The five Cascio siblings, who for years defended Michael Jackson as his "second family," now say the pop star repeatedly sexually assaulted them as children and are suing his estate, according to court documents and interviews with The New York Times.
Four of the five siblings are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The fifth told The Times he was also abused but cannot join the suit for legal reasons.
In a 2010 Oprah Winfrey interview, the Cascio siblings – Eddie, Frank and Marie Nicole – were asked if there were "ever any improprieties" with Jackson. They responded in unison: "Never." More than 15 years later, they say that was a lie.
"We were brainwashed, we were groomed," said Eddie, now 43, adding that Jackson taught the siblings to be his "soldiers" – the front line of his defense.
Aldo, now 35, said he was around seven when Jackson began giving him oral sex. He said the abuse continued for years, and just days before Jackson died in 2009, the pop star requested they go to "Disneyland" – which Aldo described as a coded request for sex.
Marie Nicole Porte, now 37, said she was 12 the first time Jackson abused her inside her family home, where he stayed for months after the September 11 attacks. Dominic, 39, said he was on a trip to Euro Disney when he was about eight when Jackson began having them lie nude in bed together.
The siblings said they did not recognize what had happened to them was abuse until watching the 2019 documentary "Leaving Neverland," which contained allegations by two men who said Jackson molested them.
Marty Singer, a lawyer for the Jackson estate, characterized the lawsuit as "a desperate money grab," saying the family "staunchly defended Michael Jackson for more than 25 years, attesting to his innocence." He added: "This new court filing is a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars."
The estate paid the siblings about US$16 million over five years under a 2020 agreement, but payments ended in 2025. The siblings are now seeking additional compensation.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
