Neverland Ranch, the California home of late superstar Michael Jackson and locus of child sex allegations against him, is up for sale just as a new sex claim against the singer has reached the courts.
James Safechuck, 36, charged in court papers that starting 26 years ago Jackson molested him repeatedly over a four-year period, beginning in Paris when Jackson was on his "Bad" tour in 1988,
reported TMZ.
An attorney for Jackson's estate, Howard Weitzman, said Safechuck has given sworn testimony in the past that Jackson had never touched him inappropriately, according to TMZ. Weitzman also told the celebrity website that the lawsuit is being filed well beyond the 20-year statute of limitations.
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Safechuck, in his court filling, claimed that Jackson used code words and signs for when he wanted to have sex with him and once held a mock wedding ceremony for the two of them complete with a wedding ring and marriage certificate, according to TMZ.
The document went on to charge that when Jackson found out that Safechuck had a crush on pop star Sheryl Crow, who at the time was one of Jackson's backup singers, the star got jealous and showed him unflattering pictures of Crow without makeup.
Safechuck charged in his lawsuit that the abuse stopped when he reached puberty.
"Mr. Safechuck's request to file a late claim against the Jackson Estate so he can recover money from Michael's beneficiary will hopefully be rejected," Weitzman told
E! News in a statement this week.
"This is a person that made his claim five years after Michael died, more than 20 years after the incidents supposedly happened and has given sworn testimony that Michael never did anything inappropriate to him," Weitzman continued.
In the early 1990s,
Jackson was accused by Evan Chandler of molesting his then-13-year-old son, Jordan Chandler, after the boy told a psychiatrist and police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation, and oral sex. On Jan. 1, 1994, Jackson settled a civil suit out of court with the Chandler family for $22 million. Jordan Chandler refused to testify in the criminal proceedings.
At least five other boys have been alleged victims of Jackson, including "Home Alone" actor Macaulay Culkin,
according to The Telegraph. In 2005, Jackson was found not guilty of abusing Gavin Arvizo when the boy was 13, plying him with wine and conspiring to hold him and his family hostage,
according to the Huffington Post,
Meanwhile,
Forbes reported last week that Jackson's Neverland Ranch home in Los Olivos is being sold by Colony Capital.
According to Forbes, Colony Capital was the property's managing partner after Colony owner Tom Barrack signed a complex deal with Jackson to take over the $23 million note held by private equity fund Fortress in 2007.
"We are frustrated, bitterly disappointed and saddened that it has come to this," a Jackson estate representative told Forbes. "Sadly, Michael lost control of Neverland during his life as a result of advice from a former manager."
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