Singer Jermaine Jackson has been ordered to pay more than $6.5 million to a woman who accused him of rape, after he failed to respond to a civil lawsuit filed against him in California.
According to court documents, Rita Butler Barrett secured a default judgment against the singer covering damages, court costs, and alleged medical expenses connected to the case. The judgment was entered after Jackson reportedly never responded to the lawsuit or appeared in court proceedings.
Barrett filed the lawsuit in December 2023 under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, accusing the older brother of Michael Jackson of violently assaulting her in the spring of 1988.
In the complaint, she alleged Jackson unexpectedly arrived at her home in Encino, California, before violently raping her. She claimed the alleged assault lasted several minutes before Jackson suddenly stopped and left, leaving her traumatized.
Barrett’s legal team reportedly told the court they struggled to locate Jackson in order to formally serve him with the lawsuit. They later received court approval to serve legal notice through publication in the Los Angeles Times. Jackson’s representatives have not publicly responded to the ruling.
