Jermaine Jackson Facing $6.5 Million Default Judgment in Rape Case

Jermaine Jackson could be facing a massive payout to his rape accuser -- without ever stepping foot in court.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the Jackson family singer could be on the hook for $6.5 million after Rita Butler Barrett -- the woman accusing him of rape -- asked a Los Angeles judge to enter a default judgment ... claiming Jermaine has essentially ghosted the case.

In the filing, Rita's attorneys say they were unable to track Jermaine down -- and had to get court approval to serve him through legal notices published in the Los Angeles Times after traditional methods allegedly failed. Court records show a judge approved service by publication in 2025 ... and notices ran for four consecutive weeks in August and September.

Her legal team says they later had to do the exact same thing again to serve Jermaine with a statement of damages ... publishing another round of notices in February 2026 after the court signed off on that request, too.

Rita originally filed the lawsuit in December 2023 under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act ... alleging Jermaine assaulted her in the spring of 1988.

According to her lawsuit, Rita says she knew Jermaine through music industry connections and his ties to the Musicians' Union. She claims he unexpectedly showed up at her Encino home one day, forced his way inside and “violently raped” her.

The filing says Rita feared for her life during the alleged attack and believed she was in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death. She claims Jermaine abruptly stopped after several minutes and left her home, leaving her traumatized.

Now, Rita says Jermaine has failed to respond to the lawsuit entirely -- and she wants the court to award her damages without him ever mounting a defense.

She's also seeking to recover more than $7,100 in legal costs tied to filing fees and publication notices.