The Michael Jackson estate will face a huge new legal challenge against the backdrop of an unprecedented turn of events that sent shockwaves reverberating through the music business. Cascio family members, who for so long were some of the late singer’s closest and most loyal friends, have sued Jackson, claiming that Jackson led them through a tortured process of sex trafficking and sexual abuse that lasted nearly a decade.
The Allegations: A “Second Family” Breakage
The plaintiffs Edward Cascio, Dominic Cascio, Marie Porte, and Aldo Cascio were known for many years as Jackson’s “second family.” Their brother Frank Cascio was a longtime friend of the singer and wrote a book defending him in 2011. But this new filing presents a totally different picture of their relationship with the "King of Pop."
The lawsuit, filed at the end of February 2026, charges Jackson with using "force, fraud, and coercion" to shuttle the siblings across state and international lines. Allegations of abuse in vacations to Switzerland, Florida, South Africa, and the United Kingdom are described in the complaint. Arguably the most explosive allegation in the filing, the filing claims abuse took place at the private residences of other high-profile celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John, although neither star is accused of knowledge or wrongdoing in the suit.
”Drugged and Isolated.”
The Cascio siblings assert that Jackson exploited his celebrity and wealth to separate them from their parents and each other, they say. The lawsuit alleges they were “drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted” as they were groomed with expensive gifts and declarations of love.
They also argue that Jackson normalized the act by modeling inappropriate imagery for them that he allegedly called “sweet.” Initially, after the release of the Leaving Neverland documentary, the siblings were receiving approximately $690,000 a year from the estate, Howard King said, but now they think that figure was used to silence them. They are currently pursuing damages of up to $200 million.
The Estate Strikes Back
Michael Jackson Estate represented by a top-billed attorney, Marty Singer has vigorously denied every allegation in its filing, says the attorney. Singer put it even more bluntly, calling the lawsuit a "transparent forum-shopping tactic" and a "desperate money grab."
"The Cascio family has been a staunch defender of Michael Jackson for more than 25 years. Their own previous statements, as evidenced by dozens of passages in Frank Cascio’s book and interviews with Oprah Winfrey, directly contradict these new claims. That's just an effort to get hundreds of millions of dollars from an estate that still preserves Michael’s legacy.”
Shifting Legal Sands
The lawsuit now comes as the MJ estate is already fighting revived claims by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, for whom trials are due in 2026. The change in California law, which increased the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse survivors, has opened the door for these claims that have been made for many years to finally be heard in a court of law.
As the estate gears up for what might be its most challenging year in court since Jackson died in 2009, the world is left grappling with how to make peace with the legacy of a universal icon while grappling with these fresh accusations.
