Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff wrote in his ruling Tuesday that Wade Robson's claim is untimely and should be dismissed.
Robson
had previously denied the pop superstar molested him and testified in
Jackson's defense at the singer's criminal trial in 2005. Robson also
spoke favorably about Jackson after the singer's death in 2009.
However, Robson sued Jackson's estate in May 2013 over the molestation allegations.
Attorneys
for Robson said Jackson molested him over a seven-year period.
Attorneys for Jackson's estate have denied the allegations.
Robson's
attorney Maryann Marzano wrote in a statement that Beckloff's ruling
will be appealed, and the molestation claim will be pursued against
Jackson's business entities.
Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman praised the ruling and noted Robson's previous testimony about Jackson.
"Mr. Robson testified under oath in a courtroom that Michael never did anything improper with him," Weitzman wrote in an email.
Marzano,
however, wrote that her client was incapable of filing his legal action
any sooner due to psychological damage he suffered. She also noted that
Beckloff's ruling did not make any determination about whether Robson's
allegations were factual.
"We
are confident that when all the facts are presented in civil court,
there will be no doubt left about just what kind of sexual predator
Jackson was," Marzano wrote.
Robson
was 5 when he met Jackson, and he spent the night at Neverland Ranch
more than 20 times, sleeping in the singer's bedroom on most visits, he
told jurors during the trial that ended with Jackson's acquittal.
Robson bristled at testimony by other witnesses that they had seen Jackson molest him.
"I'm
very mad about it," Robson told jurors. "It's not true and they put my
name through the dirt. I'm really not happy about it."
Robson,
an Australian-born choreographer, has appeared on the Fox series "So
You Think You Can Dance" and worked with Britney Spears and other stars.
Marzano
argued at an April hearing that the seriousness of the claims being
lodged against Jackson's estate warranted a full evidentiary hearing.
Jackson
estate attorney Jonathan Steinsapir argued that the law doesn't allow
liability for a person's actions to transfer to their estate in
perpetuity, and that Robson missed his opportunity to file a claim.
Jackson
died at 50 while preparing for a series of comeback concerts dubbed
"This Is It." His estate benefits his mother and three children.
The
pop singer died deeply in debt, but a posthumous bounce in the
popularity of his music has generated hundreds of millions of dollars.
Robson
filed one of the last major claims against Jackson's estate, although
disputes with a former business manager, another man alleging underage
sexual abuse, and the IRS remain unresolved.
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