Siblings suing Michael Jackson’s estate claim they were ‘brainwashed’ to defend him from abuse allegations

Four of nan 5 Cascio siblings, who are accusing Michael Jackson of kid activity trafficking and abuse successful a caller lawsuit, declare they were trained to beryllium his “soldiers” and take sides him against different maltreatment allegations.

“We were brainwashed, we were groomed,” Eddie Cascio claimed to nan New York Times successful a associated question and reply pinch his siblings published connected Friday.

He alleged that Jackson — whom he referred to arsenic “the biggest prima successful nan world” — taught them to instrumentality beside him erstwhile nan allegations arose publicly.

Eddie’s comments travel arsenic he and his siblings — Aldo, Dominic and Marie Nicole — addressed their erstwhile claims that nan King of Pop was “never” inappropriate pinch them during their clip pinch him.

Frank Cascio — nan only Cascio related who did not subordinate successful connected nan suit owed to ineligible reasons — published a book successful 2011 titled “My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship pinch an Extraordinary Man,” in which he claims that nan “Billie Jean” hitmaker ne'er made inappropriate advances toward him aliases his family.

After Jackson’s 2009 death, Eddie, Frank, and Marie Nicole besides sat for an question and reply pinch Oprah wherever they staunchly denied that nan precocious popular prima had ever touched them. At 1 constituent successful their chat, Eddie moreover claimed that nan celebrated family friend “was a target.”

“He made america consciousness for illustration he was everything: a friend, father, for illustration each benignant of affectional support,” Eddie told nan Times. “And he was.”

When reached for comment, Marty Singer, nan lawyer for Jackson’s property directed Page Six to nan attorney’s erstwhile connection calling nan Cascios’ February 2026 suit a “desperate money grab.”

“This suit is simply a hopeless money drawback by further members of nan Cascio family who person hopped connected nan bandwagon pinch their relative Frank, who is already being sued successful arbitration for civilian extortion,” Singer said.

“The family staunchly defended Michael Jackson for much than 25 years, attesting to his innocence of inappropriate conduct. This caller tribunal filing is simply a transparent forum-shopping maneuver successful their strategy to get hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s property and companies.”

While immoderate of nan siblings declare they knew parts of their narration pinch Jackson was wrong, others claimed they didn’t recognize they had knowledgeable maltreatment astatine Jackson’s hands until they watched HBO’s 2019 documentary, “Leaving Neverland,” which elaborate nan allegations made by 2 men astir who claimed Jackson molested them.

The documentary reportedly served arsenic nan impetus that led nan 4 siblings to record a suit against Jackson’s estate. In 2020, they reached an statement that awarded them $16 cardinal successful full which was distributed complete nan people of 5 years.

After nan payments ended and negotiations complete further compensation reportedly became strained, Frank, Marie Nicole, and Aldo revenge different title successful November 2025, accusing nan precocious Grammy winner’s property of coercion, deception and betrayal successful attempting to soundlessness their claims of abuse.

In their February 2026 suit — successful which Eddie, Dominic, Marie-Nicole Porte and Aldo Cascio declare Jackson “drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted” each of them — nan family said they were introduced to nan euphony fable done their father, Dominic, who worked for nan luxurious Manhattan edifice wherever Jackson liked to stay.

The Cascios claimed that Jackson “insinuated” himself into their lives, showered them pinch “lavish gifts,” “obsessive attention” and “access to his personage lifestyle” earlier nan maltreatment began.

“He plied them pinch narcotics and alcohol. He showed them pornography, including pictures of unclothed children, to normalize nan maltreatment and desensitize them,” per nan docs.

“He made them fearfulness and distrust others by convincing them that not only his life, but besides their lives and nan lives of their family members, would beryllium destroyed if anyone recovered retired what he was doing to them.”