Choreographer Wade Robson, a key witness for the defense in Michael Jackson’s 2005 trial, has urged his lawyers to contact the FBI regarding “secret files” the agency purportedly possesses, showing that Jackson paid over $35 million to silence as many as 24 abuse victims.
Robson first met the iconic pop star as a child, and the dancer/choreographer played a major role in Jackson’s defense in 2005. He made statements under oath that suggested he was “unaware that Jackson possessed sexually explicit material,” that Jackson had “a sexual interest in women,” and that he had, “never seen anything that suggested pedophilia at Neverland.”
Now, Robson has changed his tune considerably. Claiming that he was the victim of systematic brainwashing — and that he was never paid a penny for his testimony, despite his assertion that Jackson spent in excess of $35 million hushing other victims — Robson filed civil suit against the estate of Michael Jackson on May 1.
Through his lawyers, Robson is now urging that the FBI release documents bearing case numbers CADCE MJ-02463 and CR 01046, items collected and assembled by former PI-to-the-stars Anthony Pellicano, now serving 15 years for wiretapping and racketeering, which were never turned over to the prosecution in the 2005 trial.
If brought to light, the documents in question could do much to bolster Robson’s case, which — given his adamant defense of Jackson in 2005 and the posthumous nature of his civil suit — might otherwise look like a cash grab. In fact, Howard Weitzman, attorney for Jackson’s estate, told E! News, “Mr. Robson’s claim is outrageous and pathetic. This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him. Now, nearly 4 years after Michael has passed, this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is.”
On the other hand, Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstien, said on behalf of his client: “Michael Jackson was a monster and in their hearts every normal person knows it. Wade Robson, in addition to being one of the most talented people on the planet, is one of the kindest, most gentle, decent and introspective human beings one will ever meet. He is the loving father of a young son and happily married. Last year, on a career trajectory that was off the charts, he collapsed under the stress and sexual trauma of what had happened to him for seven years as a child. The irony here is that we were the ones who filed under seal and still tried to keep it secret. Amidst all the accusations of a financial motive, no amount of damages is even listed in our papers. There are significant legal issues involved in this case that have the potential to impact lives beyond just our client. But the Jackson money machine, in which everyone is indeed financially motivated, is at it once again to keep the truth from coming out. This time it won’t work.”
Ultimately, with Jackson dead and his progeny in the news for other troubling reasons, nobody comes out of this looking honorable or good. Pellicano’s missing folio may shed some light on matters, but until the documents are unearthed (and although some Pellicano files on Jackson were discovered, the two pieces in question are still not public), this will likely be a drawn-out, ugly battle of implications and hearsay.
Kevin is the newly-appointed, first-ever Blog Editor for the University of Houston's campus newspaper, The Daily Cougar. He writes movie reviews, and totally abuses the early media-screening plus-one privileges by turning them into cheap, snooty dates whenever possible. He has what the literature refers to as, 'a bit of a gambling problem,' so don't make careless wagers with or at him, please.
