Michael Jackson's lawyer defends child sleepovers and talks paedophile rumours
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
After 17 years on from the death of the King of Pop legend, Michael Jackson, the slew of dark allegations made against him have resurfaced, with his former lawyer defending the late singer.
L. Londell McMillan, who was employed by Jackson as he fought against allegations of sexual molestation of minors, has come out to reveal his own thoughts on the matter.
The rumours had been levied against him for decades prior to his death on 25 June 2009, culminating in a huge trial.
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The lawyer, who was brought on to The Scoop with Paula Froelich for NewsNation to talk about Jackson’s latest biopic release, Michael, took the opportunity to explore the outcome as he spoke on the singer's and past legal trouble on 8 April.
At the start, it focused on Michael, as it has been reported film has already received backlash, particularly from Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed over the omission of various child abuse allegations.
Despite Jackson having stringently denied every allegation, they continued to be filed against them over the years.
Even now, with Jackson dead, his estate is facing a new lawsuit from the Cascio family, who claim Jackson repeatedly sexually assaulted them.
However, the singer’s former lawyer isn’t convinced that any of the rumours are true, despite there being around eight children who have claimed that Jackson either raped or assaulted them over the years.
“Do I think that Michael Jackson would harm a child? I personally do not,” McMillan said flatly. “And no one has actually pinned it and stuck that on him to this day.”
Even though his first allegation was in 1993, and the last one was in 2003, the 'Thriller' singer was never convicted.
A 2005 criminal trial of the People vs Jackson at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court turned up without any convictions, citing little evidence to back up the claims.
As part of the trial, it was brought to light that Jackson would have sleepovers with children at his Neverland Ranch in California, which included the likes of Macaulay Culkin, who has denied any wrongdoing committed by the singer during the evenings they were alone.
As for McMillan, he said it was a case of blurred boundaries for the singer, and not necessarily for nefarious reasons.
“He may not have just realised that some of the optics and some of what he was doing may lead him to the appearance of impropriety rather than doing anything that was not proper,” the lawyer said. “Like maybe a sleepover isn’t the right thing to do … when you’re Michael Jackson, or anyone ever, you’re an adult.”
Explaining that the allegations had not been ‘proven’ in a court of law, he went on to say that he ‘knew’ Jackson’s heart, which wasn’t one to harm children.
McMillan shared of his ranch, which was created with the likeness of a children’s amusement park: “At the time, it was part of Michael’s dream to always want to really create an amusement and a loving and playful atmosphere for young children.
“And I think his desire to want to provide so much for children kind of led to many of these allegations — that, quite frankly, I personally think are false, because I knew him and I knew his heart. He wasn’t the type of person I think that would want to hurt children.”
To this, people in the comments had mixed feelings.
While some thought McMillan presented a good case on behalf of his former client, others weren’t so welcome to the idea that he could be innocent.
A commenter wrote: “I'M SO GLAD THAT THIS INTERVIEW WAS DONE I KNOW THAT MICHAEL IS SUCH A GENTLE SOUL AND CANNOT DO SUCH THINGS THEY ACCUSED HIM OF MICHAEL IS THE G.O.A.T.”
Another said: “This chick sucks as a journalist and that lawyer talks too much and is a jive turkey. Media need to sit this out as the movie has done the talking.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
LADbible reached out to Michael Jackson's estate for comment.
Topics: Michael Jackson, Celebrity, Music
Britt Jones