Jermaine Jackson Ordered to Pay $6.5 Million

Jermaine Jackson has reportedly been instructed to pay over $6.5 million to a woman who accused him of breaking into her home and assaulting her in 1988.

The woman, Rita Butler Barrett, filed a complaint in December 2023, claiming Jackson sexually assaulted her.

According to a default judgment issued Thursday by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the former member of the Jackson 5 must pay Barrett damages and other related costs.

In her complaint, Barrett states that Jackson arrived uninvited at her home around the spring of 1988, forced his way in, assaulted her violently, and left after he was “satisfied.”

Barrett had known Jackson through her husband, Ben Barrett, who worked closely with Motown founder Berry Gordy, as noted in the complaint.

The complaint also mentions that Gordy shared a “business and/or managerial relationship” with Jackson at the time of the alleged assault.

Barrett recounts, “During the assault, the plaintiff, a religious woman, prayed to God for help.” She expressed fear for her life during the ordeal.

She claimed that she reported the incident the following day but that she and others in the music industry made the allegations to protect Jackson’s public image and career.

Barrett also highlighted what she described as a widespread “cover-up” to conceal the incident, primarily for the sake of profits and reputation.

Furthermore, the complaint states that Barrett experienced significant mental, physical, and emotional injuries post-assault, including humiliation, shame, guilt, financial struggles, and lasting distress.

She described herself as a “victim of sexual abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and rape” by Jackson.

This news comes shortly after Jermaine Jackson attended the Los Angeles premiere of a biopic titled Michael, featuring his son Jaafar portraying his late brother.

In related news, the Cascio family has recently renewed their allegations of sexual abuse against Michael Jackson, but the estate of the late pop star has dismissed these claims as a “desperate money grab.”

As noted previously, the Cascio family has alleged for years that Michael Jackson groomed and abused several of its members over a 25-year period, which only concluded with his death in 2009.