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1993 child molestation allegations against Michael Jackson

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Jordy Chandler In the period 1992-1993 Jordy Chandler (also called Jordan and Jordie, born January 1980) was a friend of Michael Jackson, the singer. It was well known that Michael Jackson spent a great deal of time with children and provided facilities and holidays for them. At the time this was not seen to be a problem. In 1993, however, allegations of child abuse were made by Jordy's parents, which were investigated but later settled out of court.

This case also forms part of the backdrop for the 2005 trial with Gavin Arvizo claiming he too was abused.

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[edit] Background

At the time of the alleged incidents, Jackson and Jordy were close friends. Together with Jordy's mother and half-sister, they stayed at Neverland Ranch, at Jackson's Century City, Los Angeles apartment ("The Hideout"), and in May-July 1993, they visited Las Vegas, Orlando, Florida, Monaco (for the World Music Awards), Disneyland Resort Paris, and New York. Jackson also spent a total of around 30 nights with Jordy at his mother's home, in several periods of 1-2 weeks, and two weekends at the house of Jordy's divorced father, Evan Chandler. At times he stayed with Jordy in Jordy's bed, a habit he adopted with the other children he befriended.

The friendship was apparent and open--for example, Jordy sat on Jackson's lap in the front row of the World Music Awards ceremony, next to Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Jackson's stated view on this was, in essence, that children should be treated and brought up naturally and not taught to fear adult company.

In 1993, after waking up from anesthesia after having a tooth pulled, Jordy claimed that he and Jackson had often had sex. Some claim that due to his condition he had lost his inhibitions about telling the truth, while others argue that in this condition false memories could have been implanted.

[edit] Allegations

According to Raymond Chandler's claimed transcription of an interview, see below, Jackson and Jordy shared a bed, but at least initially this was non-sexual. Jordy's mother June Chandler first objected, but Jackson convinced her by saying (summarized) "There's nothing wrong with it, you should allow it because it's simple and fun and you shouldn't set up barricades." In the 2005 trial, June confirmed this: "He said: 'You don't trust me? We're a family ... Jordy is having fun. Why can't he sleep in my bed? There's nothing wrong. There's nothing going on'."

Later it was alleged that Jackson masturbated Jordy many times and also performed oral sex on him, and that Jordy had masturbated Jackson. According to Jordy (and based upon Ray Chandler's claimed transcription of what Jordy had said) Jackson said that he believed that this was okay, and that this belief was matter of being "unconditioned" (i.e., free from social conditioning).

Later that year Jordy filed a complaint against Jackson. Neverland Ranch was searched. Among other things, the book The Boy, A Photographic Essay was found, with photographs of nude children. Although some may look upon it as child erotica, it is legal and not child pornography [1].

Jordy described details of Jackson's genitals, indicating that he may at least have seen Jackson naked; they were compared with medical examinations of Jackson's body during the investigation.

[edit] Investigations, settlement and aftermath

Jackson settled the boy's civil lawsuit with the payment of an undisclosed amount of money. The sum was speculatively set at between $2 million and $50 million, depending on the media source.

The settlement Jackson paid the family included a $15.3 million annuity for the son, $1.5 million for each parent and several million in legal fees.

There were criminal investigations led by district attorney Thomas W. Sneddon Jr., with grand juries in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. As a result of the payment, the boy declined to testify. For that reason the prosecution declined to file charges ([2], end). As of 2003, the prosecution described the case as "open, but inactive".

Californian law was subsequently modified, to prevent minors having a financial incentive not to testify in a criminal lawsuit. [3] [4]. Jackson's spokespersons have repeatedly stated that the settlement was not in any way an admission of guilt, and Jackson himself has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Public opinion is divided; some feel it was a partial confession on Jackson's behalf, others that it was successful extortion. The book, Michael Jackson Was My Lover by Victor Gutierrez is about the case. It was not published in the U.S. because Jackson won a libel suit against the author.

As is common in settlements, a confidentiality agreement was included within the out of court settlement. For that reason, neither Jackson nor his accuser can legally talk much in public about the allegations and the settlement. Evan Chandler filed a new complaint against Jackson in 1996 for violating the confidentiality; in 1999 an arbitrator rejected it. Jordan's uncle Raymond ("Ray") Chandler is not bound by the confidentiality agreement.

In 2005, according to Ray, Jordy left the country to avoid testifying in the trial against Jackson; he states that he does not like the media attention, moving three times since the case, for that reason. His mother, June Chandler, has not seen her son in 11 years either, and Ray is also estranged from her.

In 2006 he accused his father of abuse. The accuser, now 26, says his ex-dentist dad Evan Chandler "struck him on the head from behind with ... (dumbbell) weight ... sprayed his eyes with Mace or pepper spray, and tried to choke him" last year, according to court documents filed in New Jersey.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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