The documentary on Michael Jackson continues to raise controversy. It is now fan associations that summon the witnesses of Leaving Neverland to justice.
Since its preview presentation at the Sundance festival and pending its upcoming broadcast on M6 on March 21, Leaving Neverland has caused a lot of ink to flow. Dan Reed’s documentary features the two witnesses Wade J. Robson and Jimmy Safechuck who had cleared Michael Jackson during his sexual assault trial in 2005 and who are now reconsidering their testimony.
The Michael Jackson Community, MJ Street and On the line associations have decided to take legal action once morest the two men. They “seek to discredit the accusations of pedophilia” and want “a conviction in principle” communicated their lawyer, Maître Emmanuel Ludot to AFP. The associations are each claiming 1 symbolic euro in damages and 10,000 euros in legal costs.
The text of the summons left last Thursday by bailiff in California and stipulates that Robson and Safechuck “engaged in a serious and characterized attack on the memory of a dead person”. The question of the presumption of innocence is raised, according to the lawyer of the three associations: “The image of the deceased is affected, as is the entire community of fans of Michael Jackson”. Since the broadcast of the documentary, radio stations have indeed decided not to broadcast songs from the king of pop.
The two witnesses are expected on July 4 at the Orleans court at 9:00 a.m.
In 2004, Master Emmanuel Ludot had already distinguished himself by having the doctor of the pop idol condemned to one euro in damages by the court of Orleans. He then represented fans of the singer.
The documentary will be broadcast on M6 this Thursday, March 21.
