Jermaine Jackson Ordered to Pay $6.5 Million To Rape Accuser After After Ignoring Lawsuit Case

Jermaine Jackson has been ordered to pay a woman who accused him of rape after he failed to properly respond to her lawsuit. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge entered a default judgment against Jackson, ordering him to pay Rita Butler Barrett more than $6.5 million in damages and court costs. The ruling came after Jackson never responded to the lawsuit. Barrett had originally filed her complaint in December 2023, and when repeated attempts to serve Jackson failed, her legal team was given permission to publish a legal notice in the Los Angeles Times, which effectively served him. In the complaint, Barrett alleged that Jackson arrived uninvited at her home in the spring of 1988, forced his way inside, and "violently raped" her. The lawsuit was filed under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act. "This is about her power and the declaration of it when she learned something could be done under the law, and she found the strength and support to find us and is now standing up for herself and others," her attorney, Jeff Anderson, said in April Jackson has made multiple public appearances in recent months, including at the Hollywood premiere of the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, starring his son, Jaafar Jackson.

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