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Los Angeles – A Los Angeles court has ordered Jermaine Jackson to pay $6.5 million in compensatory damages and legal costs after he failed to respond to a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Rita Barrett. The complaint, submitted in December 2023, alleged that Jackson violently sexually assaulted Barrett in the spring of 1988 after forcing his way into her home. Barrett, who said she knew Jackson through personal and professional connections involving her husband, Ben Barrett, and Motown founder Berry Gordy, told the court she feared for her life during the encounter and that Jackson left only after he felt satisfied. Los Angeles – Court documents state that Barrett reported the alleged assault to Gordy, Jackson’s then brother-in-law, shortly after it occurred, and the lawsuit accused Gordy of withholding and concealing the information to protect Jackson’s public image and financial interests. Barrett’s legal team argued that this amounted to a cover-up and said she suffered severe emotional, physical, and psychological injuries, including humiliation, guilt, permanent emotional distress, and a loss of financial capacity. Because Jackson did not acknowledge or legally answer the court summons, the judge issued a default judgment binding him to the $6.5 million award. Jackson, who was married to Hazel Gordy until 1987, has not issued a public statement on the ruling or the allegations.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.