A complaint has been filed against Jermaine Jackson following a sexual assault that allegedly took place in 1988.
A woman accuses Jermaine Jackson, founding member of the Jackson 5 and older brother of Michael Jackson, of sexually assaulting her, according to a new complaint obtained by WECB USA.
In the document, filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday December 27, Rita Barrett accuses the singer of having attacked her at her home 35 years ago after showing up unexpectedly. Rita Barrett states in her complaint that she met Jermaine Jackson through her music service business, as did Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. She would have maintained close ties with the latter through her husband, Ben Barrett.
Jermaine Jackson, his companies Jermaine L. Jackson Music Productions and Work Records, are listed as defendants in the complaint and the acts described are sexual assault, abuse and neglect. Damages were not specified.
Representatives for Jermaine Jackson could not be reached for comment on the complaint.
If the complaint does not directly target Berry Gordy, it specifies that he protected Jermaine Jackson out of financial interest. According to Rita Barrett, on the day of the attack, she informed the founder of Motown Records about his ties to her and the Jackson family. She specifies that he had “a unique position allowing him to report the accused’s cases and help him in this traumatic period. »
Representatives for Berry Gordy could not be reached for comment on the complaint.
This complaint was filed following Executive Order AB2777 in California. Like the Adult Survivors Act that recently ended in New York, it temporarily lifts restrictions on complaints of sexual crimes. These charges led to a wave of sexual abuse complaints across the music and entertainment industries. Actors, artists and executives including Vin Diesel, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Axl Rose, LA Reid and others have been the subject of complaints in recent months.