VibezCrunch Michael Jackson ‘Groomed Us as Soldiers,’ Siblings Now Claim

 

Michael Jackson ‘Groomed Us as Soldiers,’ Siblings Now Claim

Four siblings who once called Michael Jackson their “second family” have a new, heartbreaking story to tell. And it starts with a Manhattan hotel in the 1980s.

The Cascio kids met the King of Pop through their dad, Dominic, who managed the Helmsley Palace. Jackson often stayed there. What followed was years of travel to Neverland Ranch and a bond that felt like everything. “He made us feel like he was everything: a friend, father, like every sort of emotional support,” Eddie Cascio told the New York Times. “And he was.”

But now, four of the five siblings say that relationship turned into abuse. They claim Jackson groomed them as his “soldiers” to defend him against other misconduct allegations. For years, they did exactly that. They denied any wrongdoing on his part, including in a high-profile Oprah interview after Jackson d!ed in 2009. “We were brainwashed, we were groomed,” Eddie said.

For some, the wake-up call came in 2019 while watching Leaving Neverland, the documentary where two other men detailed their own alleged abuse. The siblings say the film “deprogrammed” them. They later filed a lawsuit against Jackson’s estate, reaching a settlement in 2020. But when those payments ended last year, the legal fight went public again.

The Jackson estate is pushing back hard. Attorney Marty Singer called the lawsuit a “desperate money grab,” adding that the family “staunchly defended Michael Jackson for more than 25 years.” A judge has suggested a previous settlement might block the case.

One brother, Frank, is not part of the lawsuit. He wrote a 2011 book insisting Jackson never harmed anyone. Meanwhile, the other siblings are left piecing together a childhood that felt like love but now reads like a trap.

Sometimes the people who are supposed to protect you are the ones who need the most explaining.