Although Michael Jackson's child molestation trial opened in January, the events that brought him to a Santa Maria, Calif., courthouse began years before. Courttv.com takes a look back at the first allegations of child molestation, the civil settlements, and all the critical points in his relationship with his current accuser.

Aug. 29, 1958

The Jackson 5

Michael Joe Jackson is born in Gary, Ind. By the age of 6, he is performing with his siblings as a member of the Jackson 5. In 1979, he debuts his breakthrough solo album, "Off the Wall."

1988

Jackson purchases a 2,800-acre ranch in Santa Ynez Valley. He refits his own private Xanadu with trains, wild animals, amusement-park rides, a pirate ship, video arcade and movie theater. The self-proclaimed Peter Pan opens the gates to impoverished and sick children, child actors and a series of boys who become his favored sleepover guests. He calls his home Neverland. Prosecutors later call it bait.

Dec. 2, 1989

Michael Jackson's current accuser, aka John Doe, is born.

1991

"Dangerous," Jackson's third album to sell more than 20 million copies, is released.

1993

Michael Jackson at 1993 deposition

Investigators execute a search warrant on Michael Jackson's private parts. Photos of the singer's penis and buttocks allegedly corroborate distinctive blemishes drawn by 13-year-old Jordie Chandler, whom he is accused of sexually molesting. The investigation is dropped when Chandler's family accepts about $20 million from the singer in exchange for their silence.

1994

Jackson settles with a second accuser, the son of Jackson's former personal maid. The boy receives $2.4 million for alleged inappropriate genital-tickling games beginning in 1987. At age 24, he testifies in Jackson's current trial, breaking down on the stand as he describes the confusion and pain he endured.

1994

Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley. She files for divorce in January 1996.

November 1996

Michael Jackson in 1996

Jackson marries Debbie Rowe. A son, Prince Michael, is born in February 1997, and a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine, is born in April 1998. Jackson and Rowe divorce in 1999. Rowe later surprised the prosecution by testifying that Jackson is a good father.

August 1998

JCPenney security guards allegedly catch Jackson's accuser shoplifting, and an altercation with the family ensues. The mother, aka Jane Doe, claims she was beaten black and blue, and procures photos to prove it, earning the family a $152,000 settlement. A paralegal who worked on the family's civil case testified that Jane Doe's bruises were actually inflicted by her abusive husband.

June 2000

Tragedy strikes 10-year-old John Doe. He goes to the hospital for stomach pains and is diagnosed with cancer. He loses a kidney, his spleen, and lymph nodes, and has a 16-pound tumor removed from his abdomen. Friends of the family, including Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada, rally to his side, introducing him to comedians Chris Tucker, George Lopez and Jay Leno.

August 2000

John Doe's wish comes true when Michael Jackson invites the boy and his family to visit him at Neverland. During this or a second visit, the boy and his brother testified, Jackson showed them Internet porn and joked, "Got milk?" as they ogled bare-chested women. The friendship tapered off in 2001 during the boy's chemotherapy treatments.

October 2001

Jane Doe files for divorce from her abusive husband. Prosecutors contend Jackson preyed on boys from broken homes.

November 2001

Jackson's interview with Martin Bashir

Jane Doe deposits a check for $32,000, her share of the JCPenney settlement. Ten days later she files for emergency welfare benefits, never disclosing the legal windfall. Prosecutors admit her actions were fraudulent, but ask jurors to empathize with the single, poor mother of three.

September 2002

Jackson invites John Doe and his two siblings to Neverland for the filming of a TV documentary, for which British journalist Martin Bashir receives unprecedented access to the King of Pop.

Next: 2003 - Milk and cookies, or porn and wine?