Washington

The company managing the legacy of late pop icon Michael Jackson has secured a legal victory after a judge ruled that a civil lawsuit accusing the singer of child sex trafficking must be resolved through private arbitration rather than in a public court.

According to reports, the case was filed by Frank Cascio and his siblings, who were former family friends of Jackson. The plaintiffs are seeking more than USD 200 million in damages, alleging they were victims of child sex trafficking by the pop star during the 1980s.

However, the court found that the Cascio family had previously entered into a settlement agreement with Jackson’s estate that required any disputes related to the agreement to be settled through private arbitration.

Based on that provision, the judge ordered the claims to be removed from the public court system and handled in a confidential arbitration process.

The decision is considered a major win for the entity managing Jackson’s estate because arbitration proceedings are conducted privately and avoid the publicity and complexity associated with open court trials and potential jury hearings.

The Cascio siblings have been involved in a long-running legal dispute with the estate over the matter. Earlier this year, they travelled to Los Angeles to attend a hearing connected to the case.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs, including Howard King and Mark Geragos, have argued that the Cascio family deserves the full damages they are seeking.

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On the other side, the estate’s lawyer Marty Singer has rejected the allegations, describing the lawsuit as a “desperate money grab.”