NEW YORK – A 38-year-old Louisiana man has sued pop star Michael Jackson for allegedly sexually assaulting him 20 years ago, a TV show reported Thursday.

Joseph Bartucci Jr. reportedly recovered a “repressed memory” of the alleged crime after seeing a TV program about the current sexual assault charges against Jackson, the suit says.

Bartucci says he was 18 when Jackson “held him against his will” and sexually assaulted him in May 1984, according to legal papers obtained by “Celebrity Justice.”

The assaults took place in Jackson’s limousine in Louisiana and in a building in California, according to the suit filed Nov. 1 in U.S. District Court in Louisiana.

Jackson allegedly performed oral sex on Bartucci and tried to force Bartucci to reciprocate, but he refused, the suit says. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

Bartucci’s lawyers could not be reached for comment.

Jackson lawyer Thomas Mesereau also could not be reached for comment, but in the past he has said that Jackson is a target for bogus, money-seeking lawsuits.

One legal expert said the suit may be on shaky ground because 20 years has passed since the alleged incident. “I think there would be questions about credibility because of the timing,” said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson.



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