Michael Jackson Fans Commemorate 15th Anniversary Of His Child Molestation Acquittal With #MichaelJacksonVindicated

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson Fans Commemorate 15th Anniversary Of His Child Molestation Acquittal With #MichaelJacksonVindicated

On June 13, 2005, superstar singer and performer Michael Jackson was acquitted by a jury in Santa Maria, California of all 10 counts of child molestation against him. 15 years later, supporters of the late musician globally known as the King of Pop have taken to social media to celebrate and remember the occasion with the hashtag #MichaelJacksonVindicated.

The criminal case and subsequent trial, formally known as The People of the State of California v. Michael Joseph Jackson, was brought against Michael Jackson as a result of allegations of child molestation of Gavin Arvizo at the sprawling Neverland Valley Ranch in Los Olivos, California when Gavin Arvizo was thirteen years old. The charges against Michael Jackson included conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction, attempted child molestation, as well as four counts of intoxicating a minor for the purpose of molestation. Although Jackson was acquitted by a jury of his peers, his career and public opinion of him never recovered prior to his death just four years later on June 25, 2009.

Michael Jackson

In January, a new case against related to the allegation has emerged after a change in California law stating that alleged assault victims can file lawsuits before their 40th birthday. However, Howard Weitzman, legal counsel for the Estate of Michael Jackson advised in a statement that previously-filed lawsuits filed by James Safechuck and Wade Robson accusing Jackson of sexual misconduct had not been revived due to their 2016 dismissal due to their admission of perjury, but there were now claims against Michael’s companies, MJJ Ventures, and MJJ Productions:

The Court of Appeal’s ruling merely revived lawsuits against Michael Jackson’s companies, which absurdly claim that Michael’s employees are somehow responsible for sexual abuse that never happened. The ruling was the result of a change in the law signed by Governor Newsom that extends the time for genuine victims to file claims. The Court of Appeal specifically did not address the truth of these false allegations, and we are confident that both lawsuits will be dismissed and that Michael Jackson will be vindicated once again.

Despite all of this, supporters of the multiple Grammy-winning singer and sometimes actor have taken to Twitter to remind the public that their hero had been proven not guilty.

What are your thoughts on the trending #MichaelJacksonVindicated hashtag? Tell us in the comments!