Judge dismisses new Jacko lawsuit
Tuesday, 18 Apr 2006 13:30
Judge dismisses new Jacko lawsuit
Beleaguered king of pop, Michael Jackson, has escaped any action after a judge dismissed a new lawsuit filed against him by a man claiming the singer had molested him more than 20 years ago.
Joseph Bartucci alleged Jackson sexually and physically assaulted him in New Orleans in 1984 but was only reporting it now because he had previously repressed his memories.
However, district judge Eldon Fallon rejected the claims from Bartucci, who was 18 at the time of the alleged incident.
Brian Oxman, a spokesman for Jackson, welcomed the result of the hearing and expressed his desire that people might now stop targeting the Thriller star.
"We're pleased with the results," Oxman said. "It's time to get on to new and better things."
Bartucci's lawyer, Louis Koerner, was outraged after the hearing, fuming to reporters: "I'm basically shocked."
Koerner had filed the lawsuit in 2004, claiming that his client had been beaten, held at gunpoint and cut with razor blades by Jackson's bodyguards.
