Judge Rodney Melville in a ruling on Monday allowed past allegations to enter the Jackson trial facilitating the jurors to hear of allegations brought forth by five other boys who were between the ages of 10-13 in the early 90s, as the prosecution states. Although the prosecution introduced seven such accusers originally, the judge dropped two of them with no reasons given.
District attorney Tom Sneddon said one boy from the five earlier cases will come forward and his mother will also testify. That case involved a boy who was allegedly involved in a 1990 incident and received a $2.4 million settlement from Jackson in 1994.
The prosecution promises to put a host of witnesses on stand to give testimony about Jackson’s inappropriate behavior towards these accusers. Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau asked Judge Melville to exclude these testimonies claiming that the information is coming from third parties and noted where a former Jackson employee who sued the entertainer in the past, lost and was told to pay $ 1 Million to Jackson in damages. "How can you just allow a parade of third-party characters to come in without any victims?" Mesereau asked during arguments.
Of the five boys who were as the prosecution asserts was molested by Jackson in the past include actor and long-time Jackson friend Macaulay Culkin. “There's Macaulay Culkin who has repeatedly said he was never molestedâ€, Mesereau said. Culkin can hold attest to that statement by Mesereau as the actor has repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior towards him by Michael Jackson.
The district attorney also promised testimony from the mother of a boy who reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with Jackson in 1993. Here, the accuser or the alleged victim as the prosecution states will not take the stand.
The ruling on Monday came with fierce opposition from defense attorney Thomas Mesereau who urged the judge to consider evidence that has been presented so far in the current case against Jackson. "You have to consider what the case looks like," he said. "It looks real bad and it's going to get worse. You can't stop the defense from putting on a full-blown defense and I mean just that."
Although prior allegations brought against a defendant is not usually admissible in criminal cases, the legislature in California was changed in 1995 and exceptions were granted specifically in sexual molestation and domestic violence cases.
Jackson was not present during the arguments, but arrived later to the cheer of fans gathered outside the courthouse.
After the ruling, comedian George Lopez took the stand and told about helping Jackson's current accuser, then battling with cancer. Lopez said he came to believe the boy's father was more interested in money than helping his son. He testified the father accused the comedian of stealing $300 from the boy's wallet.
Lopez said he finally cut off the family because of the father's frequent and aggressive requests for help. When the father asked what he was supposed to tell his son, Lopez testified that he responded: "Tell him his father's an extortionist."
The defense contends Lopez, star of the ABC sitcom "George Lopez," and a guest comedian at the Jamie Masada owned Laugh Factory, is among celebrities who were targeted by the accuser's family in schemes to make money. But prosecutors contend that any such schemes were the work of the boy's father, who is now divorced from the mother.
Source: AP/MJJForum/eMJey