Michael Jackson Hit With New Lawsuit Alleging Abuse of Four Children

Another explosive Michael Jackson lawsuit just landed, and it comes from a family that long sat in his inner circle. The Cascio siblings — kids of Jackson associate Dominic Cascio — have filed new claims saying the singer repeatedly abused them when they were young. The twist: several of these same siblings publicly defended him years ago. Now they say that was part of the grooming.

Who is suing, and their connection to Jackson

Four of Dominic and Connie Cascio's five children have sued Jackson's estate, alleging the late star raped and molested them multiple times when they were minors. The Cascios were close with Jackson for years: Dominic managed a luxury hotel where Jackson often stayed, Jackson invited the family to Neverland Ranch, and he became a frequent guest at their New Jersey home.

Back in December 2010, three of the Cascio kids did an interview insisting they were never abused by Jackson. In a new report published Friday, April 24 by The New York Times, the siblings say that denial was not honest — they claim they were coached to shield Jackson and his reputation.

'We were brainwashed, we were groomed,' Eddie Cascio told the Times, saying Jackson taught them to always protect him because he was 'the biggest star in the world.'

What the lawsuit alleges

The filing claims all five siblings were molested as children, though one sibling is not named as a plaintiff for what the family's attorney told the Times were legal reasons. The alleged abuse spanned multiple settings: at Jackson's home, during tour stops, and on vacations.

Aldo Cascio says he was 7 when Jackson allegedly performed oral sex on him while they were in bed, and that sexual contact continued for years before he understood it was abuse. He says he never disclosed it until now and described his silence this way: 'I'm just going to live to die.' The suit also claims Jackson used code language — allegedly asking to go to 'Disneyland' — to signal sex, including just days before his death.

The estate's response

Jackson's estate, through attorney Marty Singer, is calling the new case a cash grab and points to the family's long record of defending Jackson. Singer says that members of the Cascio family are 'hopping on the bandwagon' alongside their brother Frank, who he says is already being sued in arbitration for civil extortion. He characterizes the new filing as 'forum-shopping' aimed at extracting 'hundreds of millions of dollars' from Jackson's estate and companies. The estate continues to vehemently deny all abuse allegations against Jackson.

The money and the backstory the Times reported

This part gets messy. According to the Times, the Cascio siblings told Jackson's estate about the alleged abuse years before filing the lawsuit. In 2020, the parties struck a deal: the Cascios would receive $16 million over five years. The siblings told the paper those payments stopped in 2025 after they sought more money.

Singer says that as the estate's finances improved, the Cascios — through different lawyers — threatened to go public with allegations that contradicted their earlier pro-Jackson statements unless they were paid massive sums. He claims attorney Howard King demanded $213 million last year; after King was replaced for a period by Mark Geragos, a new $40 million demand followed; then King returned, and now comes this lawsuit. Singer frames the whole thing as another attempt to profit off their ties to Jackson.

Context on Jackson and prior allegations

Michael Jackson died in 2009 at 50. He is survived by his three children: Prince (29), Paris (28), and Bigi (24). Over the years, Jackson faced numerous accusations of sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty in a 2005 criminal case and was acquitted on all counts. Since his death, his estate has repeatedly denied every new civil claim.

What to watch next

• The new lawsuit comes from four of the five Cascio siblings, even though all five now say they were abused. Their attorney says the fifth is out for legal reasons.
• The alleged abuse timeline includes incidents at Jackson's home, on tour, and on trips, with 'Disneyland' described as code for sex.
• Expect heavy scrutiny on the 2010 interview where some Cascios defended Jackson — they now say those denials were part of grooming.
• The 2020 agreement reported by the Times — $16 million over five years — and the alleged 2025 cutoff will be central to the estate's argument that this is all about money, and to the plaintiffs' argument about pressure and control.
• On the estate's side, Singer is already on offense, citing prior defense of Jackson by the family and detailing the $213 million and $40 million demands he says their lawyers made before this suit.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.