Siblings suing Michael Jackson’s estate claim they were ‘brainwashed’ to defend him from abuse allegations

BreAnna BellSat, April 25, 2026 at 1:49 AM UTC

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Siblings suing Michael Jackson's estate claim they were 'brainwashed' to defend him from abuse allegations

Four of the five Cascio siblings, who are accusing Michael Jackson of child sex trafficking and abuse in a new lawsuit, claim they were trained to be his “soldiers” and defend him against other abuse allegations.

“We were brainwashed, we were groomed,” Eddie Cascio claimed to the New York Times in a joint interview with his siblings published on Friday.

He alleged that Jackson — whom he referred to as “the biggest star in the world” — taught them to stick beside him when the allegations arose publicly.

Four of the five Cascio siblings accusing Michael Jackson (pictured above leaving the Santa Barbara County courthouse in 2005) of child sex trafficking and abuse in a new lawsuit now claim they were “brainwashed” to defend the singer against previous abuse allegations. Getty Images

Eddie Cascio claimed to the the outlet that Jackson, whom he called “the biggest star in the world” trained he and his siblings to be his “soldiers.” Michael Ochs Archives

Eddie’s comments come as he and his siblings — Aldo, Dominic and Marie Nicole — addressed their previous claims that the King of Pop was “never” inappropriate with them during their time with him.

Frank Cascio — the only Cascio sibling who did not join in on the lawsuit due to legal reasons — published a book in 2011 titled “My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man,” in which he claims that the “Billie Jean” hitmaker never made inappropriate advances toward him or his family.

After Jackson’s 2009 death, Eddie, Frank, and Marie Nicole also sat for an interview with Oprah where they staunchly denied that the late pop star had ever touched them. At one point in their chat, Eddie even claimed that the famous family friend “was a target.”

“He made us feel like he was everything: a friend, father, like every sort of emotional support,” Eddie told the Times. “And he was.”

“He made us feel like he was everything: a friend, father, like every sort of emotional support,” Eddie said of his relationship to the pop star. Getty Images

The Cascio family has previously made public comments defending Jackson against claims of abuse from others on several occasions. Getty Images

When reached for comment, Marty Singer, the attorney for Jackson’s estate directed Page Six to the attorney’s previous statement calling the Cascios’ February 2026 lawsuit a “desperate money grab.”

“This lawsuit is a desperate money grab by additional members of the Cascio family who have hopped on the bandwagon with their brother Frank, who is already being sued in arbitration for civil extortion,” Singer said.

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“The family staunchly defended Michael Jackson for more than 25 years, attesting to his innocence of inappropriate conduct. This new court filing is a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and companies.”

While some of the siblings claim they knew parts of their relationship with Jackson was wrong, others claimed they didn’t realize they had experienced abuse at Jackson’s hands until they watched HBO’s 2019 documentary, “Leaving Neverland,” which detailed the allegations made by two men about who claimed Jackson molested them.

However, some of the siblings say they got a wake up call after watching HBO’s 2019 documentary, “Leaving Neverland.” Getty Images

The siblings then filed a suit against Jackson’s estate, and in 2020 were awarded $16 million in a settlement agreement. Getty Images

The documentary reportedly served as the impetus that led the four siblings to file a lawsuit against Jackson’s estate. In 2020, they reached an agreement that awarded them $16 million in total which was distributed over the course of five years.

After the payments ended and negotiations over additional compensation reportedly became strained, Frank, Marie Nicole, and Aldo filed another complaint in November 2025, accusing the late Grammy winner’s estate of coercion, deception and betrayal in attempting to silence their claims of abuse.

In their February 2026 lawsuit — in which Eddie, Dominic, Marie-Nicole Porte and Aldo Cascio claim Jackson “drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted” each of them — the family said they were introduced to the music legend through their father, Dominic, who worked for the luxurious Manhattan hotel where Jackson liked to stay.

The Cascios claimed that Jackson “insinuated” himself into their lives, showered them with “lavish gifts,” “obsessive attention” and “access to his celebrity lifestyle” before the abuse began.

After the payments from their 2020 settlement ended in 2025, Eddie, Marie-Nicole, Dominic, and Aldo Cascio filed a lawsuit in February 2026 accusing Jackson of child sex trafficking and abuse. Getty Images

Marty Singer, an attorney for Jackson’s estate, previously slammed the Cascios’ lawsuit calling it a “desparate money grab.” Getty Images

“He plied them with drugs and alcohol. He showed them pornography, including pictures of unclothed children, to normalize the abuse and desensitize them,” per the docs.

“He made them fear and distrust others by convincing them that not only his life, but also their lives and the lives of their family members, would be destroyed if anyone found out what he was doing to them.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”