Michael Jackson's accusers Wade Robson, James Safechuck seek access to singer's nude pics ahead of trial

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Michael Jackson’s nude photos from police records lie in the predicament of getting unsealed after sex abuse accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck filed a civil lawsuit against the late King of Pop’s production company.

Robson, 41, and Safechuck, 46, who previously accused Michael Jackson of abusing them as children, are now suing the former staff members of the singer’s production company by calling out their incapability to prevent the alleged abuse. 

Following the recent lawsuit, the ‘Thriller’ singer’s production company is now trying to block the accusers from accessing the private records that contain Jackson’s nude photos and images of his genitalia.

Michael Jackson's production company seeks to block requests

Per the court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the company MJJ Productions, which is currently owned by the ‘Dangerous’ singer’s estate, is asking the court to deny Robson and Safechuck’s request to obtain access to the private police documents.

In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, April 3, the company revealed that they believe Robson and Safechuck are looking to access "photographs of Michael Jackson’s genitalia and naked body taken by police."

They further stated in the document that "these images are sealed by a court-entered protective order from the Santa Barbara Superior Court."

The suit continued, "Beyond the invasion of privacy issues, the available records indicate the photographs Plaintiffs now seek are also subject to a strict protective order agreed to by Michael Jackson and Santa Barbara law enforcement and entered by the Santa Barbara Superior Court.”

The photographs were taken in 2005 during a probe against the ‘Rock With You’ crooner. 

The attorneys for the company argued that "the photographs Plaintiffs seek were not taken willingly by Mr. Jackson; they were the result of a court-ordered search based on a false statement in what became a discredited criminal investigation."

"To allow Plaintiffs to exploit that series of circumstances to their benefit by obtaining those photographs now adds a second defilement to the first,” added the lawyers.

The attorneys for the company further highlighted that multiple subpoenas requested by Robson and Safechuck since July 2018 have also been "quashed."

Wade Robson and James Safechuck’s accusations

Both Robson and Safechuck appeared in the controversial HBO documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ in 2019, where they claimed they were abused by Jackson when they were young children. 

While Robson alleged he was subjected to abuse from 1990 to 1996, starting from his eighth year, Safechuck claimed he was abused from 1988 to 1992 starting when he was around 11.

Previously, when the pop star was charged and accused of molestation, Robson testified in court in support of Jackson.

After the ‘Heaven Can Wait’ singer’s death in 2009, Robson - who is now a choreographer and director - praised MJ and said, “His music, his movement, his personal words of inspiration and encouragement, and his unconditional love will live inside of me forever," per Daily Mail.

However, in 2013, Robson made a sharp U-turn and filed a lawsuit against Jackson’s estate where he claimed that he defended the singer owing to “complete manipulation and brainwashing.” 

In 2014, Safechuck filed a similar case and accused the estate of negligence, breach of duty, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

However, both the lawsuits were dismissed as the suits missed the statute of limitations as California previously required the accusers to file their complaints before they turned 26. Robson and Safechuck were 30 and 36 respectively during their filings.

After California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law allowing child abuse survivors to file complaints even later in life, Robson and Safechuck filed a lawsuit against the company again, only to be dismissed in April 2021. 

This time, the court cited the production company was not liable for ensuring the safety of the children and preventing them from molestation. 

Another attorney for Robson and Safechuck, Vince Finaldi, appealed the decision in an attempt to restore the lawsuits.

In August 2023, they, however, won the right to continue with the lawsuits. The judge ruled this time that the companies can perform the duty of protecting the victims, even though they are owned by the alleged abuser.

In turn, the judge asked them to prove they were sexually abused by Jackson and that his former staffers were complicit in the alleged abuse.

After the court allowed both the accusers to fight their case together in a ruling in February 2024, Jonathan Steinsapir, attorney for the Estate of Michael Jackson, said in a statement, "We are disappointed with the Court's decision.”

Steinsapir continued, “Two distinguished trial judges repeatedly dismissed these cases on numerous occasions over the last decade because the law required it. We remain fully confident that Michael is innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration, and which were only first made years after Michael’s death.”

“We trust that the truth will ultimately prevail with Michael’s vindication yet again. Michael Jackson himself said, ‘Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons,'" continued the lawyer.

A source close to the estate also told PEOPLE, "The Estate will likely ask the California Supreme Court to review the decision, and a settlement is not on the table."

More on the lawsuit

Another lawyer for Robson and Safechuck, John Carpenter shared that their aim is to go to trial early next year, before the April 2025 release of the Antoine Fuqua-directed Michael biopic, which they believe will show the pop star in a flattering light.

Carpenter told Rolling Stone in an interview, “They want the Michael Jackson biopic to come out before the trial. That’s what I think.”

The lawyer continued, “These corporations that facilitated the abuse in the first place, they’re rewriting the history.”

However, an attorney for the singer’s companies said that her clients "plan to waive a three-year speedy trial rule because she believes the case won’t be ready for jurors until after December 2026."

Carpenter also said, “They were both children being abused at the same time, so there's a heavy overlap. With respect to the injuries, that's where the evidence is different. But liability is the same. These were two boys who were molested."