegations publicly. Rolling Stone reported that the siblings argued the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act should allow them to avoid the arbitration requirement. The law, enacted in 2022, generally gives people bringing sexual assault or sexual harassment claims the ability to reject certain predispute arbitration agreements, but the timing of when the Cascio dispute began became a major issue in determining whether that law applied.
Vera ultimately sided with the estate on the arbitration question. According to reporting on the ruling, the judge described the underlying allegations as “horrific” but concluded the court was required to enforce the arbitration language. The ruling therefore concerns the proper forum for resolving the dispute. It does not amount to a judicial finding that the siblings’ sexual abuse allegations are true or false.
Howard King, an attorney representing the Cascio siblings, criticized the decision in comments to TMZ.
“It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that the decision on whether the Cascios were duped into signing an unconscionable agreement with an arbitration clause will be made by an arbitrator rather than a jury of peers.”
King continued, “The family had hoped the court would allow for a public trial over the decades-long molestations of the Cascio siblings by Michael Jackson and the ensuing cover-up by his advisors. Instead, the family will seek justice from the dark confines of a private conference room.”
The Michael Jackson estate has consistently rejected the siblings’ accusations. In a statement previously provided, estate attorney Marty Singer characterized the lawsuit as a financial effort by family members whose current claims contradict years of public statements supporting Jackson. Singer also pointed to past interviews and writings from the Cascio family in which members denied that Jackson behaved improperly with them.
The new case adds another chapter to the longstanding legal controversy surrounding allegations against Jackson. The singer was acquitted in June 2005 following a California criminal trial involving child molestation and conspiracy charges. A jury found him not guilty on every count he faced. Jackson’s legal history notes that he reached a civil settlement involving earlier abuse allegations in 1994 without admitting guilt.
Jackson died in 2009, but civil disputes connected to sexual abuse allegations have continued long after his death. The Michael Jackson estate has maintained its denial of the Cascio allegations, while the siblings are continuing to argue that earlier statements defending Jackson were the result of grooming and manipulation.
For now, Vera’s ruling changes where that dispute will be fought rather than resolving the accusations themselves, leaving the Cascio siblings and the Michael Jackson estate to address the substance and enforceability of their agreement through arbitration instead of a public federal trial.
