Michael Jackson‘s name has surfaced in recently unsealed court documents tied to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — though the late pop star was not accused of any wrongdoing in the documents. The files, which were unsealed late Wednesday (Jan. 3), are part of the 2015 lawsuit victim Virginia Giuffre filed against Ghislaine Maxwell, the late financier’s girlfriend, who was convicted in 2021 of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse underage victims. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years.
The late King of Pop — who was acquitted in 2005 of allegations that he molested underage boys, and vehemently denied the allegations during his life — comes up during the deposition of a witness, which took place May 18, 2016, according to the documents obtained by Billboard. In the transcript, Giuffre’s lawyer Sigrid McCawley questions the witness — who is also an Epstein accuser — about the bold-faced names she had encountered with the financier, who was known for his connections to the rich, famous and powerful.
“Did you ever meet anybody famous when you were with Jeffrey?” McCawley asked.
“I met Michael Jackson,” the witness responded. “At his house in Palm Beach. At Jeffrey’s house in Palm Beach.”
McCawley also asked whether the witness had given Jackson a massage, which she denied doing.
Later during the deposition, Laura Menninger — an attorney for Maxwell — followed up the line of questioning regarding the 13-time Grammy winner: “You were asked about the famous people. You said you met Michael Jackson?”
Once again, the witness confirmed she had met the musician, and denied once more having ever given him a massage. There are no allegations of any wrongdoing on Jackson’s part in the documents.
Billboard has reached out to the Michael Jackson Estate for comment.
A judge ruled in December that the previously sealed documents could be made public. Since the files were unsealed Wednesday, people on social media have alleged the unsealed documents include several prominent musicians — but a search of the official court documents failed to confirm the social media rumors.
Epstein, 66, died by apparent suicide in August 2019. He was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York while awaiting trial. He had been charged with sexually abusing multiple underage girls.
