Jermaine Jackson has been ordered to pay more than $6.5 million in damages and costs to a woman who accused him of rape and sexual assault stemming from an alleged 1988 attack, after a California court entered a default judgment against the singer.
According to a default judgment filed May 14 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the former Jackson 5 member was found liable after failing to respond to a civil lawsuit brought by accuser Rita Butler Barrett.
The judgment awards her over $6.5 million in damages and other costs, effectively ending the case without Jackson presenting any defense in court. A default judgment is entered when a defendant does not answer or otherwise appear in a lawsuit within the required time under court rules, according to People.
Sexual Abuse Complaint Against Jermaine Jackson
Barrett first filed her complaint in December 2023 under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which temporarily extended the statute of limitations for certain sexual assault claims.
In her lawsuit, she alleged that Jackson violently raped and sexually assaulted her in the spring of 1988 at her Encino home, after he allegedly arrived uninvited and forced his way inside. She said she feared for her life during the alleged attack and believed she was in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death.
The complaint states that Barrett knew Jackson through her husband, music industry executive Ben Barrett, who worked closely with Motown founder Berry Gordy.
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She claims she reported the alleged assault to Gordy the following day and that music industry figures then helped conceal the incident to protect Jackson's image and related business interests. Barrett alleged there was a broader "cover‑up" intended to preserve profits and reputations tied to Jackson's career.
Court records and prior filings show Jackson never formally responded to the lawsuit, leading Barrett's attorneys to seek default, Complex reported.
Her legal team told the court they were unable to personally serve him and instead obtained permission to serve notice through legal publications in the Los Angeles Times over multiple weeks in 2025 and 2026. After Jackson still did not appear, Barrett moved for a default judgment, which the court has now granted.
Barrett's complaint says she suffered severe emotional, physical, and psychological injury, including humiliation, shame, guilt, economic loss, and permanent emotional distress following the alleged assault.
In addition to the multimillion‑dollar damages award, she has also sought reimbursement of more than $7,100 in filing fees and publication costs tied to serving Jackson by notice.
Jackson, 71, has not publicly commented on the judgment, and it was not immediately clear whether he plans to challenge the ruling or seek to set aside the default through further court action, as per AllHiphop.
