The documentary movie Leaving Neverland managed to reignite the debate over the character and private intentions of the deceased King of Pop Michael Jackson, and it seems as though his legacy will be forever tainted in the minds of the public, thanks to the testimony of two men: Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck both alleged in Dan Reed's controversial documentary that they had been groomed and repeatedly sexually assaulted by the Thriller star, whom they argued was a manipulative and predatory pedophile.
Check out the trailer for Leaving Neverland below:Upon release, many Jackson fans were incensed by the movie's perceived bias, and the Jackson estate condemned the film as a "tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death."
Now, a group of fans have rallied together, with the intention of suing Robson and Safechuck for libel and defamation, the Metro reports.
Following the release of Leaving Neverland, footage was unearthed of Jackson buying an 'engagement ring' with a young boy:The fan communities MJ Street, The Michael Jackson Community, and On The Line, are claiming that the HBO documentary was a "genuine lynching" of Jackson’s reputation. The groups, led by French lawyer Emmanuel Ludot, are suing the men for a single euro ($1.13) each and the court case is said to be in New Orleans in July.
Not only this, but the Michael Jackson estate has also filed a $100million (£79million) lawsuit against Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed, who has so far stood by the allegations made by his film's subjects
Michael Jackson's family responds to Leaving Neverland:The movie's detractors were further incentivized when journalist and biographer Mike Smallcombe claimed that Safechuck's accounts of being molested in an upstairs room of a train station on Michael Jackson's Neverland estate were untrue, as the station was not built until two years after the abuse allegedly stopped. This forced Dan Reed to seemingly-backpedal, and make a U-turn on Safechuck's claims.