Images of a topless boy seated on Michael Jackson's lap have been released as a new child sexual assault lawsuit is filed against the late singer.
Last month, a federal lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles court by the Cascio siblings - brothers Edward, Dominic and Aldo and their sister Marie-Nicole - alleged the 'Beat It' singer was a 'serial child predator'.
According to court documents shared by NBC News, Jackson is accused of abuse by each of the four children, who claim that 'over the course of more than a decade, [he] drugged, raped and sexually assaulted each of the plaintiffs'.
Dominic has also spoken to MailOnline about his alleged abuse, as well as sharing a series of images of himself with the late singer.
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This isn't the first time Jackson has been accused of child abuse before he died in 2009, with the singer facing sexual abuse charges in 1993, which never went to trial, and in 2005, in which he was ultimately acquitted.
In one photograph, a shirtless Dominic, then nine years old, is seen staring uncomfortably into the camera while sitting on Jackson's lap. In another, he is sitting on the singer's lap during a 1996 trip to Brazil.
"I feel sorrow, because I know the child in that picture had seen and experienced things that no child should ever have to go through," Dominic, now 45, told the outlet.
"I feel anger, because, having children myself, I can't handle thinking of anyone possibly doing something like this to them," he continued.
"Ruining their childhood, taking from them that carefree innocence. I feel helplessness because every day I have to work on overcoming the consequences that stem from something I had no choice on, and because I was truly so deceived and scared, that telling anyone who possibly could have helped didn't seem like an option."
In a third image shared with the outlet, a fully clothed Jackson is seen holding Dominic's brother Aldo, who is wearing just a pair of red and blue underpants, while others show the entire family having lunch with the singer.
Court documents state that the Casico siblings came into contact with Jackson through their father, who worked at a hotel which Jackson was a frequent guest at.
The Casico family would remain a part of Jackson's inner circle for years, with the siblings even staying at his Neverland Ranch without their parents.
The claims made by the Casico siblings have since been denied by the Jackson estate, with representative Martin Singer calling the lawsuit a 'desperate money grab' and extortion.
"This new court filing is a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and companies," he said in a statement, pointing to numerous instances in which the siblings had previously claimed Jackson had not abused them.
Meanwhile, the siblings' attorney Howard King claimed the new lawsuit was the result of the Casicos only just becoming conscious that 'Jackson's abuse was wrong and had severely damaged them'.
He went on to claim the siblings were 'deprogrammed' in the aftermath of the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, and 'became conscious of the reality' of the alleged abuse.
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.
Topics: Michael Jackson, US News, Music
Brenna Cooper