Jermaine Jackson says coverage of a $6.5 million SA ruling cost his son Jaafar a proud moment on the “Michael” press tour

According to TMZ, Jermaine Jackson is pushing back against a $6.5 million default judgment entered against him, arguing that he had no knowledge of the lawsuit and only learned about the case after media coverage began surfacing. The judgment stems from allegations made by Rita Butler Barrett, who accused the Jackson family member of sexually assaulting her in 1988 after allegedly showing up at her home uninvited.

Jackson has consistently denied the allegations. Despite his denial, Barrett was awarded a $6.5 million default judgment in May after Jackson did not respond to the lawsuit within the required timeframe. In newly filed legal documents, Jackson claims he was never properly informed about the legal proceedings and was unaware that a judgment had been entered against him.

According to his filing, he first discovered the lawsuit through news reports that emerged while he was participating in promotional events for the Michael biopic, a film that stars his son, Jaafar Jackson, as the late King of Pop.

A legal ruling that surfaced during a major film promotion

Jackson said the timing of the reports was particularly painful for his family. He argued that the media attention surrounding the judgment overshadowed what should have been a celebratory period, as his son was marking a major career achievement by taking on the lead role in one of the most highly anticipated music biopics in recent years.

In the filing, Jackson stated that the headlines and public scrutiny “ruined what should have been a proud and important professional moment for my son and our family.” He is now seeking to challenge the default judgment and have the court reconsider the case, maintaining that he was denied the opportunity to properly defend himself against the allegations.

The Michael biopic is a large project for Jaafar Jackson. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson, whose death linked to the drug propofol drew worldwide attention. Jermaine said in the documents that 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.”

Jermaine is now reportedly taking steps to have the default judgment thrown out entirely. His legal team argues that he did not deliberately avoid the lawsuit and that he had no knowledge of the proceedings until it was too late to respond properly.

The main part of his argument rests on the claim that he never received proper notice of the suit, a key point in legal disputes involving default judgments. If the court agrees to set the judgment aside, it would allow a more detailed examination of Barrett’s allegations.

For now, the legal process will determine whether he gets the chance to present his side. The Jackson family has stayed in the public eye, including the recent passing of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson at 84. The outcome of Jermaine’s case depends on whether he can convince the court that he deserves a fair opportunity to contest the initial ruling.