Robson filed his case in 2013 and Safechuck in 2014. The surviving corporate claims concern MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, rather than a new criminal prosecution of Jackson. The first round of dismissals involved the deadline for bringing claims against third-party defendants. In January 2020 the appellate court applied California’s amended limitations law to their nonfinal cases and returned them for further proceedings. It expressly left the truth of the allegations undecided. [1]
There was another round of dismissals in 2020 and 2021. The companies argued they could not owe a protective duty against their sole owner because they could not control him. The August 2023 appellate opinion rejected sole ownership as an automatic escape from a corporation’s duty when it facilitates an employee’s alleged abuse. It reversed those judgments. [2]
That is a significant legal outcome, but the allegations still had to be proved. The estate continued to deny them; the plaintiffs welcomed the opportunity for a trial. AP also distinguishes the corporations from Jackson’s personal estate, which had previously been removed as a defendant in these cases. “They sued the estate” is therefore an imprecise shortcut. [3]
The two exaggerations are mirror images: “dismissed, so proved false” and “revived, so proved true.” A court can resolve deadlines or the existence of a legal duty without deciding whether the alleged act happened. These opinions must be read for the particular question each answered.