Leaving Neverland aired earlier this year, ahead of Michael Jackson's 10-year anniversary of his death. The docuseries brought back the age-old allegations of child molestation the pop star faced during his time on the planet. His estate and the singer's fans have been extremely vocal in expressing their disdain towards the docuseries including a pair of fangroups from France who've taken James Safechuck and Wade Robson to court over the allegations.
According to PageSix, The MJ Street and On The Line -- MJ fan groups from France -- appeared in court today where they made their arguments as to why the claims made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson in Leaving Neverland were out of pocket. The groups' lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot, compared the documentary to a "genuine lynching" -- a claim that's been made on numerous occasions ever since these allegations came to light.
What's strange about this whole lawsuit is that the two fan clubs are only looking for one euro each from Wade Robson and James Safechuck if the judge sides with their case. Clearly, they're not looking for monetary gain but apparently, just the bragging rights. The thing is the laws in France consider smearing a dead man's reputation as a criminal offense whereas U.K. and U.S. laws don't. Needless to say, Michael Jackson's estate is fully supportive of The MJ Street and On The Line's efforts against the accusers.
"The Estate is in full support of Mr. Ludot’s efforts on behalf of Michael and his beloved fans in France and across the globe that the truth shall ultimately prevail," co-executor of MJ's estate said. "We remain hopeful that a victory in France will soon fuel a movement in the United States to finally explore changes in the law to afford defamation protection for the deceased.”
The estate already took an L to HBO after filing a lawsuit against the company on claims of defamation.