Jermaine Jackson has been accused in a new lawsuit of sexually assaulting a woman with ties to the music industry in 1988.
Rita Barrett alleges sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual battery, negligence and rape in the lawsuit filed Wednesday, Dec. 27, in Los Angeles Superior Court.
According to the suit obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Barrett alleges “Jackson arrived at Plaintiff’s home unannounced. Defendant Jackson forced himself into Plaintiff’s home, and with force and violence sexually assaulted Plaintiff.”
Jackson was member of the Jackson 5 along with his famous brothers. The lawsuit says Barrett met Jackson, 65, through her husband’s friendship with Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.
The suit claims after learning about the alleged assault, Gordy, 94, engaged in a “coverup.”
“Because of his relationships with both Defendant Jackson and Plaintiff’s family, Mr. Gordy was uniquely situated to both report Defendant Jackson’s acts and to aid Plaintiff during her time of trauma. Instead, Mr. Gordy withheld and concealed the acts, further perpetuating the coverup and allowing Mr. Gordy, Defendant Jackson, and others in the business relationship to continue to reap profits derived from Mr. Jackson’s work and reputation for years to come,” the suit says.
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Barrett is seeking a jury trial in the case.
In addition to Jackson, the lawsuit names his companies, Jermaine L. Jackson Music Productions, Inc. and Work Records, Inc. as defendants.
Neither Jackson nor Gordy responded to the Times’ request for comment.
The lawsuit was filed under California’s “Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act.” The law allows victims to recover damages suffered as a result of a sexual assault that occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2009. The law, known as Assembly Bill 2777, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023 and expires on Dec. 31, 2026.
Vin Diesel was accused of sexual battery and wrongful termination by his former assistant earlier this month under the law. An attorney for Diesel said the actor denies the woman’s “outlandish” claims.
