Michael Jackson's estate claims sex-trafficking case is a 'shakedown'

Liza Esquibias, USA TODAY Fri, May 22, 2026 at 10:10 PM UTC

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Michael Jackson's estate is accusing the four Cascio siblings suing the estate for alleged child sex trafficking of extortion.

The late singer's estate filed a motion to keep the proceedings out of public court due to "a mandatory arbitration clause" in a 2020 settlement with the siblings, which "provides that all future disputes arising out of or related to the Agreement must be resolved in arbitration," according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.

The estate claims that Edward Cascio, Dominic Cascio, Marie-Nicole Porte and Aldo Cascio, who allege they were sexually abused by Jackson as children, engaged in a "shakedown" by demanding "payment of a staggering $213 Million" despite each of them receiving nearly $700,000 per year as part of the prior settlement.

The filing further alleges that the siblings and their attorney, Howard E. King, made an "extortionate threats" that they "would file a bogus public lawsuit containing outlandish accusations against Michael" if they were not paid the additional sum. When they filed the suit, which the estate claims is a "continuing shakedown," the siblings allegedly broke several conditions of the agreement.

Cascio siblings and their lawyer deny estate's allegations

King calls claims that he and the siblings made any threats "categorically false," per the filing, alleging that representatives for Jackson's estate reached out to them around April 2024 "to increase the estate's compensation." That is when their counsel "demanded compensation proportional to Jackson's crimes and the harm they caused," according to the complaint, filed in February and obtained by USA TODAY.

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The estate is pushing back, stating that publicly filing the suit allegedly violated the agreement's "binding and mandatory confidential arbitration provisions." They also state that the claims contradict "their prior statements supporting and defending Michael," as the Cascios used to refer to the Jacksons as their "second family" and long denied allegations of the artist's sexual misconduct in the past, including in a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Now, the siblings claim they were "groomed, brainwashed, and severely manipulated" by Jackson, according to their opposition to the estate's motion to keep the matter private.

Lawsuit seeks to revoke previous agreement on privacy

The siblings are seeking both monetary compensation and for the previous agreement to be revoked. They claim they were pressured to sign the agreement preventing them "from talking about the years of abuse they endured" under false pretenses, and King argues that it is "void and unconscionable."

Michael Jackson prepares to enter the Santa Barbara County Superior Court to hear the verdict read in his child molestation case June 13, 2005, in Santa Maria, California.

Jackson estate attorney Marty Singer addressed the lawsuit in a statement to USA TODAY on March 2, calling it a "desperate money grab by additional members of the Cascio family who have hopped on the bandwagon with their brother Frank, who is already being sued in arbitration for civil extortion."

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and Spanish via chat and at 800-656-4673

Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Edward Segarra, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Jackson estate pushes back against child sex-trafficking case

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