A federal judge has tossed out a child sex trafficking lawsuit by four members of the Cascio family against the Michael Jackson estate.On Wednesday, August 12, US District Judge Hernan D. Vera, threw out the claims brought by Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole and Aldo Cascio against the King of Pop’s estate, ruling that under the terms of their 2019 settlement, all related disputes must be handled in confidential arbitration rather than in public court, Billboard reports.

Cascio siblings challenge 2019 settlement

The four siblings first publicly raised their allegations in 2019, following the release of HBO’s documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’, which featured allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson by Wade Robson and James Safechuck. At the time, the siblings said that watching the documentary caused them to reconsider their own experiences with Jackson.They subsequently reached a settlement with the Jackson estate in 2019, under which they received USD 3.5 million. The estate did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement.The siblings later sought to challenge that agreement, arguing that it was allegedly ‘invalid and unenforceable’ as they had been coerced into signing it. Now, in their latest lawsuit, the family has sought to pursue their allegations in federal court under applicable laws.The Jackson estate, however, argued that the claims were covered by the arbitration provision contained in the settlement agreement.

Judge upholds arbitration clause

As per the report, Judge Vera wrote in the ruling, “Although the allegations are horrific, the court is without discretion to do aught but enforce the language of the arbitration clause.”The plaintiffs, who previously described themselves as part of Jackson’s “second family”, had filed a lawsuit alleging that the late singer had sexually abused them during their childhood over a period spanning more than a decade.

Jackson estate deny allegations

Jackson’s estate has consistently denied the Cascio siblings’ allegations.In March, another California court directed a separate lawsuit involving their brother Frank Cascio to arbitration under the terms of the same 2019 settlement.Michael Jackson died in 2009. He faced allegations of child sexual abuse during his lifetime but was acquitted of all charges in a 2005 criminal trial. He had also reached a civil settlement with an earlier accuser in 1994 without admitting wrongdoing.