Michael Jackson accuser Wade Robson wanted to cash in with a tell-all book revealing sex abuse allegations against the King of Pop and wrote a personal note stating: ‘It’s time to get mine!’, according to bombshell court documents.
Robson was so desperate to push his story out to the world that he approached a string of high profile publishing companies demanding a ‘large amount of money’ for rights to the book and even noted that his tale of abuse would make him ‘relatable/relevant’ as a victim.
But when publishers passed on his proposal frustrated Robson launched a doomed $1.5 billion civil lawsuit seeking damages from the Michael Jackson estate.
And according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com it took three years before estate attorneys became aware of his book project because Robson tried to hide it.
Michael Jackson accuser Wade Robson (pictured with Jackson as a child) wanted to cash in with a tell-all book revealing sex abuse allegations against the King of Pop and wrote a personal note stating: ‘It’s time to get mine!’, according to bombshell court documents
The Australian dancer approached a string of publishing companies demanding a ‘large amount of money’ for rights to the book, according to court docs. In an email between Robson and his literary agent Alan Nevins, dated February 27, 2013, the subject line is titled ‘Our Secret Project’. Pictured: Robson appearing on the Today show in 2013
It’s alleged the dance choreographer was uncooperative and concealed drafts of the book before a judge took notice of the ditched memoir and ordered the dancer to produce all documents relevant to the case.
It’s also claimed Robson repeatedly dodged requests to produce all communications relevant to the case and heavily redacted a lot of messages he did produce, including 50 emails with his mother.
And details about meticulous notes Robson took, book drafts, and emails with an agent and publishers have also emerged in the legal dossier.
The documents cast new light on the Australian dancer’s actions in the run-up to him filing the 2013 lawsuit.
And the revelations may fuel further scrutiny of Robson’s abuse claims which have already come under the microscope.
Attorney Vince Finaldi, who represents Robson and Safechuck in lawsuits alleging Jackson molested them, said the documents are ‘biased’ and ‘one-sided’.
‘This is the reason why we want a trial so that there’s rules of evidence, there’s rules to this process and a neutral fact-finder under the supervision of a judge and that’s what we want and that’s what we’re fighting for and we’re not going to stop until we get it.’
He added: ‘These are comments that are written by the same lawyers that have been defending that pedophile for 30 plus years, they’ve run over victims, they’ve run over victims’ families, they’ve apologized for this man and they’ve made excuses for him for years and years and years.’
My story of abuse and its effects will make me relatable/relevant.
Robson – who has admitted lying under oath during Jackson’s 2005 sex abuse trial – often journaled his thoughts onto paper and revealed that he had ‘dedicated seven months’ of his life to penning pages for his book.
In one email between Robson and his literary agent Alan Nevins, dated February 27, 2013, the subject line is titled ‘Our Secret Project.’
In another note, dated August 2013 – five months after filing the lawsuit — Robson, who was vying to be a meditation teacher, typed: ‘My story of abuse and its effects will make me relatable/relevant.’
During his deposition, estate attorney Katherine Kleindienst asked him what he meant by that and Robson explained it away.
The now 36-year-old said: ‘I believe what that’s referring to is where the teacher was talking about how as teachers of meditation… not everybody wants to learn meditation from the same kind of person with the same life story.
‘And so, that’s in relation to me having gone through trauma in my childhood and… that’s one of the pieces of my life that would make me relatable to a certain amount of people who have had similar experiences in childhood.’
The documents also reveal that the writing of the book was causing friction between Robson and his wife Amanda (pictured together in 2005). Amanda had questioned her husband over whether writing a book ‘was the right thing to do’, according to the court documents
In February 2013 — when publishers were considering his book proposal — Robson had logged a note of his thoughts. He had written: ‘Amanda cannot stop me from doing what I want to do. Makes me think about divorce. That is how angry it makes me. I have dedicated the last 7 months of my life to this idea of the book. This path. Now, now trying to ask me if it’s the right thing to do?’
In another note from April 2015, Robson jotted down ‘writings of my thoughts’ and one sentence ended with the words: ‘It’s time to get mine!’
But when questioned in his deposition about what he meant by those words, he said he couldn’t remember.
None of this background was known when Leaving Neverland first aired on HBO, depicting the graphic accounts of both Robson and fellow accuser James Safechuck.
Both men claim that Jackson sexually abused them as children.
After the two-part documentary was broadcast, Oprah Winfrey interviewed both accusers for a show called ‘After Neverland’ and Robson spoke of looking for a platform to tell his story, but talked only about pursuing legal avenues.
He said: ‘Nine months into my healing, the question was ”Could I do something good with this bad? Is there a platform where I could tell this story where they [the Estate] would have to listen and be held accountable?” For me, that’s where it began, because one of those platforms is the legal system.’
But DailyMailTV has learned that it all began for Robson when he sat down, for at least an hour a day, to write out his life story in a bid to cash in on his connection to the superstar singer.
He then turned to Los Angeles-based agent Alan Nevins, of Renaissance Literary and Talent, to shop a book deal to both US and UK publishers in late 2012.
In a legal deposition with Jackson estate attorneys, Robson said he ‘started writing just for the sake of processing’.
That writing then morphed into a draft for a book in the latter half of 2012, he says.
The revelations will fuel further doubts over the validity of Robson’s abuse claims which have already come under the microscope. Robson (left) was one of two key accusers in HBO’s Leaving Neverland, alongside James Safechuck (right)
In another note from April 2015, Robson jotted down ‘writings of my thoughts’ and one sentence ended with the words: ‘It’s time to get mine!’ (pictured in 2016 court deposition transcript). But when questioned in his deposition about what he meant by those words, he said he couldn’t remember
He says he authorized Nevins to speak with publishers about securing a deal but denies ever discussing money.
But according to the documents, Ms Kleindienst, for the estate, told him: ‘When I spoke to Mr Nevins on the phone, he volunteered to me that you had demanded a large amount of money for your book. Are you saying that he’s lying?’
‘Tell me again what he said I said?’ Robson asked.
‘That you were demanding a very large amount of money for your book.’
‘Not true’, Robson replied, insisting that he gave no instructions about what should be said to publishers, except that he ‘did not want to be a part of any sort of book that was focused on sensationalism.’
A source close to the Robson family, however, told DailyMailTV that when Robson first talked about writing a book, he expected the deal to fund his vision for a non-profit organization to help victims of child abuse, through therapy and meditation.
The dancer said he didn’t remember if any written materials had been sent to publishers as part of his submission, or whether he’d authorized anything to be sent.
But emails produced to the court reveal that at least three publishing houses had read his words in some form.
Editors at Harper Collins, Pan Macmillan, Sidgwick & Jackson had considered the book proposal, according to an emailed list Robson requested to see from his agent in February 2013 ‘so I know all the options that have been explored.’
Later that spring, all publishers passed on the book.
In May that same year, Robson filed his lawsuit against the Jackson estate and the performer’s companies.
The documents also reveal that the writing of the book was causing friction between Robson and his wife Amanda.
Amanda had questioned her husband over whether writing a book ‘was the right thing to do’, according to the court documents.
For years, Robson had maintained the megastar never touched him sexually or inappropriately, maintaining his story – even to his own mother – well after the singer’s death in 2009
Robson – who has admitted lying under oath during Jackson’s 2005 sex abuse trial – often journaled his thoughts onto paper and revealed that he had ‘dedicated seven months of my life’ to penning pages for his book. Pictured: Jackson at court in Santa Maria, California in 2005
Robson went into therapy after suffering two nervous breakdowns he says were triggered by sexual abuse at Neverland (pictured)
In February 2013 — when publishers were considering his book proposal — Robson had logged a note of his thoughts, which was raised by the estate attorneys.
He had written: ‘Amanda cannot stop me from doing what I want to do. Makes me think about divorce. That is how angry it makes me. I have dedicated the last 7 months of my life to this idea of the book. This path. Now, now trying to ask me if it’s the right thing to do?’
When asked about that note, Wade dismissed the idea that he seriously contemplated divorce.
‘Nothing beyond, like, in a moment of being emotional, angry, the thought crossing my mind for a split second, but never beyond that,’ he said.
‘There were definitely those sort of intense conversations, but I don’t remember her ever telling me, suggesting that I shouldn’t do it.’
When asked by attorneys why he stopped pursuing a book deal, Robson suggested it was his call rather than lack of interest from publishers.
He said it was ‘not going to be as impactful in that form… as I wanted the truth of Michael’s sexual abuse of me to get out there and be of help [to others].’
The court documents also allege that when Robson was asked to produce ‘all written communications relating to his allegations of abuse’, he stated under oath that only a single document existed.
‘Documents obtained by third parties, however, showed that these sworn statements by Robson were false,’ Howard Weitzman, attorney for the Jackson estate, said.
It’s claimed Robson later produced several bankers’ boxes full of communications that he had previously claimed did not exist.
The document states that on three separate occasions Robson ‘falsely’ claimed to have produced all the documents he had, but estate attorneys found ‘clear evidence’ that he wasn’t telling the truth.
Robson said in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland that he went to Michael Jackson’s estate outside Santa Barbara following his 1993 settlement (above Robson on TV defending Jackson in 1993)
According to the documents, Robson was told by one of Jackson’s estate lawyers: ‘When I spoke to Mr Nevins on the phone, he volunteered to me that you had demanded a large amount of money for your book’
Weitzman added: ‘To this day, Robson has failed to produce numerous communications with third parties and has never explained why.’
He continued that Robson had redacted the ‘entire content’ of numerous emails he produced for ‘no plausible reason’, including over 50 emails between him and his mother and a further 20 to other family members.
‘Many of those redactions are clearly improper,’ Weitzman states.
The documents cite one email exchange dated February 16, 2016 between Robson and his mother Joy, under the subject line, ‘Security testimony’.
‘Robson describes a purported statement by a former security guard at Neverland implying inappropriate conduct by Defendants, and asks his mother what she thinks,’ the document states.
Eight minutes later Robson’s mother responds: ‘Wow. None of that is true…’
The paperwork continues: ‘The remainder of Ms Robson’s response is (conveniently) obscured in the version produced by her, and Ms Robson now (conveniently) claims she no longer has access to this email, making its production by Robson himself critical.’
The documents add that Robson failed to produce multiple emails from another conversation chain with his mother, entitled ‘Questions for Mom’.
Robson went into therapy after suffering two nervous breakdowns he says were triggered by sexual abuse at Neverland.
For years, he had maintained the megastar never touched him sexually or inappropriately, maintaining his story – even to his own mother – well after the singer’s death in 2009.
He was the star witness for the defense when Michael Jackson stood trial and Jackson was acquitted on child molestation charges in 2005.
This new information came to light after a judge in the lawsuit was told by the Michael Jackson Estate that Robson had ‘misrepresented’ the status of producing the documents he was legally obliged to hand over surrounding the book.
The estate only learned about the book project in October 2016.
The judge eventually ordered that all drafts, emails, attachments, and documents related to the book be produced by Robson, but an estate request to forensically examine the choreographer’s computer was denied.
Robson’s lawsuit, which was later joined by fellow accuser James Safechuck, was ultimately tossed out of court.
In Leaving Neverland Robson and Safechuck accuse the King Of Pop of sexual abuse at the Neverland ranch over several years.
Jackson bought the Sycamore Ranch after ‘falling in love’ with the place while filming Say Say Say with Paul McCartney.
A huge fan of Peter Pan, Jackson vowed to turn the home into a real Neverland.
The 2,800 acre estate – four times the size of Monaco – has 67,000 sycamore trees and features a sepia savannah which slopes up to a 3,000 feet peak that Jackson dubbed Mount Katherine – as homage to his mother.
In 2003 Jackson allowed British broadcaster Martin Bashir to film his daily life and interactions with children at Neverland.
In the interview he defended ‘sleeping with children’ as a natural part of his life.
However, two years later cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo accused him of abusing him, which lead to his child molestation trial in Santa Maria in 2005.
He was cleared on all counts, but never returned to Neverland.