Michael Jackson’s Estate Calls Accusers’ Lawsuit a ‘Shakedown’ in Alleged Abuse Battle

Michael Jackson’s estate is firing back at the late pop star’s former friends, who are suing for alleged sex trafficking ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the estate slammed Edward Cascio and his three siblings, who are locked in a legal battle with the estate over claims they were sexually abused by MJ for years in the 1980s.

The estate said the Cascios were already paid massive settlements of $3.45M each, and "demanded the incredible sum of $213M in 2024.”

In the filing, the estate argued the case should not be heard in public court, insisting the settlement agreement included a valid and enforceable arbitration provision to settle disputes privately.

Edward and his family believe a recently amended federal law gives them the option of keeping the case in public court.

As TMZ previously reported, Edward and his three siblings are locked in a legal battle with Michael's estate -- claiming the late pop star sexually abused them for years back in the 1980s. They agreed to a settlement with the Jackson estate a few years ago that pays them nearly $700K each per year.

However, the Cascios believe Jackson's side screwed them, so they sued the estate ... only for the estate to file a motion seeking to have the case handled out of court because of terms in the earlier settlement agreement they signed.

The Cascios’ lawyers argue they can't be forced into arbitration ... because they say a 2021 amendment to the Federal Arbitration Act "renders arbitration agreements invalid and unenforceable, at the election of the complainant, in sexual assault and sexual harassment cases."

Since this involves allegations about Jackson sexually abusing kids, the Cascios say they have the right to pursue the case in open court, instead of private arbitration.

They're asking a judge to deny the Jackson estate's motion to compel arbitration of the matter.

The Jackson estate's attorney, Marty Singer, has previously called the case a "desperate money grab" -- while Cascio attorneys Howard King and Mark Geragos say their clients deserve every penny they're suing for.