Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The long and bitter legal battle between two men who accuse the late pop icon Michael Jackson of childhood sexual abuse and the corporations that managed his empire is entering its most critical phase yet. Court documents obtained by TMZ and reported by multiple outlets confirm that James Safechuck, one of the two accusers at the center of the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, is scheduled to give a deposition under oath on Monday, September 14, 2026. His mother, Stephanie Safechuck, is scheduled to be questioned over two days on October 15 and 20. These depositions represent the first time the Safechucks will face formal, adversarial questioning in the civil litigation, and they signal that after years of motions, appeals, and procedural delays, the case is finally moving toward a trial.
At the heart of the litigation are allegations that Jackson sexually abused Safechuck and fellow accuser Wade Robson when they were minors. Both men are suing Jackson’s companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, claiming the businesses failed to protect them from the abuse. The legal strategy is not to sue Jackson’s estate for the abuse itself, which would face statute of limitations challenges, but rather to argue that the corporations that employed Jackson owed a duty of care to the children who were brought into his orbit. The companies have consistently denied the allegations, and Jackson was acquitted in his 2005 criminal trial on charges of child molestation. The allegations made by Safechuck and Robson have never been established as facts in a criminal conviction and remain disputed.
Stephanie Safechuck’s testimony is expected to be pivotal. She featured prominently in Leaving Neverland, where she described how Jackson became close to her family after meeting James during the filming of a Pepsi commercial when he was about nine years old. She recalled that Jackson’s attention felt like a “fairytale” and admitted that she and her husband became swept up in it. According to her account, they eventually allowed James to sleep in Jackson’s room, and James claims that is when the alleged abuse began. Stephanie said she later asked her son if anything inappropriate had happened, but he denied it at the time. Her deposition will give defence attorneys the opportunity to examine those statements, probe her memory of events that occurred decades ago, and test the consistency of her account against what she has said publicly over the years.
A deposition is not a trial. It takes place before a judge and jury are involved, usually with attorneys from both sides present, and the person being questioned gives testimony under oath. But what is said during a deposition can become extraordinarily important later. Attorneys can ask detailed questions about allegations, memories, timelines, previous statements, documents, and communications. If testimony given during a deposition later differs from statements made previously, those differences can become a central issue at trial. That is particularly significant in this case because the allegations date back decades and because Safechuck and Robson have already discussed their claims publicly on numerous occasions, including in Leaving Neverland. The defence will be looking for inconsistencies, while the plaintiffs’ legal team will seek to reinforce the credibility and consistency of their clients’ accounts.
The procedural history of the case has been long and tortuous. Safechuck initially filed his lawsuit in 2014. It was dismissed by a lower court, but in 2023, a California appeals court ruled that the case could proceed, reviving the litigation against Jackson’s companies. The appeals court held that corporations could potentially have a duty to protect children from abuse allegedly committed by their owner or employee. Robson’s case was similarly revived, and the two cases were subsequently consolidated. In June 2026, a California judge set February 14, 2028, as the trial date, after further delays in the long-running litigation. The forthcoming depositions form part of the continuing discovery process required before the case can proceed to trial.
For Safechuck, now 48, the deposition represents a moment of legal reckoning that has been years in the making. He will be required to answer questions concerning his allegations and the claims he has brought against Jackson’s companies. For his mother, the experience may prove even more emotionally fraught. She was a central figure in the period during which the alleged abuse occurred, and her testimony will be scrutinised for any discrepancies with her previous public statements. The Safechuck family’s relationship with Jackson was once the stuff of childhood dreams. Now, it is the subject of sworn testimony in a courtroom. The fairytale, as Stephanie Safechuck herself described it, has ended. What remains is the legal process, and the depositions on September 14, October 15, and October 20 will go a long way toward determining whether that process delivers justice or closure for either side.
The case continues to attract intense public interest, not only because of Jackson’s enduring legacy as one of the most famous entertainers in history but also because of the broader questions it raises about corporate responsibility and the protection of children. The outcome of the civil litigation will not put Jackson on trial; he died in 2009. But it will test whether the companies that managed his affairs can be held accountable for the alleged failures that allowed the abuse to occur. As the depositions approach, both sides are preparing for a legal battle that has already spanned more than a decade and shows no signs of resolving quietly. For Safechuck and his mother, the opportunity to tell their story under oath is the closest they may ever come to a day in court against the institutions that once enabled the man they accuse.
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