A California judge has set aside a $6.5 million default judgment against Jermaine Jackson in a civil lawsuit accusing him of r@pe, ruling that the plaintiff failed to properly identify and serve him using his legal name.
The lawsuit was filed in December 2023 by Rita Butler Barrett, who alleged that Michael Jackson’s older brother violently r@ped her at her Encino, California, home in the spring of 1988. Barrett claimed Jackson unexpectedly arrived at her residence and assaulted her for several minutes before leaving.
According to court filings, Barrett and her legal team attempted to locate Jackson to serve him with the lawsuit, including publishing legal notices in the Los Angeles Times in August and September 2025. After receiving no response, Barrett sought a default judgment, which was granted in May, awarding her $6.5 million in damages.
Jackson later challenged the ruling, arguing that the lawsuit had been filed and the legal notices published under the name “Jermaine Jackson,” even though he legally changed his name in 2013 to “Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun.” He also argued that publication of the notices in Los Angeles was insufficient because he was living overseas at the time.
In court documents obtained by TMZ, the judge agreed with Jackson’s arguments, ruling that the failure to use his legal name, combined with the decision to publish the notices in Los Angeles despite indications that he was residing abroad, rendered the service invalid.
“The failure to use Jacksun’s true legal name is fatal, compounded by plaintiff’s decision to publish in Los Angeles, while Jacksun was apparently living overseas,” the judge ruled. The court added that although locating defendants living abroad can be challenging, publishing notices in Los Angeles under an incorrect legal name left no basis to uphold the default judgment.
The judge subsequently voided the $6.5 million judgment and ordered Jackson to respond to the civil complaint within 10 days. The allegations against Jackson remain part of an ongoing civil case, and he has not been found liable for the claims.
