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Even with the recent ghoulish cash-grab biopic about Michael Jackson, it’s good to remember that there are other members of the famous family.
Jermaine was the second vocalist to his deceased brother.
He has also been accused of rape, with the accuser filing a lawsuit.
The court has now ordered Jermaine to pay out millions — but there’s an odd element to this case.
That’s a LOT of money to pay after never showing up to court
Jermaine — who modified his surname to read “Jacksun” in 2013, a few years following his conversion to Islam — stood by his infamous brother through his court cases and continued to do so after his death.
He is the father of both Jaafar — who starred in the controversial biopic, Michael — and Jermajesty.
In December 2023, a woman named Rita Butler Barrett filed a lawsuit against Jermaine.
She accused the musician of having showed up unexpectedly at her home in 1988 and raped her.
In her filing, Barrett sought financial damages to the tune of millions. How much did she get?
whole bunch of people are about to become HUGE jermaine jackson fans. it’s what always happens when famous men rape. https://t.co/18YeugEW52
— jerry curl 🏳️🌈🇵🇸 (@bjamar_) May 15, 2026
The court has now ordered Jermaine to pay over $6.5 million in damages and court costs, TMZ reports.
(The sum also covers medical expenses that Barrett identified.)
In an odd twist, this isn’t because a jury sided with his accuser. And this wasn’t a bench trial, either.
Instead, the court entered a default judgment against Jermaine.
It seems that he never responded to the lawsuit, never showing up to court in person or by way of a representative.
Is there a reason to ignore the lawsuit instead of challenging it in court?
In Barrett’s lawsuit, filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, she alleged that Jermaine showed up at her Encino home in the spring of 1988.
His presence was unexpected, she said.
Jermaine then allegedly proceeded to violently rape her for several minutes, until he stopped and departed.
The attack left her traumatized, and she also shared medical costs that she incurred as a result.
Her attorneys were unable to reach Jermaine to serve him with notice of the lawsuit. The court approved of an extraordinary measure, serving him with notice via The Los Angeles Times. Seemingly, that did not work, either.
It is theoretically possible that Jermaine never learned of the lawsuit filed against him, even though it has been years since the filing.
For example, it is conceivable that he is surrounded exclusively by “yes-men” types who wouldn’t bring it up to him, even with the publication of the lawsuit.
If so, one imagines that Jermaine will challenge the default judgment. Of course, that means that Barrett will get her long-awaited day in court.
Alternatively, some have speculated that avoiding responding to a lawsuit is a PR strategy. Rather than enter an out-of-court settlement or make headlines with a legal battle, quietly paying a court-ordered default judgment is a strategy that some might hope to employ without ever having to answer questions, submit evidence, or work out a deal.
It may be that Jermaine will not respond to the suit, vowing to prove his innocence. Hypothetically, someone with a guilty conscience might simply pay the default judgment without comment — neither admitting to or denying wrongdoing. But who’s to say what’s on his mind?
