Michael Jackson estate sues HBO over Leaving Neverland documentary
- By showing film that revives sex abuse claims, channel is in breach of non-disparagement agreements made with Jackson before his death, estate says
- Cable broadcaster says film’s TV premiere, in two instalments, on the channel next week will go ahead
The feud between Michael Jackson’s estate and HBO over the documentary Leaving Neverland escalated on Thursday, with the estate filing a lawsuit alleging that the cable channel is violating non-disparagement agreements it had made with the pop star before his death.
Jackson’s estate claims in its complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, that HBO and others associated with the documentary are engaging in “posthumous character assassination” of Jackson, who died in 2009. The estate is seeking non-confidential arbitration and damages that it said “could exceed US$100 million”.
Leaving Neverland debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The four-hour documentary generated considerable controversy by reviving claims from interview subjects Wade Robson and James Safechuck that Jackson sexually abused them when they were minors.
HBO, which is a division of AT&T-owned WarnerMedia, has scheduled the documentary to premiere in two instalments on March 3 and 4. The cable channel said on Thursday it would proceed with its plans to air the movie.
“Despite the desperate lengths taken to undermine the film, our plans remain unchanged,” HBO said. “This will allow everyone the opportunity to assess the film and the claims in it for themselves.”
The Jackson estate alleges in its suit that HBO entered into a series of non-disparagement agreements with the singer in 1992 when the cable channel aired a two-hour television event, Michael Jackson in Concert in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour.
