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 The statement followed the premiere at the Sundance film
festival on Friday of "Leaving Neverland," in which two men, now
in their 30s, say they were befriended by the "Thriller" singer
and sexually abused by him starting from when they were 7 and 10
years old.
The documentary received a standing ovation at Sundance on
Friday, Variety and other entertainment media reported. It will
be shown on cable channel HBO and Britain's Channel 4 television
network this spring.
Jackson, who died in 2009, was acquitted at a 2005 criminal
trial in California on charges of molesting a different,
13-year-old boy, at his Neverland ranch. The singer is survived
by his mother Katherine and nine siblings, four of whom were
members of pop group "The Jackson 5."
Referring to Jackson as "our brother and son," Monday's
statement said the family was "furious that the media, who
without a shred of proof or single piece of physical evidence,
chose to believe the word of two admitted liars over the word of
hundreds of families and friends around the world who spent time
with Michael, many at Neverland, and experienced his legendary
kindness and global generosity."
"We can’t just stand by while this public lynching goes on," the
statement added.
"Leaving Neverland" features on camera interviews with Wade
Robson and James Safechuck, who describe their relationships
with Jackson in graphic detail and said that as young boys they
loved the singer.
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Variety in its review called the four-hour documentary
"devastating." Rolling Stone said it left the audience at the
Sundance festival in Utah "completely shellshocked."
Both Robson and Safechuck filed lawsuits against the Jackson estate
alleging sexual misconduct after the singer's death and both cases
were dismissed. Robson had testified at Jackson's 2005 trial in the
singer's defense.
The Michael Jackson estate has also criticized "Leaving Neverland,"
releasing a statement that called it "blatantly one-sided" and
lacking independent voices.
Director Dan Reed has said he had no question about the validity of
the stories of the two men.
"If there’s anything we’ve learned during this time in our history,
it’s that sexual abuse is complicated, and survivors’ voices need to
be listened to," he said in a statement earlier this month.
Jackson's death at age 50 of an overdose of an anesthetic he used as
a sleep aid triggered a surge in record sales.
According to an annual Forbes survey, Jackson has been the top
earning dead celebrity for the past six years with ventures that
include television specials, record sales, and a Las Vegas Cirque du
Soleil show.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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