Four members of the Cascio family have filed a federal child sex trafficking lawsuit against the estate of Michael Jackson.
The complaint was filed in Los Angeles on 27 February 2026 and targets the corporate entities that manage Jackson’s business affairs.
Long-Standing Family Connection
The plaintiffs, Frank, Dominic, Aldo, and Marie-Nicole Cascio, are from a New Jersey family once closely connected to Jackson. Their father, Dominic Cascio, met the singer in the 1980s while working at a hotel, beginning a long-term friendship.
Jackson frequently visited the family’s New Jersey home and publicly referred to them as his “second family”. Frank Cascio later worked as Jackson’s personal assistant.
Allegations Detailed in Filing
According to the lawsuit, the siblings were allegedly groomed over many years through wealth, attention, and celebrity influence.
They claim they were given alcohol and prescription medication, exposed to explicit material, and assaulted individually at multiple locations. These locations include Neverland Ranch, the family home in New Jersey, and international destinations connected to Jackson’s tours.
The filing describes Jackson as “a serial child predator who, over the course of more than a decade, drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted each of the plaintiffs.”
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and demands a federal court trial. It follows earlier efforts by the siblings to void a previous financial settlement they describe as unlawful.
Estate Denies Allegations
The estate has strongly denied the claims. In a statement issued through attorney Martin Singer, the allegations were described as “a desperate money grab by additional members of the Cascio family.”
The statement further asserts that the family publicly defended Jackson for more than 25 years and accuses the plaintiffs of attempting to secure “hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and companies.”
Background
Michael Jackson died at age 50 on 25 June 2009 in Los Angeles from an accidental overdose. He was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005 and settled a separate civil claim in 1994 while maintaining his innocence.
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