I watched a documentary on PBS about a week ago, made some years back. The commentator and several people he interviewed - people who were close to MJ or journalists who had been following his story - stated that he paid 22 million to the family of his first accuser, to settle out of court. It was also stated - again, by several of these people - that he paid off a number of other families, and in fact went through a great deal of his fortune that way. His sister in her public statement said, "I've seen the cheques".

It's still not proof, and I've been fooled by very convincing documentaries in the past - but ...