Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos is under fire from Michael Jackson supporters after joining a legal fight against The Michael Jackson Company, LLC, prompting fans to label him an alleged “liar for hire,” according to The Blast.
Geragos, once one of Jackson’s most vocal defenders, now represents Frank Cascio, a longtime Jackson associate, in a case that seeks to undo a 2020 confidential agreement with the Michael Jackson Company.
In a recent Instagram post on Michael Jackson's account, fans labeled Geragos an alleged "liar for hire," referring to him representing Cascio.
One user alleged, "Which side is Geragos on? Defends Michael, now is helping to extort him?"
"Geragos is a #liarforhire," another added.
Just three weeks before the Instagram post, Geragos joined a TMZ segment talking about the Michael Jackson Company that ultimately backfired.
Fans took to the comments of the post, calling out the attorney.
“Mark is trying to say that Harvey doesn't want to talk about it, but he's leaving out that he was part of Michael Jackson's defense in 2005 and has said he didn't believe the allegations multiple times. He's making a mockery of this and being an ambulance chaser. He's trying to get around what his clients signed by threatening the estate and Michael Jackson's children and mother,” one fan wrote.
Another alleged, "The Cascios are ridiculous, and Geragos will undermine his own credibility by siding with them. The Cascios sold fraudulent songs to make a profit and went to the estate to ask for millions. This is a textbook example of extortion."
The Michael Jackson Company claims Cascio and others were paid over a five-year period in exchange for silence and cooperation regarding Jackson’s legacy.
In court filings obtained by The Blast, the Michael Jackson Company calls the Cascios' new maneuvers to get more money a “shakedown.”
In filings submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court obtained by People, attorneys for the Michael Jackson Company allege that Cascio, through an attorney, demanded $213 million under threat of public allegations against Jackson.
The number later dropped to $44 million, but the Michael Jackson Company says the tactic remained the same, pressure backed by false reputational threats.
"They threatened to sue if we didn’t pay," said attorney Martin D. Singer in a sworn declaration filed in court.
He added, in the court filing, that the threats included targeting estate co-executor John Branca with defamation claims and naming Jackson’s lawyers in lawsuits, despite arbitration clauses that required private resolution of disputes.
The Michael Jackson Company claims that after being paid under the 2020 settlement, Cascio and his camp sought more money and threatened to go public unless their demands were met.
Court filings describe a meeting arranged at the Sunset Marquis Hotel pool, where Cascio’s representative reportedly insisted attendees wear bathing suits to prevent recording.
“Only someone engaging in extortion or other unlawful conduct would be worried about their conversation being recorded. A truthful person asserting legitimate legal claims should have no objection to being recorded,” a July petition read.
According to court documents, the Michael Jackson Company entered into the agreement in 2020 to protect Jackson’s children from having to deal with further false allegations and to protect Michael’s valuable legacy.