I'm completely unsurprised that MJ settled other cases--pedophiles don't hurt just one kid. That's one of the worst things about them--they're rare, but on average, each one molests over 100 kids. That's an awful lot of ruined lives!
I completely agree that the parents bear some responsibility--there isn't enough money (or anything!) in the world to get MJ anywhere near my kids. Not for 30 seconds, not with me and DH present, not at a concert, nothing. I would bar him from my state if I could. These parents are idiots. Even if you want to assume innocent until proven guilty, the mere fact that the issue has been raised would tell me, as a parent, that I'm not going to risk my child's innocence on even the slightest possibility that it could be true.