A judge has dismissed the lawsuit against one of the boys in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, who alleged that Michael Jackson abused him as a child.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young found that James Safechuck could not sue the two corporations that Michael Jackson owned, MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc.
Young said that Safechuck’s lawsuit did not prove that he had a relationship with the corporations, which would have required them to protect him from Jackson.
Since the filing in 2013, Safechuck has had his case thrown out twice. In 2017, a judge dismissed the case, but the appeals court revived it earlier this year after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law giving those who allege childhood sexual abuse a longer time to file lawsuits.
In a similar lawsuit, Safechucks fellow accuser, Wade Robson, had his case revived by the appeals court, and it still remains alive today.
The Jackson estate has adamantly and repeatedly denied that he abused either of the boys, and it is suing HBO over Leaving Neverland.
The Associated Press does not typically name victims of sexual abuse. But Robson and Safechuck have repeatedly come forward and approved of the use of their names and faces.
