A shocking new lawsuit has been filed against the Michael Jackson Estate, accusing the late pop icon of grooming, manipulating, and sexually abusing multiple members of a New Jersey family he once called his “second family.”
The plaintiffs — the Cascio family — were among Jackson’s closest companions for more than two decades. The family patriarch, Dominic Cascio, first met Jackson back in the 1980s while managing a hotel in New York City. What began as a casual friendship quickly turned into something much deeper, with Jackson reportedly becoming an almost permanent fixture in their lives.
According to court filings obtained by reporters, the singer spent extensive time with Dominic, his wife, and their five children. He frequently joined the family for dinners, shopping trips, and vacations — and often invited the kids to stay with him at his Neverland Ranch. The children, who grew up idolizing the star, would often dress like him and mimic his signature style and mannerisms.
Over time, Jackson became a mentor and father figure to the Cascio kids, especially Frank Cascio, who went on to work as Jackson’s personal assistant during his later career. Frank publicly defended Jackson for years — even authoring a 2011 book titled My Friend Michael, where he described the singer as a generous and misunderstood man.
But now, decades later, the family’s tone has drastically changed. In their newly filed lawsuit, the Cascios allege that Jackson’s relationship with them was far from innocent. The legal documents accuse Jackson of “systematically manipulating, grooming, and sexually abusing all five siblings” over a span of more than 20 years — from the 1980s through the late 2000s. The filing reportedly describes hundreds of incidents involving sexual misconduct and psychological manipulation.
The lawsuit also claims that the Jackson Estate attempted to keep the family silent. The Cascios allege that in 2020, representatives for the estate offered them a secret multimillion-dollar settlement in an effort to prevent them from speaking publicly or pursuing legal action.
Perhaps most strikingly, Frank Cascio himself is now among the accusers. Once one of Jackson’s most vocal defenders, he now claims he was “brainwashed” into protecting the star and downplaying what truly happened.
Neither the Jackson Estate nor its representatives have publicly responded to the new lawsuit as of now.
If the claims prove true, this case could reopen one of the most painful and controversial chapters in the pop legend’s legacy — a legacy that has already been the subject of years of lawsuits, denials, and documentaries surrounding allegations of child sexual abuse.
