Michael Jackson pal Frank Cascio accused of shaking his estate down for $213m
Frank Cascio, 44, has apparently threatened to go public with claims against the singer which he never voiced while Jackson was alive.
In a petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Michael Jackson Company and estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain allege that Frank Cascio and unidentified associates are attempting what they describe as a 'civil extortion scheme,' leveraging the threat of sensational accusations to extract massive payouts.
9 The Cascio family with Michael Jackson (top left). Family patriach Dominic Cascio is center (with beard) and his eldest sons Frank and Eddie are pictured top right.
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9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio when he was a young child.
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For more than three decades, Cascio – whose father had struck up a friendship with Michael while working at a hotel in New York, leading the 'Beat It' superstar to become a regular visitor to his home and to refer to the Cascios as his second family – was among Jackson's most vocal defenders.
In dozens of public statements, TV interviews, and in his own 2011 book, 'My Friend Michael', Cascio praised Jackson in unequivocal terms. The star was twice accused of child abuse during his career, in 1993 and 2003, but settled the first case out of court and was acquitted in the second.
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'I want to be precise and clear, on the record, so that everyone can read and understand: Michael's love for children was innocent, and it was profoundly misunderstood,' Cascio wrote in the book. He added, 'In all the years that I was close to him, I saw nothing that raised any red flags, not as a child and not as an adult.'
Cascio also declared that Jackson had been the victim of false allegations: 'He was being attacked by liars… There was nothing ambiguous about the whole thing. These people were after Michael's money. But he was innocent, and we were going to destroy them in court.'
9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio (2nd from right) in London. After growing up with Michael around, Cascio eventually went to work for the star as a personal assistant.
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9 Frank Cascio in 2011 on 'Good Morning America.' Previously he has been very vocal in saying Jackson was completley innocent and never inappropriate around young people, as others have claimed.
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In a 2005 'ABC Primetime Live' interview, he said: 'If Michael ever laid a finger on me, I would not be in this chair right now.' When asked by Wendy Williams in 2011 if anything inappropriate ever occurred, he replied bluntly, 'Nothing at all. And that's what makes me so upset.'
The Cascio family appeared on 'Oprah' in 2009 after Jackson's death to talk about their close bond with the star, how they exchanged Christmas presents and how he even recorded songs in their home studio.
Cascio and his brothers insisted, 'never,' when asked if there had been any improprieties by host Oprah Winfrey. One of them explained, 'Michael was a target.'
According to the petition, that narrative changed in 2019 after the release of HBO's controversial 'Leaving Neverland' documentary, which featured detailed claims of child abuse against Michael by two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
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After that aired, Cascio and his representatives approached the estate seeking a deal to sell personal materials and consult on projects. The estate claims that discussions soon turned into threats, with demands for large sums in exchange for not going public with the allegations.
9 Jackson at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, held less than one week for the 9/11 terror attack.
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9 Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor at a 30th Anniversary Celebration held for him at Madison Square Garden in New York.
CPS/LFI
Estate representatives described an unusual meeting at the Sunset Marquis Hotel pool in Los Angeles, where Cascio's camp insisted participants wear only bathing suits 'so that [Jackson's] representatives could not wear a wire to record the conversation.'
In January 2020, the estate allegedly agreed to a confidential settlement to protect Jackson's family from further pain. The agreement included payments over five years, strict non-disparagement terms, and a clause requiring all disputes to be handled in private arbitration.
However, in July 2024, Cascio's attorney allegedly demanded an additional $213 million, threatening to 'expand the circle of knowledge' to harm the estate's business dealings. According to the lawsuit, in August his lawyer warned that if no payment was made, they would share their claims with the buyer of Jackson's valuable music catalog, the estate claims.
9 Prince Jackson (left), Paris Jackson (center) and Bigi Jackson aka Blanket Jackson (right) at a red carpet opening in 2024.
Alan Chapman/9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio in an undated picture.
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9 Michael Jackson at a press conference announcing his 'This Is It' London residency in 2009. However he died during rehearsals fro the concert series of acute Propofol intoxication.
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It is not clear what klind of claims Cascio was threatening to make against Jackson or the estate.
When the estate refused, lawyers delivered draft lawsuits containing accusations directly contradicting Cascio's prior statements. The estate quickly initiated arbitration in September 2024, citing breach of contract and civil extortion.
Executors say they won't be intimidated into paying. 'Attempts like this to tarnish Michael's memory for financial gain will not succeed,' Branca said.
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Adding another twist, Cascio switched lawyers to Mark Geragos, who had previously defended Jackson on national TV and in his 2013 book 'Mistrial,' declaring Jackson '100 percent innocent.' The estate says Geragos reduced the demand to $44 million but threatened to file a public lawsuit alleging defamation and emotional distress.
The petition asks the court to compel arbitration and block any lawsuit, citing the settlement's clause: 'The question of arbitrability is itself a question to be resolved finally by the arbitrator.'
Efforts to reach Cascio and his attorney for comment were unsuccessful.
Jackson is currently the world's highest grossing dead celebrity, with his estate selling half of the rights to his music catalogue to Sony in 2024 for $600 million.
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