Jermaine Jackson says rape allegations against him surfaced at the worst possible time, as his son Jaafar Jackson was stepping into the biggest role of his career.
In new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Jermaine says he did not know Rita Butler Barrett had sued him or that she had been awarded a $6.5 million default judgment in May until reports about the case emerged during the press tour for Michael, the upcoming biopic starring Jaafar as Michael Jackson.
According to the filing, the coverage ruined “what should have been a proud and important professional moment for my son and our family.” He also said he was “shocked and deeply concerned about the effect of those reports on my reputation and on the promotion of my son’s motion picture.”
Barrett has claimed Jermaine sexually assaulted her in 1988 after arriving at her home uninvited. Jermaine denies the allegation.
The Jackson 5 member is now asking the court to throw out the default judgment, arguing that he was unaware of the lawsuit and never had the chance to defend himself before the multimillion-dollar ruling was entered.
Jermaine also says he did not deliberately avoid the case. In the filing, he says he is prepared to respond to Barrett’s claims in court if the judgment is set aside.
