Evan Chandler: Dentist, Screenwriter, Accuser
Beverly Hills dentist and Robin Hood: Men in Tights co-writer who made the 1993 sexual-abuse accusation against Michael Jackson; died in 2009.
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- Country
- United States
- Known for
- Beverly Hills dentist and aspiring screenwriter; father of Jordan Chandler; in 1993 he accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing his then-13-year-old son — the accusation that triggered a police investigation, a civil lawsuit, and a 1994 financial settlement. Jackson denied the accusation and was never charged.
- Screenwriting
- Pitched a Robin Hood spoof to his patient, screenwriter J. David Shapiro, during a dental appointment; the two wrote a screenplay together that was sold to and heavily revised by Mel Brooks, becoming the 1993 comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
- The 1993 accusation
- In August 1993 Los Angeles police investigated child-abuse allegations against Jackson; two of his homes were searched and detectives interviewed the boy and other youngsters who visited Neverland Ranch. Reporting describes the accuser as the father of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler.
- The 1994 settlement
- The civil case was settled out of court in early 1994; reported figures vary by outlet ($20 million per the BBC, $23 million per Fox News). Jackson's legal team maintained the settlement was not an admission of guilt. The deal reportedly barred the estate from depicting or mentioning Jordan Chandler in any film.
- Later litigation
- In 1996 Chandler brought a claim for around $60 million alleging Jackson had breached the agreement never to discuss the case; in 1999 a court ruled in Jackson's favour and threw the lawsuit out.
- Died
- Found dead in November 2009 in his Jersey City, New Jersey, apartment, aged 65 — a single gunshot wound to the head, the gun still in his hand, no note. Police ruled the death a suicide.
Evan Chandler was a Beverly Hills dentist and aspiring Hollywood screenwriter who, as the father of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, made the 1993 accusation of sexual abuse against Michael Jackson — the accusation that triggered a police investigation, a civil lawsuit and a 1994 financial settlement, and whose reported terms later forced the 2026 biopic Michael to scrap its entire third act and reshoot it (The Indian Express; Fox News). Before the case made his name, Chandler had co-written with screenwriter J. David Shapiro the screenplay that became Mel Brooks’s 1993 comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights — an idea his 11-year-old son had jokingly suggested after watching Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Mental Floss). He died in November 2009 in Jersey City, New Jersey, at 65; police ruled the death a suicide (ANI via Filmibeat).
Chandler’s accusation marked what Fox News called a turning point in Jackson’s life and public image: the case became one of the most widely reported celebrity scandals of the 1990s (Fox News). Reporting describes the sequence this way: Chandler alleged that Jackson had sexually abused his son; an initial investigation found no evidence against Jackson; the family reached a financial settlement in early 1994; and Jackson’s legal team consistently maintained the settlement was not an admission of guilt (The Indian Express). Jackson was never charged in the case (Macau Daily Times).
The dentist who talked his way into a Mel Brooks movie
Before 1993 made his name synonymous with the Jackson case, Chandler lived a different Hollywood story. When 11-year-old Jordi Chandler saw Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), he told his father the film was so bad it deserved to be parodied — and his father was unusually well placed to act on the joke (Mental Floss). Evan Chandler was a Beverly Hills dentist, and one of his patients was Hollywood screenwriter J. David Shapiro. During an appointment, Chandler pitched the idea of a Robin Hood spoof; Shapiro loved the concept, and together they put together a screenplay that was later sold to — and heavily revised by — Mel Brooks (Mental Floss). That script became Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Brooks’s Sherwood Forest spoof starring Cary Elwes — the film that introduced a young Dave Chappelle to mainstream audiences (Mental Floss). Within the same calendar year, the father-son joke that launched a studio comedy was eclipsed by the accusation that defined Chandler’s public identity.
The 1993 accusation and the settlement
In August 1993, Los Angeles police began investigating child-abuse allegations against Jackson: two of his homes were searched, and detectives interviewed the boy and other youngsters who visited his Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara — including 12-year-old Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin (Macau Daily Times). Jackson’s lawyer Harold Weitzman said he was confident the investigation would show no wrongdoing, while Jackson’s security adviser Anthony Pellicano called the allegation part of a $20 million extortion plot (Macau Daily Times). Reporting identifies the accuser as the father of 13-year-old Jordie Chandler; Jackson denied the accusations and was never charged (Macau Daily Times; The Indian Express). The civil case was settled out of court in early 1994 — and the fully-read outlets that name a figure disagree on it:
| Source | Settlement figure reported | Described recipient |
|---|---|---|
| BBC (reprinted by Macau Daily Times) | $20 million | “Jordie Chandler” |
| Fox News | $23 million | “the family” |
| The Indian Express | no figure given | “the family” — a “financial settlement” |
The two fully-read outlets that name a figure disagree — $20 million (BBC) versus $23 million (Fox News) — but they agree on what mattered decades later: the settlement reportedly barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a film, a clause that in 2025 forced the Michael biopic into a 22-day, $10–15 million reshoot after its entire third act was found to be legally unusable (Fox News; The Indian Express).
Later lawsuits, death, and the settlement’s long shadow
Chandler went back to court once more. In 1996 he brought a claim for around $60 million, alleging Jackson had breached the agreement never to discuss the case; in 1999 a court ruled in Jackson’s favour and threw the lawsuit out (Macau Daily Times). Jackson himself was tried on separate child-molestation charges in 2005 and acquitted on all 14 counts (Fox News).
In November 2009 — five months after Jackson’s death — Chandler was found dead in bed by a concierge in his luxury waterfront apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey, the gun still in his hand (ANI via Filmibeat). He was 65: a single gunshot wound to the head, no note, and officers found medication consistent with a serious medical condition; police ruled the death a suicide (ANI via Filmibeat). Sixteen years later, the settlement he was party to as Jordan’s father resurfaced as the legal hinge of one of Hollywood’s costliest course corrections, when estate attorneys discovered the reported depiction-bar clause only after Michael’s third act had been shot (The Indian Express).
Frequently asked questions
Was Evan Chandler really a screenwriter? He was an aspiring one with a real credit. Chandler, a Beverly Hills dentist, pitched a Robin Hood spoof to his patient, screenwriter J. David Shapiro, during a dental appointment; the two wrote a screenplay together that was sold to and heavily revised by Mel Brooks, becoming the 1993 comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Mental Floss).
What did Evan Chandler accuse Michael Jackson of? Reporting states that in 1993 Chandler alleged Jackson had sexually abused his then-13-year-old son Jordan. An initial investigation found no evidence against Jackson, the family reached a financial settlement in early 1994, and Jackson’s legal team maintained it was not an admission of guilt (The Indian Express).
Was Michael Jackson ever charged in the 1993 case? No. The BBC’s contemporaneous report notes Jackson denied the accusations — made by the father of 13-year-old Jordie Chandler — and was never charged; the civil case was settled out of court (Macau Daily Times, reprinting the BBC).
How did Evan Chandler die? In November 2009 he was found dead in his Jersey City, New Jersey, apartment at 65 — a single gunshot wound to the head, the gun still in his hand, no note. Officers found medication consistent with a serious medical condition, and police ruled the death a suicide (ANI via Filmibeat).
What happened to Chandler’s 1996 lawsuit against Jackson? He brought a claim for around $60 million alleging Jackson had breached the agreement never to discuss the case; in 1999 a court ruled in Jackson’s favour and threw the lawsuit out (Macau Daily Times, reprinting the BBC).
What this profile does not claim
- It does not take a position on the truth of the 1993 allegations; they are described only as reporting reports them, with attribution on every claim.
- It does not state an exact settlement figure; the fully-read sources give $20 million (BBC) and $23 million (Fox News), and the discrepancy is shown in the table rather than resolved.
- It does not assert the 5 November 2009 date of death found in secondary reproductions; it states only November 2009, per the fully-read ANI report.
- It does not assert the reported Lisa Marie Presley / Diane Sawyer trigger for the 1996 lawsuit, which appears only in sources not read in the original.
- It does not assert Chandler’s birth year, birth name, marriages or family details, which appear only in tertiary mirrors.
- It does not claim the depiction-bar clause names Evan Chandler; reporting describes it as barring depiction or mention of Jordan Chandler.
- It makes no claim about Chandler’s personal life beyond what the fully-read sources document.
Timeline
- 1991
- Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is released; Chandler's 11-year-old son jokes that it deserves to be parodied, and Chandler pitches a Robin Hood spoof to screenwriter J. David Shapiro during a dental appointment.
- 1993
- Robin Hood: Men in Tights — the screenplay Chandler wrote with Shapiro, heavily revised by Mel Brooks — reaches theaters. In August, Los Angeles police investigate child-abuse allegations against Michael Jackson; two of Jackson's homes are searched and detectives interview youngsters who visited Neverland Ranch.
- 1994
- The civil case is settled out of court in early 1994; outlets report figures of $20 million (BBC) and $23 million (Fox News). Jackson's lawyers maintain the settlement is not an admission of guilt.
- 1996
- Chandler brings a claim for around $60 million alleging Jackson breached the agreement never to discuss the case.
- 1999
- A court rules in Jackson's favour and throws out Chandler's 1996 lawsuit.
- 2005
- Jackson is tried on separate child-molestation charges and acquitted on all counts.
- 2009
- Chandler is found dead in his Jersey City, New Jersey, apartment in November, aged 65 — a single gunshot wound to the head. Police rule the death a suicide; no note is found.
- 2025–2026
- Attorneys for the Jackson estate discover the reported depiction-bar clause in the 1994 settlement, forcing the biopic Michael to scrap its third act and complete a 22-day, $10–15 million reshoot.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- The exact settlement figure is not settled: the fully-read sources name $20 million (BBC, via the Macau Daily Times) and $23 million (Fox News). The Indian Express names no figure. A tertiary outlet cites the Los Angeles Times for $15 million in a trust plus $1.5 million to each parent, but the LA Times original was not read in full, so that breakdown is not asserted here.
- The exact date of death: secondary reports (including reproductions of the New York Post's 17 November 2009 report) give 5 November 2009, but the original Post and Jersey Journal articles could not be fetched in this session. This profile therefore states only November 2009, per ANI's contemporaneous report.
- The 1996 lawsuit's alleged trigger — a breach of the confidentiality agreement via Jackson's and Lisa Marie Presley's television interview with Diane Sawyer — appears only in secondhand reproductions of the New York Post's reporting; the fully-read source confirms only the $60 million claim and the 1999 dismissal, so the Sawyer/Presley detail is not asserted.
- The depiction-bar clause is reported as barring depiction or mention of Jordan Chandler, not of Evan Chandler; this profile does not claim the clause names Evan.
- Evan Chandler's birth year, birth name, marriages and family details appear only in tertiary mirrors and are not asserted; the fully-read sources document his dentistry, his screenwriting, the accusation, the lawsuits and his death.
- The claim that Chandler ghost-wrote his brother Raymond's 2004 book All That Glitters is uncorroborated ('believed' in tertiary mirrors) and is not asserted.
- Jordan Chandler's 2005–2006 accusations against his father (barbell/mace) and the resulting dropped assault charges were covered in outlets this session could not fetch in the original; they are not asserted here.
Sources
5 sources (3 tier 1, 2 tier 2), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Every source is independent of the subject; no first-party material is cited. See the source policy.
Built from five sources read in full: three tier1 (The Indian Express, ANI via Filmibeat, Fox News) and two tier2 (Mental Floss, the Macau Daily Times' full reprint of the BBC's "On This Day" report with its own "In context" additions). The allegation is described only as reporting reports it, with attribution on every claim; no position is taken on its truth. The New York Post's and the Jersey Journal's 2009 death reports could not be fetched in this session (one original URL unavailable, one domain blocked), so death details rest on ANI; the widely repeated November 5 date is flagged in openItems rather than asserted. Wikipedia and its mirrors were consulted only as a lead index and are not cited. Forum and tabloid reproductions of the 2009 reports were not cited.
- Supports: The 1993 case: Evan Chandler alleged Jackson had sexually abused his then-13-year-old son Jordan; an initial investigation found no evidence; the family reached a financial settlement in early 1994; Jackson's legal team maintained it was not an admission of guilt; the settlement with accuser Jordan Chandler explicitly barred his depiction or mention in any movie; the 22-day June 2025 reshoot ($10–15M) covered by the estate, which took an equity stake; the 2005 acquittal Open original source
- Supports: Evan Chandler's death: 65, found in bed by a concierge in his luxury waterfront apartment with the gun still in his hand, single gunshot wound to the head, no note, medication for a serious medical condition found, police ruled it suicide; Jackson settled a civil suit with the Chandler family for a payoff worth millions Open original source
- Supports: The 1993 Jordan Chandler allegations as a turning point; Chandler alleged abuse in interviews with police and psychiatrists; Jackson paid the family a $23 million settlement in 1994 outside of court; the settlement's terms barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie, forcing the Michael third-act cut; Jackson acquitted on all 14 charges in 2005 Open original source
- Supports: 11-year-old Jordi Chandler told his father Evan that Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) deserved to be parodied; Evan Chandler was a Beverly Hills dentist whose clientele included Hollywood screenwriter J. David Shapiro; during an appointment Chandler pitched the Robin Hood spoof idea; together they put together a screenplay that was later sold to — and heavily revised by — Mel Brooks Open original source
- Supports: August 1993: Los Angeles police investigating child-abuse allegations against Jackson; two of Jackson's homes searched; father of one boy befriended by Jackson alleged seduction and sex acts; detectives interviewed the boy and other youngsters who visited Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, including Macaulay Culkin; Jackson's lawyer Harold Weitzman's statement; security adviser Anthony Pellicano's $20m extortion-plot claim; Jackson denied the accusations made by the father of 13-year-old Jordie Chandler and was never charged; civil case settled out of court in early 1994 for a reported $20m; 1996: Evan started a claim for around $60m alleging Jackson breached the agreement never to discuss the case; 1999: court ruled in Jackson's favour and threw out the lawsuit Open original source
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