[123][161] However, Jordan Chandler had left the country to avoid testifying.
He said that he eventually became unconscious and had to be fed intravenously.
[41] A number of Jackson's former employees—most of whom had worked at Neverland—sold stories which alleged prior sexual misconduct on Jackson's part, instead of reporting their claims to police. [68], According to Chris Cadman, Jackson met Lisa Marie Presley around May 26, 1974, during a Jackson 5 engagement in Lake Tahoe. Last week, a former Jackson employee confidently misidentified the boys. [135][136] According to a 1994 report by Variety, a source in contact with the grand juries said that none of the witnesses had produced anything to directly implicate Jackson.
"[74] On November 23, Fields resigned from the case. He was barely able to function adequately on an intellectual level.
[9], On December 20, 1993, investigators for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and the LAPD issued Jackson with a warrant for a strip search, as police wanted to verify Jordan's description of Jackson's private anatomy.
Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. He proposed to her over the phone in late 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it? [15] These trips interfered with Jordan's scheduled visits with his father, with Jordan preferring to visit Neverland Ranch.[16]. [1] Their friendship became so close that the National Enquirer ran a featured story with the title "Michael's New Adopted Family".
[103] The lawsuit claimed that Jackson had committed sexual battery, seduction, willful misconduct, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud and negligence.
[5][6][7][citation needed] On August 17, over a three-hour session, Jordan told Abrams he had been abused by Jackson that went on for several months, which included kissing, masturbation and oral sex. [83][84] The police were looking for discoloration, any signs of vitiligo that Jordan had spoken about, or any other skin disorder.
[69][38] In November 1992, Jackson was reconnected with Presley through a mutual friend, and they talked almost every day by telephone.
"[122] Jackson explained why he had settled: "I wanted to go on with my life.
June Chandler initially told police that she did not believe Jackson molested her son, however her position wavered a few days later. He said the group thought of Jackson as "one of us" and they insisted that the relationship between Jordan and Jackson was romantic. She was previously married to Evan Chandler.
A few weeks later, Jackson's legal team gave a counter-offer of $1 million, declined by Chandler who then requested $15 million. [35][36] Gary Hearne, Jackson's chauffeur, testified in his deposition to driving Jackson to Jordan Chandler's house at night, and collecting Jackson in the morning for a period of about thirty days. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever ... Michael's career will be over.
I ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me.
My decision. [94], On January 4, 1994, Larry Feldman filed a court motion in an effort to obtain the police photographs of Jackson. [13][14], According to the case files, Jordan Chandler first met Jackson in February 1993 when Jackson's car broke down and he sought help from Jordan's stepfather David Schwartz, who ran a rental car company. [10][11], On August 24, 1993, as the third leg of Jackson's Dangerous World Tour began, news of the allegations broke to the public and received worldwide media attention.
We tried to keep it as much in-house as we could. One wonders what will happen now that June Chandler has correctly identified pictures of her son and the Australian boy, which were shown on an overhead projector in the courtroom.
She is married to Dave Schwartz. trial in which Jackson was found not guilty, "1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson", "Case Files: Boy Says Jackson Molested Him", "A timeline of all the allegations against Michael Jackson", "Michael Jackson Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: A Timeline", "Jackson's Accuser Details Sexual Allegations", "What We Know About Michael Jackson's History of Sexual Abuse Accusations", "Michael Jackson: father of Jordan Chandler shoots himself dead", "Full Transcript of Taped Phone Conversation between Evan Chandler and David Schwartz", "TAPE AIRED TO BACK CLAIMS OF EXTORTION ATTEMPT", "The tragedy of Michael Jackson's 'lost boy': Whatever happened to Jordan Chandler? [46] Another investigation source said, "There's no medical evidence, no taped evidence. Further, acts of sexual activity, especially those against a minor, are inherently intentional, wrongful and harmful.
She is married to Dave Schwartz.
][147] In 1996, Evan Chandler sued Jackson for around $60 million, claiming Jackson had breached an agreement never to discuss the case. [138] The amendment, introduced into the state assembly in February, would have immediately allowed Garcetti to compel Jordan Chandler's testimony. Johnnie Cochran and Howard Weitzman, attorneys representing Jackson, argued that investigators were trying to use the suit to advance their criminal investigation, a technique that should not be allowed. After the report was broadcast, Jackson announced he would sue members of the media who "spread vicious lies and rumors about me in their attempts to make money, benefit their careers, sell papers or get viewers to watch their programs." "[114], In February 1994, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury convened to assess whether criminal charges should be filed. With both sides unable to reach an agreement, Chandler decided to take the matter to court. My life.
[124] In 1994, Larry Feldman said "nobody bought anybody's silence" with the civil settlement.
But if this is what I have to endure to prove my innocence, my complete innocence, so be it.
[148] On November 5, 2009, fourteen weeks after Jackson's death, Evan Chandler was found dead following an apparent suicide. [159], The People v. Jackson trial began in Santa Maria, California, on January 31, 2005. When Jackson arrived at the airport, he had to be held up. Chandler's mother, June, appeared at Jackson's 2005 trial and gave contradictory testimony, claiming to be unable to remember the bulk of the 1993 case. Too many people had already been hurt. No charges have been filed", "Police Say Seized Tapes Do Not Incriminate Jackson : Investigation: Officials continue to interview children in connection with molestation allegations", "Lawyer Allred calls for 'truth' in Jackson story", "Jackson back, maid says she quit in 'disgust, "Michael Jackson's guards say they've been threatened", "Sister Says She Believes He Is a Molester: 'This has been going on since 1981, and it's not just one child,' LaToya tells reporters in Tel Aviv", "La Toya: Charges Are True: Family Says Jackson Never Molested Kids", "Jackson: A Quarter-Century Of Sexual Abuse Allegations", https://abcnews.go.com/2020/MichaelJackson/la-toya-jackson-life-michael-jackson-barbara-walters/story?id=8541838, "Warrant allows a strip-search of Jackson", "Jackson 'Barely Able to Function,' His Lawyer Says", "Michael Jackson Gives First Live Interview to Oprah Winfrey", "The Michael Jackson denial of child sexual abuse carried live around the world", "Michael Jackson sings of D.A. [95] Jackson's lawyers asked a Santa Barbara County judge to order prosecutors to return the nude photographs, fearing they would become public, but were denied.[96]. ...acts of sexual activity do not constitute [accidental] bodily injury. It was a big bed." They would also take trips to Las Vegas and Florida. [137], A week after the settlement in January 1994, L.A. District Attorney Garcetti announced that he supported amending a law that prohibited sexual assault victims from being compelled to testify in criminal proceedings. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions.
[22], On February 10, 1993,[81] ten months before the search, Jackson had revealed in a televised interview that he had vitiligo, a skin disorder that destroys skin pigmentation and creates blotches. Instead of reporting this alleged event to the police, he sold the story to Hard Copy for $150,000.
Lisa D. Campbell reported that Francia had been fired in 1991 and had sold her story to Hard Copy for $20,000. She also said she never witnessed any molestation. It's my talent. So in those circumstances, journalists know more about what happened than the police do. [8] His credentials with the Board of Dental Examiners indicated that he was restricted by law to administering drugs solely for dental-related procedures, but he had not adhered to those restrictions.
Jackson canceled the remainder of the tour citing health problems arising from the scandal.
[25] Chandler had made his settlement demand in early August 1993, and the Jackson camp had filed extortion charges against the Chandler camp in late August.
[102], On September 14, 1993, Jordan Chandler and his parents filed a lawsuit[note 1] against Jackson. [73], Jackson took painkillers for his scalp surgeries, administered due to the Pepsi commercial accident in 1984, and became dependent on them to deal with the stress of the allegations.