New sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson; four siblings allege late pop icon ‘brainwashed, assaulted’ them

The alleged victims gave an interview to The New York Times, bringing renewed attention to the lawsuit, which coincided with the release of the biopic Michael about Jackson's life. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by the Jackson estate and family, stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson's nephew, and has been described as having a record-breaking box-office start despite largely negative early critic reviews and positive audience reception. Representatives for the Jackson estate called the lawsuit a 'desperate money grab'.

The four siblings from New Jersey filed a civil lawsuit in February against the Michael Jackson estate, alleging that Jackson drugged, raped and sexually assaulted each of them during the 2000s while traveling on concert tours and at their family home, which he visited with his own children. The complaint names the Jackson estate, leaders John Branca and John McClain, and private investigator Herman Weisberg as defendants, and states that the children's parents were unaware of the abuse at the time. The siblings described Jackson as a serial child predator who groomed and brainwashed them over more than a decade, and said a large entourage willingly enabled the abuse.