The successors of Michael Jackson have begun on Thursday legal action against the tv channel HBO is preparing to broadcast a documentary accusing the singer, who died in 2005, of having committed sexual abuse on two young boys. A complaint of 53 pages, filed with a court in Los Angeles, accuses HBO of violating an agreement of “non-bashing” that she would have signed in 1992, the lifetime of the King of pop, and is claiming up to 100 million dollars of damages and interests.

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Despite the legal action, the chain reiterated that it would circulate as expected the documentary, Leaving Neverland , presented recently at the Sundance film festival. “Michael Jackson is innocent. Point”, have written to the lawyers of the heirs in the complaint. “In 2005, Michael Jackson went to trial (…) and he was acquitted by the jury,” argues the document.
“Ten years after his death, there has yet to capitalize on its global success resounding and seek to exploit his eccentricities,” says the complaint filed by the two executors of the singer, at the head of the foundation managing the interests of his heirs.

the trailer for The documentary Living Neverland , directed by Dan Reed

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HBO wants to maintain the distribution

The documentary from HBO takes the testimony of two persons, today in their thirties, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claim to have been victims of sexual abuse by Michael Jackson when they were aged respectively seven and ten years. The two episodes of Leaving Neverland , inspired by the name of the ranch built by the artist in California, will be broadcast as expected on 3 and 4 march. “In spite of the desperate attempts to discredit the film, we do not change our plans,” said HBO in a statement sent to AFP.

“The broadcast will enable all spectators to judge for themselves of the conduct of our work”, says the chain. The complaint is said to be based on an agreement of “non-disparagement” that HBO would have signed in 1992 on the occasion of the retransmission of a concert of Michael Jackson in Bucharest. According to the complainants, this legal clause could prohibit, still today, to the string of damaging the reputation of the artist.

suspicions repeated pedophilia

Michael Jakson, who was told in a documentary to love to sleep – in all innocence according to him – with little boys, has been repeatedly accused of pedophilia. In 1993, a 13-year-old will complaint to touching. The matter was resolved informally, compared to $ 15 million. In 2005, Michael Jackson had passed the judgment in Santa Barbara for the abuses committed on another minor, but was acquitted.