Myth: Wade Robson Lied About Having A Pre-testimony Dinner

March 27, 2020

In Leaving Neverland, Wade Robson contends that he and his family partook in a significant dinner with Michael Jackson and members of his family at Neverland Ranch prior to testifying at the 2005 trial, emphasizing that witnessing a fragile Michael Jackson surrounded by his adoring children deepened his resolve to stand by him and testify on his behalf.

Watch the clip below.

In direct contradiction, Taj Jackson challenges Robson's assertion, vehemently stating that the dinner occurred after he testified, thereby undermining Robson's stated motivation for testifying.

He made the following tweets:

"How do you know, you weren't there."
That has been one of the main lines the press have used against me as I speak up for my uncle.

Someone sent me this part of the "doc", and I can tell you with 100% certainty, Wade's WHOLE family flat out lied on camera in this video...

If I was not physically there myself to witness this dinner, I probably would have not even questioned it.

This story beat is suppose to give Wade the motivation to "lie" under oath to "protect" Michael Jackson. Problem is, this dinner HAPPENED AFTER Wade testified.. Oops

View the original tweets at: X.com

However, a thorough examination of the available facts firmly supports Wade Robson's account of the pre-trial dinner at Neverland Ranch, debunking Taj Jackson's contradictory claims. 

Of particular significance is Brett Barnes' testimony on May 5, 2005, aligning with Wade's account by confirming his presence at Neverland the day prior to the events in question. 

He gave the following answers:

Q. When was the last time you spoke with Mr. Robson?

A. Today.

Q. All right. Today you saw him. When was the last time prior to today?

A. Yesterday.

Q. Okay. So you've been staying at Neverland, have you?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you have an opportunity to talk with Mr. Robson?

A. I had an opportunity, yeah. Yeah.

Q. And did you speak with Mr. Robson?

A. Yes.

Stinson Hunter responded to Taj on twitter with a quote of Brett Barnes testimony. However, Brett angrily claims that he never spoke to Wade at Neverland, but only at court. 

Brett stated on Twitter:

Hey dipshit, we were at court the day before we testified, waiting for the prosecution to rest. That's when I spoke to him. I didn't say I spoke to him at the ranch.

View the original tweets here: drive.google.com

However, based on Brett owned 2005 testimony, he clearly states that he spoke to Wade Robson at the ranch the day before, and at court the next day.

There is a strong likelihood that Brett is lying, potentially influenced by a desire to avoid disappointing Taj Jackson and the fan base on Twitter, as evidenced by his somewhat simplistic and impassioned tweet.

Chantelle Robson can also backup claims that the Robson family were present at Neverland Ranch 2 days prior to giving evidence in court.

She provided the following answers the day after her brother on May 6, 2005:

Q. Okay. Now, when did you last speak to Michael Jackson?

A. When did I last speak to Michael Jackson?

Q. Yes.

A. A couple nights ago.

Q. Okay. And where was that?

A. At the ranch.

Q. Were you visiting the ranch?

A. Yes.

Q. Okay. Were you with your mom?

A. Yes.

Q. Were you with your brother?

A. Yes.

Furthermore, based on images which can be found on Getty and Alamy, it appears that Brett Barnes and Wade Robson arrived together on May 5 and walked into the courthouse in the morning rain.

After testifying Brett can be seen walking from the courthouse in the sunnier afternoon, and sitting in the same vehicle as Chantal Robson, where they all returned to Neverland. Chantelle and Joy Robson didn't testify until the next day, so its unlikely that the Robson's arrived or left in their own vehicles. Of course, its possible that the Robson family, who all lived in Los Angeles, travelled from their own homes on two consecutive days early in the morning to Neverland and then got ferried to the courthouse as a large group. But factor in the travelling distance, which was at least 120 miles from LA to the ranch, plus another 40 miles from the ranch to the courthouse, there was little room for any potential traffic delays. Another possibility is that they were staying in accommodation nearby, but again, this is unlikely, as the press, as well as Jackson's own fans, would have occupied most of the hotels and private rooms.

Even in the unlikely event that the Robson family never stayed overnight at the ranch, Brett's testimony on May 5 (the same day as Wade), affirming that he spoke to him "yesterday," combined with Chantelle's May 6 testimony, in which she stated that she spoke to Jackson at the ranch "a couple of nights ago," strongly indicates the presence of the family on the day in question.

Additionally, the Robson family didn't just turn up to court without receiving any briefing from Jackson's legal team. In an interview with John Ziegler, Thomas Mesereau makes the following statement:

I interviewed Wade Robson for hours before he testified. I interviewed his mother and daughter before they testified. I called all three as witnesses; they were among the most powerful witnesses in support of Michael Jackson. Mr. Robson was a very articulate, likable, and intelligent person. He seemed like a nice person, and he was adamant that Michael Jackson had never done anything improper towards him at any time. The mother and sister backed him up; they had travelled with Wade and Michael Jackson, they had slept in Michael Jackson's bed. They said nothing improper ever happened, and they were so strongly in favour of Michael Jackson, so strongly against the prosecution of Michael Jackson that I made them all-star witnesses for the defence.

Thomas Mesereau, whose office was based in Los Angeles, temporarily relocated himself and members of staff to the Santa Maria area to conduct face-to-face briefings with Jackson throughout the entire trial, as well as being within driving distance of the courthouse. The Robson's, along with the Barnes family and Macaulay Culkin all testified in the last month of the trial. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the "star" defence witness and his family would have been briefed on the essentials and engaged in some team bonding before testifying. What better place than the ranch?

In conclusion, the consistency in the testimonies of Wade, Chantelle, and Joy Robson, as opposed to the weak and contradictory statements from Brett Barnes and Taj Jackson, significantly bolsters the credibility of the Robson's account of events.

Update:

On June 13, 2022, the MJ Cast released an episode featuring an interview with Brett Barnes. During this interview, at approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, the interviewer, Charles Thomson, raised the topic of the pre-testimony dinner as described by the Robson family.

Listen to the audio below.

To put things into context, this question was solely intended to further discredit and demonise Wade and his family. Despite Charles Thomson's repeated references to James and Wade's statements under oath while defending Jackson, he never inquires as to why Brett testified under oath that he had spoken to Wade at the ranch the day before testifying. Instead, Brett keeps on insisting this dinner happened after both himself and Wade testified, even claiming that he spoke to his sister and mother about it.

I remain unconvinced by Brett Barnes' statements in this interview, as he not only fails to address his statement that he made in 2005, but offers nothing concrete that the Robson's weren't present during the dinner in question. Just as with his original tweet, I believe he is pandering to Taj Jackson and the fan base.