A woman has sued Michael Jackson’s older brother Jermaine Jackson accusing him of raping and sexually assaulting her in the spring of 1988, and conspiring to keep it quiet to keep his reputation intact.
The suit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court under the state's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which allows civil suits in sexual assault cases that reach beyond the statute of limitations if one or more parties are legally responsible or if there was a cover up involved. Under the act, suits can be filed through Dec. 31, 2023.
Rita Butler Barrett claimed in the suit that she knew Jackson through her husband's personal and business relationship with Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records.
The Jackson 5 (which Jermaine Jackson was a part of), along with The Supremes and Marvin Gaye were some of the hit artists represented by the label.
In the spring of 1988, Jackson allegedly forced himself into Butler’s home, and “with force and violence sexually assaulted” her, the complaint said.
Barrett's complaint claimed she feared for her life during the attack and Jackson left after the assault.
One day later, she reported the assault to Gordy, but he did nothing to report it, the filing said. Instead, the complaint alleged, he and others worked to cover up the assault.
“Because of his relationships with both Defendant Jackson and Plaintiff's family, Mr. Gordy was uniquely situated to both report Defendant Jackson’s acts and to aid Plaintiff during her time of trauma. Instead, Mr. Gordy withheld and concealed the acts, further perpetuating the coverup and allowing Mr. Gordy, Defendant Jackson, and others in the business relationship to continue to reap profits derived from Mr. Jackson’s work and reputation for years to come," the complaint said.
The complaint was filed against Jackson, his businesses Jermaine L. Jackson Music Productions Inc. and Work Records, alleging sexual battery, assault, and negligence.
NBC News has reached out to representatives for Jackson and Gordy for comment.
The complaint alleged that Jackson and others were involved in a conspiracy to "cover up" the disclosure of the assault to preserve his and his associates' reputations and profits.
While the world never knew about the alleged assault and Jackson remained in good public standing, Barrett was forced to "suffer in silence and shame for decades," the complaint said.
Barrett to this day suffers "great emotional distress", fear, anxiety, humiliation and other physical and emotional injuries as a result of the alleged assault and coverup, according to the complaint.
The suit seeks general damages to be determined at trial.
A similar act was passed in New York that saw lawsuits against high profile celebrities such as Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler.
