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Katherine Jackson has filed an appeal to the jury’s verdict in Michael Jackson’s wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live, Entertainment Tonight first reported.
In a trial that began in April, Michael Jackson’s mother sued AEG Live for more than $40 billion for the wrongful death of her son, who died at age 50 in 2009.
Katherine Jackson has filed an appeal to the jury’s verdict in Michael Jackson’s wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live
After a lengthy trial, the jury decided in October that AEG was not liable in Michael Jackson’s death, which his mother is now appealing.
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Michael Jackson’s family has lost the negligence case against concert promoters AEG Live over the death of the pop star.
A jury concluded Dr. Conrad Murray, who was looking after Michael Jackson ahead of his concert tour was not unfit for his job – and so AEG had not been negligent in hiring him.
Michael Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50 after taking an overdose of a surgical anaesthetic.
Dr. Conrad Murray was jailed for four years for involuntary manslaughter for administering the drug.
To reach its verdict, the jury of six men and six women had to go through five key yes-no questions seeking to establish whether AEG was responsible for Conrad Murray’s hiring in the first place and concerning his competence for the job.
The jury decided that AEG Live did hire Conrad Murray but found that he was not unfit or incompetent for the job.
Delivering the verdict, jury foreman Gregg Barden said: “That doesn’t mean we felt he was ethical.”
The ruling was welcomed by AEG Live, who argued that they hired Conrad Murray at the request of Michael Jackson and had no knowledge of the star’s drug dependency.
“I counted Michael Jackson a creative partner and a friend,” said AEG Live executive Randy Phillips, who had testified at the trial.
Michael Jackson’s family has lost the negligence case against concert promoters AEG Live over the death of the pop star
“We lost one of the world’s greatest musical geniuses, but I am relieved and deeply grateful that the jury recognized that neither I, nor anyone else at AEG Live, played any part in Michael’s tragic death.”
Michael Jackson’s 83-year-old mother Katherine was in court for the verdict, and appeared emotional as it was read out, Reuters news agency reports.
Katherine Jackson’s lawyer, Kevin Boyle, said the family was “of course… not happy with the result as it stands now. We will be exploring all options legally and factually and make a decision about anything at a later time.”
In closing arguments, the Jackson lawyers had suggested the damages they were seeking could exceed $1 billion – amounts AEG Live had described as “absurd”.
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at his rented home in Los Angeles where he was rehearsing for a series of worldwide This Is It concerts.
It was billed as his comeback tour, coming four years after he had been acquitted in a high-profile child molestation case that took a toll on his reputation and his finances.
The five-month civil case heard about his battles with chronic pain and insomnia and a reliance on powerful painkillers.
Michael Jackson died after Dr. Conrad Murray administered an overdose of the hospital anaesthetic propofol to help him sleep.
Katherine Jackson and Michael’s three children had argued that AEG Live were negligent in failing to properly investigate Conrad Murray before hiring him and ignoring signs that the singer was in poor health.
The concert promoters said only Michael Jackson and Conrad Murray knew he was taking the drug and they would have pulled the plug on the tour if they had known.
More than 50 witnesses testified during the trial, including Katherine Jackson and Michael’s eldest son, Prince.
Dr. Conrad Murray is due to be released later this month after serving two years in jail.
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Michael Jackson’s civil trial in Los Angeles revealed today that the megastar asked a doctor for propofol 10 years before he died of an overdose of the drug.
Dr. Christine Quinn told how Michael Jackson asked her to give him propofol to help him sleep.
Michael Jackson died of an overdose of the drug given to him by Dr. Conrad Murray.
His mother, Katherine Jackson, is suing promoters AEG Live for $40 billion over her son’s 2009 death. The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 over Jackson’s death. AEG, which was promoting his planned comeback concerts, denies it hired Murray.
Dr. Christine Quinn was giving evidence for the defense.
Michael Jackson asked a doctor for propofol 10 years before he died of an overdose of the drug
She said the request for propofol came after she met Michael Jackson while he was undergoing dental procedures.
Dr. Christine Quinn said she told him it was not appropriate to use the drug as a sleep aid.
She told him the sleep you get with anaesthesia “is not real sleep, not restful sleep”.
But Michael Jackson told her it had given him the best sleep he had ever had.
Nurse practitioner Cherilyn Lee also told the court that Michael Jackson had told her he needed propofol to sleep in April 2009.
She said she had warned him that it was unsafe for home use and he might not wake up.
But Michael Jackson told her that doctors had told him he would be fine as long as he was monitored.
She said “his demeanor was <<I have to have this. I have to have this to sleep. You don’t understand, I have not had a good night’s sleep>>”.
AEG Live has also called a number of Michael Jackson’s former doctors to testify.
Dr. Petros Levounis, who had been hired by AEG, told the court on Tuesday that Michael Jackson showed signs that he was shopping around to try to find a doctor who would give him opioid drugs.
Katherine Jackson’s lawyers have said Michael was not an addict.
The prosecution’s case against promotion company AEG Live, in which Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine – along with his children Prince, Paris and Blanket – alleges the company is responsible for the megastar’s 2009 death, came to a tearful close Friday.
After other recent testimony revealed the massive haul Michael Jackson would have received from the This Is It tour he was rehearsing for when he died, the family the megastar left behind is now reportedly expecting to receive upwards of $40 billion.
This, according to sources who told the New York Post that Michael Jackson’s sister Rebbie, 63, and brothers Jermaine, 58, and Randy, 51, have been meeting in a secret Beverly Hills location to discuss how they’ll divvy up the huge settlement they expect to get out of the case.
According to the source, excitement amongst the performer family has heightened after an accountant testified for the prosecution last week that Michael Jackson could have easily taken home $1.5 billion from his ill-fated tour.
The Post’s source even claims Janet Jackson, arguably the most successful Jackson after Michael, has been involved in some of the meetings.
“I’m not sure [the family] sees it as counting their chickens before they are hatched,” a family member told The Post.
Michael Jackson’s family held secret meetings to plot how they will spend the $40 billion they expect to win from AEG
“Anyone who has followed this trial can easily see AEG is liable. So, it stands to reason that the $1.5 billion . . . would be a starting point.”
A starting point from which, the source said, punitive damages can only go up and up.
“You’re still talking about each getting at least a billion,” the insider claimed.
“A little less if Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Latoya decide they want a piece.”
The Post reports that those three aren’t interested in collecting from the case and say they’re not interested in “blood money”.
Meanwhile, The Post claims Jermaine Jackson already intends to buy the Abu Dhabi theme park Ferrari World and that Randy wants to restore the Neverland Ranch.
“Randy plans to use his share of the money to fight the estate because he’s always been serious about what he feels are Michael’s wishes,” The Post claims.
Katherine Jackson was expected to be the final witness called by her attorneys in the negligence lawsuit against AEG Live that has lasted 12 weeks. The defense case is scheduled to begin next week.
The case surrounds the prosecution’s claim that AEG contributed to Michael Jackson’s death, in part, by hiring Dr. Conrad Murray, who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2011 for his role in the star’s death.
AEG denies it hired the doctor or bears any responsibility for the singer’s death.
Katherine Jackson also said she had heard from her other children that Michael Jackson was abusing prescription medication, but she didn’t know what to believe. She said she visited him in Las Vegas a few years ago to ask him about it.
“He promised, he kept saying, <<I’m OK>>,” Katherine Jackson told the jury.
“Sometimes the mothers are the last to know.”
Katherine Jackson said she told her son: “I don’t want to hear on the news that you’re not here anymore.”
Kenny Ortega, the director of Michael Jackson’s planned comeback shows, has broken down in tears while giving evidence at the megastar’s wrongful death trial.
Kenny Ortega said Michael Jackson’s appearance was “very, very troubling” at a rehearsal, days before his death in June 2009.
“I saw a Michael that frightened me,” Kenny Ortega told the jury.
The director was giving evidence for a third day in the case against live event promoter AEG Live.
AEG Live is being sued by Michael Jackson’s mother for $40 billion over his death.
Katherine Jackson claims the company failed to properly investigate Michael’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, and missed warning signs about his failing health as he prepared for his This Is It tour.
Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after giving Michael Jackson a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol in 2009.
The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Kenny Ortega gave evidence at Michael Jackson’s wrongful death trial
Kenny Ortega told the jury on Wednesday that, based on Michael Jackson’s condition, he didn’t believe the This Is It concerts could go forward.
The director said Michael Jackson appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance during at least four rehearsals.
Kenny Ortega said he was under the impression Michael Jackson’s strange behavior followed visits to his doctor.
Michael Jackson’s state was “fairly obvious” to others involved in the production, he added.
The singer also missed several scheduled rehearsals, said Kenny Ortega, adding that during a session six days before his death, he was cold, shivering and seemed lost.
Kenny Ortega, 63, told the court that Michael Jackson improved somewhat as the night went on but wasn’t coherent when he arrived that day. The singer didn’t rehearse that night.
Reading an email he sent to the CEO of concert promoter AEG Live hours after the rehearsal, Kenny Ortega shed tears as he described Michael Jackson as a “lost boy”.
Kenny Ortega said he sent the email to alert AEG officials about Michael Jackson’s condition and trusted them to get the singer appropriate care.
He said he repeatedly called Conrad Murray that night, “the doctor who I thought would be the most natural person” to help.
“Then I reached out to AEG, Michael’s partners, to make sure they were aware of how I felt and what I saw,” he added.
Kenny Ortega outlined a tense meeting with Conrad Murray the following day, during which Murray assured him and AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips that Michael Jackson was capable of rehearsing.
AEG has denied it hired Conrad Murray and said there was no way it could have known the doctor was giving Michael Jackson propofol as a sleep aid.
Kenny Ortega – who directed the High School musical trilogy – is the highest-ranking tour worker to give evidence at the trial and had the most direct contact with AEG executives and Michael Jackson.
The trial, currently in its 11th week, is expected to last until the end of July.
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Kai Chase, Michael Jackson’s former personal chef, has opened up about how Paris and her siblings have coped in the wake of their father’s death.
During a testimony in the Jackson family’s wrongful death suit against AEG Live regarding Michael Jackson’s death, Kai Chase revealed 15-year-old Paris, who is currently recovering in hospital following a failed suicide bid, is “devastated and lost”.
She also revealed that Paris Jackson no longer wants parties for her birthday since her father hosted a private circus for her when she turned 11.
Kai Chase said: “Being daddy’s little girl, Paris is devastated. She’s devastated and lost. She’s trying to find herself and find who she is. It’s taking a lot of love and understanding to keep her together. She breaks down, she cries, she talks about him.”
Earlier in her testimony, Kai Chase described an April 2009 birthday party for Paris Jackson that included a private circus. The Cirque du Soleil-style show featured men on stilts and a woman performing in a giant balloon, Kai Chase said.
Paris Jackson, who was turning 11, adored her father and Kai Chase helped decorate a room filled with posters and photos of Michael Jackson. The singer’s music was played throughout the party.
It was the last birthday party Paris Jackson, now 15, has had.
“Paris hasn’t had any birthdays since,” Kai Chase said.
“She hasn’t wanted to celebrate since.”
Michael Jackson’s youngest son, Blanket, who remains home-schooled, wears a T-shirt with his father’s image every Friday, she said.
A video deposition of Paris from March was shown as part of the trial on Tuesday, as the teenager is still too unwell to testify in person.
Paris Jackson no longer wants parties for her birthday since Michael Jackson hosted a private circus for her when she turned 11
The videos were used after lawyers for the Jackson family told the judge that Paris, who is suing the concert giant along with her grandmother Katherine, 83, and siblings, would be unable to testify in person due to the fact that she is still recovering in hospital.
Katherine Jackson’s lawsuit claims AEG failed to properly investigate Dr. Conrad Murray, who is serving a four-year prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter over Michael’s death, and pushed the superstar to rehearse and perform a planned series of 50 comeback shows titled This Is It.
Lawyers acting for Paris, Prince Michael, Blanket, and Katherine contend that pressure from AEG led to Michael Jackson’s death from an overdose of surgical anaesthetic in June 2009, two weeks before his This Is It concerts were to begin at the O2 Arena in London.
Both Paris Jackson and her brother Prince are listed as potential witnesses in the case, which is in its sixth week of trial.
However, in the video testimonial from March which was replayed on Tuesday, Paris Jackson claimed that her former nanny Grace Rwaramba, who has visited the teenager in hospital since her suicide attempt, was “obsessed” with Michael Jackson.
Paris Jackson said: “My dad didn’t like her so he tried to keep her away from us. He would send her to run errands a lot… He said she was sneaky, she was not an honest person and she lied a lot.”
She added in the footage: “She used to be [one of the nannies] but she got really creepy. This is going to freak you out. One time, it was before – me and my brother were really young – before Blanket was born.
“When he would stay in a hotel, or whatever, she would call the hotel and say that she was his wife. She was obsessed with him… They let her in and he’d wake up and she would be in his bed.”
Marvin S. Putnam, a defense attorney for AEG Live, said Paris and Prince Jackson were deposed in the case because they are named plaintiffs. He said Paris Jackson’s testimony was not a “grilling” but urged privacy for her and her family.
“There’s a real person involved here,” Marvin S. Putnam said.
“There’s a 15-year-old girl and something incredibly tragic has happened that none of us know why and I think it would really be in everyone’s best interest and particularly in her best interest if rather than blowing this up into something else, that they were given a little bit of privacy to deal with something that has to be a tragic, tragic moment for all of them.”
“She’s 15,” he said.
“Someone should give her a break.”
According to TMZ, legal papers reveal the famous offspring are asking for $10 billion for all of the future earnings they claim their father would have generated if he had he lived.
According to the website, the family want an additional $50 million for various other damages.
AEG, which denies any liability for Michael Jackson’s death, says the huge figure is based on speculation and that the star’s career was on a downward spiral.
Legal analysts say the billions being claimed are unlikely to be awarded and are a legal tactic to get publicity for the case.
Just days prior to her suicide bid, Paris Jackson was reportedly told that she does not share the same biological father as Prince.
Then, over the days that followed, Paris Jackson spiraled into depression and was admitted to the UCLA medical centre hospital after cutting her wrists and taking an overdose of pills on June 5.
Whilst Paris Jackson is said to be feeling better, she could remain in hospital for another month.
AEG Live’s dealings with Michael Jackson’s doctor were “highly inappropriate”, music industry expert David Berman has told a US court.
Michael Jackson died in 2009 following an overdose of a powerful anaesthetic administered by Dr. Conrad Murray.
Conrad Murray, hired ahead of Michael Jackson’s comeback shows in London, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011.
Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, is suing AEG Live for $40 billion. The company have denied any wrongdoing.
The Jackson family claim AEG Live failed to properly investigate Conrad Murray and missed warning signs about the singer’s health.
David Berman, a former head of Capitol records, is testifying for Katherine Jackson during the on-going case in Los Angeles.
Asked whether it was appropriate for the concert company to attempt to hire a doctor on the singer’s behalf, David Berman said: “I believe that it’s highly inappropriate. It is highly unusual.”
Michael Jackson died in 2009 following an overdose of a powerful anaesthetic administered by Dr. Conrad Murray
He added that a more appropriate relationship would have been for Michael Jackson to hire cardiologist Conrad Murray without any involvement from AEG Live.
David Berman said that after viewing draft contracts and emails between AEG company executives, he believed AEG Live thought it controlled the physician.
He also said the company should not have negotiated with Conrad Murray without notifying Michael Jackson’s representatives.
The experienced executive, who worked with acts such as The Eagles, The Beach Boys and The Doors, is being paid $500 an hour to testify for Katherine Jackson.
David Berman retired from the music industry in 2001 to become an expert witness for music industry-related lawsuits.
AEG’s lawyers have objected to David Berman’s expertise, pointing out he has never been a tour producer or promoter.
An AEG lawyer showed David Berman a statement signed by Michael Jackson’s former manager, Frank Dileo, stating that he was aware of negotiations with Conrad Murray, and that it was his understanding that AEG Live’s CEO objected to bringing the physician on tour.
AEG have yet to question David Berman in court.
The company denies it hired Conrad Murray. The company’s executives and lawyers have said that AEG was merely advancing Michael Jackson the money to pay Conrad Murray, and a valid contract never existed.
Its executives have also stated that it agreed to pay Conrad Murray’s salary only because Michael Jackson insisted on him coming on tour.
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Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who is overseeing the guardianship of Michael Jackson’s children, has ordered an inquiry into Paris Jackson’s wellbeing after she attempted to kill herself earlier this week.
Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff asked an investigator to look into the 15-year-old’s health and welfare.
A lawyer for Katherine Jackson, Paris’s grandmother, said he was “completely supportive” of the court order.
Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff asked an investigator to look into Paris Jackson’s health, education and welfare after her suicide attempt
He declined to comment further on her current health status.
Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued a similar inquiry into the welfare of the Jackson children last year after Katherine Jackson, their guardian at the time, was out of communication with them for several days.
That led to TJ Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, being appointed co-guardian to Paris, Prince and Blanket.
A lawyer for Michael Jackson’s estate said it would assist the guardians however necessary to help Paris.
“The estate will work with Paris’s guardians to provide whatever is required for her best interests,” Howard Weitzman said in a statement.
“We are totally and completely supportive of Paris as her wellbeing is our foremost concern.”
Judge Mitchell Beckloff’s order requires an investigator to prepare a report that only the judge will be allowed to review.
He did not include instructions on how the review should occur or when the report was due.
Authorities were dispatched to the Jackson family home on Thursday in response to a report of a possible overdose.
Lawyer Perry Sanders said Paris Jackson was “physically fine” and was getting “appropriate medical attention”.
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Paris Jackson is currently at West Hills hospital in Los Angeles, recovering from a suicide attempt after reportedly taking an overdose and cutting herself with a cleaver.
But what’s the cause of Paris Jackson crisis?
Some reports said that as well as being in the middle of school exams, Paris Jackson was upset this week after being banned by her family from going to a concert by goth rocker Marilyn Manson, who appeals to troubled teenagers with songs such as Misery Machine and Leave A Scar.
One cause may be the battle royal that is raging over who is to take on the role of her mother. Paris Jackson – who at Michael Jackson’s express behest never had a mother figure – has been reaching out to the woman who gave her up as a baby, Debbie Rowe.
Paris Jackson has mused publicly about their emotional and even their physical similarities. Although the teenager is as thin as a whip and Debbie Rowe is overweight, they have the same tip-tilted nose and pixie-chin, and the same slightly slanting blue-green eyes.
She wrote with pride on her website this spring: “So glad I bonded with my mother. It’s like we have this really strong relationship and did I mention, I kind of look like her. It was so amazing to see my mother after all these years. Love her.”
Paris Jackson pictured with her biological mother Debbie Rowe as she celebrated 15th birthday anniversary
The renewed contact, though, has left her at loggerheads with her grandmother Katherine Jackson, 83. It’s no secret among the Jacksons that Michael’s mother mistrusts Debbie Rowe.
Recent reports suggest that Paris Jackson has been “depressed” and prone to screaming tantrums in recent weeks.
A source in the Jackson household told Entertainment Tonight this week that Paris “calls all the shots” at home and is used to getting her way and doing things as she sees fit – part of the reason her aunt, the singer Janet Jackson, attempted to take her mobile phone during a highly-publicized altercation outside the Jackson family compound last year.
Paris Jackson is also said to be terrified by the prospect of testifying at the ongoing “wrongful death” lawsuit the Jacksons are bringing against concert promoters AEG Live. Michael Jackson was signed to perform a series of gigs which the family argues he was in no fit state to perform. Paris Jackson can expect to be asked about her father’s health and state of mind before he died, and the events of the day he died.
Meanwhile AEG Live claimed it has a further bombshell – it claims to have “irrefutable” proof that Michael Jackson is not the biological father of Prince or Paris, which they wish to bring to court.
Jackson family lawyers argue that the issue is irrelevant, and AEG Live is just seeking to embarrass the family.
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New reports claim Paris Jackson was “overwhelmed” with teenage turmoil before her attempted suicide just weeks before the fourth anniversary of her father’s death.
Paris Jackson, 15, cut her wrists and took a d**g overdose, according to reports.
The teenager had become “overwhelmed” with sadness over the loss of her superstar father, said a friend of the Jackson family.
Paris Jackson is also in the middle of doing her exams at school and is anxious over her looming appearance in court in Los Angeles where she is due to testify in a trial connected with Michael Jackson’s fatal overdose on June 25, 2009.
In addition, sources said the teenager was upset at not being allowed to go to a concert by goth rocker Marilyn Manson tonight.
She “threw a fit” after being told she couldn’t attend the concert on a school night and reportedly ran into her room screaming and slammed the door.
Paris Jackson is going through a difficult time and has had “a lot going on lately”, her mother Debbie Rowe, who was pictured speaking to police on Wednesday outside her Palmdale ranch in California.
The teen has posted a series of dark messages on Twitter over recent months.
New reports claim Paris Jackson was “overwhelmed” with teenage turmoil before her attempted suicide
In May Paris Jackson saluted Goth rocker Marylin Manson on her Twitter page, writing: “Hey evil world,” while in another from that month she refers to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994, as “Jesus”.
In another angst-ridden tweet in February Paris Jackson hinted at heartache over a failed relationship, exclaiming: “Here’s to teenage romances and never knowing why they hurt like hell.”
Perry Sanders, a lawyer for Katherine Jackson, the teen’s grandmother added: “Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are. It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you.”
But he continued: “Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention.”
The drama unfolded just hours after the teenager posted a series of alarming messages on Twitter.
At around midnight on Tuesday, Paris Jackson recited the sorrowful Beatles song Yesterday to her million plus followers, writing: “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay.”
An hour previously, she posted: “I wonder why tears are salty.”
The backdrop to her Twitter page shows Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, painted while the artist was in a mental asylum in Saint-Remy, France.
Scott Miller of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said an emergency call was made from the Jackson family compound in Calabasas, California, at 1.27 a.m. on Wednesday “regarding a possible overdose”.
Paris Jackson was taken out of the house on a stretcher at 2 a.m. and rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
According to TMZ, a source connected to the emergency response said there were multiple cuts on one of the victim’s wrists.
“She’s okay,” a source told the New York Daily News, scoffing at the idea that the teen would resort to suicide over missing a concert.
“She’s very outgoing and has been spending time lately with Debbie and the animals. This is more just a kid acting out.”
Katherine Jackson, 83, and other family members were at Paris’s hospital bedside yesterday. Her life was not thought to be in any danger.
Michael Jackson, who died in June 2009 from a lethal dose of surgical anaesthetic propofol, was married to Debbie Rowe from 1996 to 1999.
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Randy Phillips, head of concert promoters AEG Live, has admitted in court in Los Angeles he believes a legal action filed by Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine is a “baseless extortion” attempt.
Katherine Jackson, 83, claims AEG Live failed to investigate the doctor who was later convicted of causing Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.
AEG Live is being sued for $40 billion.
Randy Phillips says AEG bear no responsibility for Michael Jackson’s death.
When asked on Tuesday by Katherine Jackson’s lawyer whether he thought the case was a “baseless extortion, a shakedown of AEG Live”, Randy Phillips answered: “Yes.”
It is likely Randy Phillips will be asked about numerous emails he sent and received about Michael Jackson’s health in the final weeks of the singer’s life, as well as any interactions he had with his physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
Katherine Jackson is accused of extortion by AEG Live’s Randy Phillips
AEG Live claims it was not responsible for the hire or supervision of the doctor and has called the legal action “preposterous”.
AEG also denies hiring Dr. Conrad Murray and agreeing to pay his fee as an advance to Michael Jackson.
Conrad Murray agreed to serve as Michael Jackson’s doctor for $150,000 a month while he performed shows at London’s 02 Arena in 2009 and early 2010.
The physician was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter after supplying Michael Jackson with a surgical anaesthetic.
The civil trial is now in its sixth week.
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Now reports have claimed that Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris already moved in with her biological mother Debbie Rowe.
According to CelebrityFix, Paris Jackson packed her bags at the home of her grandmother Katherine and is settling into her new abode.
“There has been a string of turbulent rows in the Jackson home over the past few weeks and it’s all coming to a head,” a source told the website.
Despite these reports Paris Jackson’s regular posts on her Twitter page prove that she is perfectly happy and well-adjusted teenager, and on Thursday she gushed of her excitement about the upcoming school summer holiday.
Paris Jackson recently opted to spend her 15th birthday with Debbie Rowe instead of grandmother Katherine Jackson, and the teen is apparently becoming more independent by the day.
Paris Jackson recently opted to spend her 15th birthday with Debbie Rowe instead of grandmother Katherine Jackson
“Whilst she loves her grandmother Katherine, Paris thinks she has some extremely old-fashioned beliefs,” the insider said.
“Paris is an extremely independent young woman and as she’s got older, she’s starting to voice her opinion more and stand up for herself and her beliefs.”
According to the reports Paris Jackson is encouraging her two brothers to follow suit and also move in with Debbie Rowe.
The source said: “Paris is trying to persuade Prince and Blanket to join her. Debbie has told her they would all be welcome, but there are certain laws which have to be obeyed and Paris knows that whilst she may be able to leave, it would be far more difficult for the boys due to the legalities.
“Debbie has called for talks between her, Paris and Katherine. She thinks they all need to sit down and discuss the situation to avoid any more rows and try to make any transition as easy for Paris as possible.”
Apparently Paris Jackson is not just enjoying the chance to bond with her mother, but also the freedom of not being surrounded by security all the time.
“For years she was forced to wear masks, protected by a harem of security and surrounded by entourage,” the source said.
“She hates that life and knows that was something Michael wanted to protect all of them from. She feels that by separating herself from her grandmother, she could have a more normal life.”
Paris Jackson and her biological mother Debbie Rowe spent Saturday getting to know each other at a horse ranch in Temecula, California.
Showing just how close they are becoming, Paris Jackson, 15, chose to be with Debbie Rowe, 54, rather than her grandmother and guardian Katherine Jackson, who was celebrating her 83rd birthday.
Debbie Rowe and Paris Jackson spent a large chunk of the day together, as they followed up the pony-scouting with a bite to eat with the owners of the ranch, in the countryside almost two hours away from Paris’ home.
Laughing Paris Jackson appeared comfortable in the company of her mother, who signed away all legal rights to her and her siblings in 2001.
Paris Jackson and her biological mother Debbie Rowe spent Saturday getting to know each other at a horse ranch in Temecula
Debbie Rowe looked to be right at home on the ranch, Bricker Performance Ponies.
The former dermatologist’s assistant now lives in the countryside in Palmdale, California, and has been seen visiting rodeos of late.
Paris Jackson was stylishly clad in her usual alternative attire: cutoff denim shorts and a tank, with her pixie locks at times held back in a red beanie.
She added a pair of western style cowboy boots to go with the theme of the day.
It seems she got her style from her late father, Michael Jackson, rather than her mother.
Debbie Rowe was comfortably though not exactly stylishly clad in baggy jeans, a blue long-sleeved top and flip-flops, with her blonde tresses unkempt.
The owners of the ranch looked to be rather star struck by the visit, smiling graciously as they toured the pair around the property.
They then joined Paris Jackson and Debbie Rowe for sushi, despite the fact that it was Paris’ grandmother’s birthday that very day… almost two hours away, back in West Los Angeles.
After Michael Jackson’s sudden death, Paris and her brothers Prince and Blanket were placed under court-mandated guardianship of their cousin T.J. Jackson and 83-year-old grandmother Katherine.
Though Debbie Rowe has been absent from the children’s lives and shockingly said in the past that: “My kids don’t call me mom because I don’t want them to,” it appears she may be determined to forge a real relationship with Paris Jackson.
Katherine Jackson’s lawyer says Michael Jackson’s promoters AEG Live failed properly to vet Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of causing the megastar’s death from a drug overdose, as a wrongful death lawsuit opens.
Katherine Jackson and his three children say AEG Live should be held liable for Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.
The promoters say they did no wrong and could not have foreseen Michael Jackson’s death on the eve of his comeback tour.
Millions of dollars are at stake in the trial, which could last up to 90 days.
Brian Panish, who represents Michael Jackson’s relatives, told a court in Los Angeles that AEG Live was the only party that maintained it was unaware of the star’s addiction to prescription drugs.
“Over the years Michael’s family and people who knew him believed he had a problem with prescription medication,” Brian Panish told a jury of six men and six women.
Katherine Jackson’s lawyer says Michael Jackson’s promoters AEG Live failed properly to vet Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of causing the megastar’s death
“His stirring voice, his musical genius, his creativity and his generosity and his huge heart was extinguished forever,” the lawyer said, adding that jurors would have to decide who was responsible for the star’s death.
But AEG Live’s lawyer Marvin Putnam said Michael Jackson’s closely guarded private life left the promoters in the dark about his drug dependence.
“The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone,” Marvin Putnam said.
“He made sure that no-one, nobody, knew his deepest darkest secrets.”
The case, which is expected to focus on the last months of Michael Jackson’s life, his financial history and his overall health, could feature testimony from his children.
It is also reported that stars such as singer Diana Ross, director Spike Lee and music producer Quincy Jones may take the stand.
The trial is expected to focus on Conrad Murray, the former cardiologist who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for administering a combination of sedatives and the anaesthetic propofol that killed Jackson.
The Jackson family claims in its suit, filed in 2010, that AEG Live had not properly investigated Conrad Murray’s background before he was hired to serve as Michael Jackson’s personal physician.
Conrad Murray was to be paid $150,000 a month during the This Is It concert series, but Michael Jackson died before the tour began.
The doctor is in prison, appealing against his conviction.
AEG Live is expected to argue that Michael Jackson had selected Conrad Murray to be his personal doctor, and that Murray was not officially an AEG Live employee.
Michael Jackson’s family is expected to argue the concert promoters put pressure on Conrad Murray to get the megastar ready for the gruelling tour schedule despite the pop icon’s fragile health.
Famous members of Michael Jackson’s family, including his sister Janet, are also expected to attend the trial.
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AEG Live, Michael Jackson’s former concert promoter, is withdrawing a $17.5 million insurance claim over the singer’s cancelled comeback gigs.
AEG had filed the claim against insurer Lloyd’s of London for its concert-related losses in 2009.
However, the insurance company sought to nullify the policy, saying AEG made false claims about Michael Jackson’s health.
A lawyer for AEG said the company dropped the claim because it had been reimbursed by the singer’s estate.
The move comes a week after the publication of leaked internal emails from the concert promoters which saw them voice concerns over the 50-year-old’s stability and health.
AEG Live, Michael Jackson's former concert promoter, is withdrawing a $17.5 million insurance claim over the singer's cancelled comeback gigs
In one email, sent the day the singer appeared in London to announce his This Is It shows, AEG chief executive Randy Phillips described the singer as “locked in his room drunk and despondent”.
The company’s lawyer Marvin Putnam said the decision to withdraw the insurance claim had “nothing to do with the recent leak”.
Lawyers said they suspected the emails were leaked from material shared between the two sides in a separate legal case between AEG and Jackson’s mother, Katherine.
Katherine Jackson has accused the promoters of pressuring the singer to carry on with the sold-out comeback shows despite indications he was too weak.
“We are standing by AEG’s lawyers comments that the withdrawal of the claim was not related to the leaked emails,” Paul Schriffer, a lawyer for Lloyd’s of London said.
“In exchange for AEG withdrawing its insurance claim, underwriters agreed to dismiss AEG from the case and to waive any costs recoverable from AEG.”
Michael Jackson died on 25 June, 2009 from an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol.
Last November his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of his involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in jail.
It has been revealed that Katherine Jackson does not want to see her children Janet, Randy and Rebbie anyway.
According to a source, Katherine Jackson is so upset with her children’s recent behavior she will not see them, even if it is at another location other than the Calabasas property they are banned from.
“For the time being, Janet, Rebbie, and Randy aren’t allowed at the home,” a source told Radaronline.
“The executors were asked to send a letter to Katherine’s children after the trio, plus Jermaine, descended onto the house while Katherine was in Tucson, Arizona unaware that her grandchildren had been trying to reach her, and an altercation ensued.
“Katherine is free to see Janet, Rebbie, or Randy, just not at that house.
“However Katherine has absolutely no desire to see them right now because she is just heartbroken that they betrayed her trust and didn’t tell her that Michael’s children had been trying to contact her,” added the source.
The insider says Katharine Jackson will forgive but she will most definitely not forget.
“[She will] never publicly say anything negative about her children, it’s just not who she is. However, she is just absolutely disappointed that Janet, Randy, Rebbie, and Jermaine would keep her in the dark like that.
“Jermaine has apologized, but Katherine can’t forget it,” the sourced added.
“Katherine recognizes that Randy was behind all of this, and wishes he would stop spouting off to the press about their family business. She isn’t having any contact with him especially right now.”
Katherine Jackson is so upset with her children's recent behavior she will not see them, even if it is at another location other than the Calabasas property they are banned from
Last week Janet Jackson broke her silence after weeks of highly-publicized disputes with her relatives over the validity of her late brother Michael’s will.
The singer, in a statement released on behalf of herself and siblings Randy and Rebbie Jackson, claimed the executors of Michael’s will were causing harm by damaging “fundamental family relationships”.
The statement, released through Janet Jackson’s attorney, Blair G Brown, also accused executors John Branca and John McClain of isolating matriarch Katherine Jackson “from anyone questioning the validity of Michael’s will”.
At the start of this month a judge named TJ Jackson, a cousin to Michael Jackson’s three minor children, as co-guardian with Katherine, who was named their sole caretaker in the disputed will.
Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson in the statement accused John Branca and John McClain of a “relentless” negative media campaign and said that they were barred from visiting their 82-year-old mother or Jackson’s children, Prince, 15, Paris, 14, and Blanket, 10.
“The effect of that notice not only is to damage fundamental family relationships, it is also to isolate Katherine Jackson from anyone questioning the validity of Michael’s will,” the statement read.
“Since the loss of Michael, Janet, Randy, and Rebbie‘s principal concern has been and continues to be for the safety and well-being of Michael‘s children, their mother Katherine Jackson, and the entire family.
“Unfortunately, those people have been harmed by the actions of the executors of Michael‘s estate, the estate’s lawyer, and those installed and paid to do their bidding,” it continued.
They said they would continue to contest Michael Jackson’s will because “the executors have never explained how Michael could have signed his will in California on a date that irrefutable evidence establishes that he was in New York”.
Representatives for executors John Branca and John McClain released a statement some weeks ago saying: “Any doubts about the validity of Michael’s will and his selection of Executors were thoroughly and completely debunked two years ago when a challenge was rejected by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the California Court of Appeals and, finally, the California Supreme Court.”
Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson said that they will continue to contest Michael’s will, and added, “they stand nothing to gain financially by a finding that the will is invalid”.
“The individuals who have the most to lose by a finding that the will is invalid are, of course, the executors and those on the executors’ payroll.”
The siblings said they would “press forward in their search for the truth in order to carry out the wishes of their brother Michael”.
The Jackson siblings’ statement came days after their mother Katherine was stripped of her guardianship after she was reported missing by a family member following a sudden absence from the Calabasas home she shares with her late son’s children.
Katherine Jackson was determined to be staying at an Arizona resort while Prince and Paris made claims on Twitter they were barred from contacting their grandmother – leading to a driveway dispute between the siblings and their older relatives.
During bizarre scenes Randy, Janet and Jermaine Jackson apparently burst into the home, reportedly demanding that the children come with them to Arizona where their grandmother was staying. Police were called and “two male adults became violent”, according to police officers.
The dispute prompted Katherine Jackson to make a televised statement last week – with Janet, Jermaine, Rebbie, Rebbie’s daughter, and a manager of the resort where she was staying – to reassure the public she was fine.
However, in a court deposition released within days of that interview, she revealed she was unaware the children were trying to reach her, and that her mobile devices were taken during her time away, preventing her from contacting them.
Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael Jackson’s two older children, Prince and Paris, has warned she will demand custody if the civil war in the Jackson family isn’t resolved.
Up until now, Debbie Rowe has been happy to remain on the sidelines and allow Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, to raise her children.
But sources close to the family said Debbie Rowe has become increasingly concerned about how the turmoil in the family is affecting Prince, 15 and 14-year-old Paris.
Now Debbie Rowe has filed legal papers at Los Angeles Superior Court backing a new guardianship deal reached between Katherine Jackson, 82, and her grandson TJ, 34, to share parenting responsibilities for Michael’s three children, including Blanket, 10, whose biological mother has never been identified.
But in the documents, the 53-year-old former dermatology nurse warns: “Should the arrangement sought by TJ Jackson and Katherine Jackson become untenable, unstable, unsafe, or in any way contrary to the best interests of the children, Ms. Rowe will seek court intervention.”
Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael Jackson’s two older children, Prince and Paris, has warned she will demand custody if the civil war in the Jackson family isn’t resolved
The stay-away mother claims her concern is for the health, safety and well-being of her children; and says she will continue to ensure their needs are met.
Debbie Rowe is said to have strong feelings that the children should not be put into the care of the Jackson siblings who became embroiled in a bitter feud over the way Michael’s children and his affairs have been handled in the wake of his 2009 death.
Last month, Janet, Jermaine, Rebbie and Randy Jackson took Katherine away to a spa in Arizona and kept her incommunicado from her grandchildren because they claimed she was becoming ill from the stress of handling the multi-million pound estate.
The bizarre family coup resulted in Paris and Prince, both worried about their guardian’s whereabouts, launching scathing attacks on their Twitter accounts.
Katherine Jackson and the three children were the sole beneficiaries in Michael’s will.
Debbie Rowe, a longtime Michael Jackson fan, offered to bear the star’s children following the collapse of his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley in 1996.
Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe married that year in Australia and three months later she gave birth to their first son, Prince.
Paris was born the following year, but the unlikely couple divorced in 1999 and Michael Jackson took full responsibility for raising the children.
Debbie Rowe reportedly received a $9.5 million settlement and a house in Beverly Hills, California, in return for effectively handing over her rights as a mother.
In August 2009 – two months after Michael Jackson’s sudden death – Debbie Rowe reached a custody settlement with Katherine Jackson under which she was allowed supervised visits with the children.
Debbie Rowe is said to have been monitoring the unrest in the Jackson family closely and agreed to sign off on the new joint parenting deal at the request of the judge overseeing the case.
Diana Ross, named as a back-up guardian for his children in Michael Jackson’s will, also agreed to the terms of the new arrangement.
Katherine Jackson, mother of late megastar Michael Jackson, has been re-instated as guardian of his three children by a court in Los Angeles.
Katherine Jackson, 82, will share custody with their cousin TJ (Tito Jackson Jr.), who was made temporary guardian last week after she was reported missing.
She had not had contact with her grandchildren for ten days, but was later found at a spa in Arizona.
A hearing on 22 August will decide if the arrangement will be made permanent.
Tito Jackson Jr., the 34-year-old son of Michael Jackson’s brother Tito, stepped in as guardian for Prince Michael, 15, Paris, 14 and 10 year-old Blanket.
However, his lawyer Charles Shultz said he “in no way was trying to displace his grandmother” as “they respect each other”.
Katherine Jackson will share custody of Michael’s children with their cousin TJ, who was made temporary guardian last week after she was reported missing
Under the new agreement, TJ Jackson remains as co-guardian, with control over the staff and day-to-day operations of the family home.
Perry Sanders Jr., Katherine Jackson’s lawyer, has said the arrangement will allow his client to focus on the children’s upbringing and not on financial or logistics issues.
The co-guardianship arrangement would also allow either adult to serve as sole guardian if the other were no longer able to serve
In a sworn statement, Katherine Jackson said: “I am, and have been, very close with my grandson TJ and have relied on him to help me raise Prince, Paris and Blanket since the death of their father.
“While I was away, I assumed that (the children) would be secure and safe in the hands of the person who had essentially been acting as an informal co-guardian on many matters with me since my appointment as guardian.”
The Jackson family has been involved in legal and financial disputes since the singer’s sudden death in June 2009.
His will left nothing to his siblings and last week several of them signed a letter claiming it was a fake, calling on executors of the estate to resign.
However, Jermaine Jackson withdrew his support for the letter on Wednesday and issued a plea on Twitter for peace in the family.
He wrote that the family is still raw from Michael Jackson’s death, and his mother has endured incredible stress and pressures since then.
Katherine Jackson returned to the family compound near Los Angeles last week after publicly denying rumors she had been kidnapped by some of her adult children.
She said she was unaware she had even been reported missing during her stay at the luxury spa in Tucson, Arizona last month, from where she said was unable to communicate with the outside world.
Katherine Jackson claims she was not allowed access to a phone or her iPad after being sent there following doctor’s orders to rest, but was told that the kids were fine.
Court documents revealed that she had only learned she was the subject of a search when she accidentally heard a TV report.
“While there was a telephone in my room, the telephone was not functioning and I could not dial out,” she said in the documents.
“In addition, there was no picture on the television in my room,” she added, and said she had repeatedly asked to have the TV fixed.
“One morning I woke up to the sound of the television,” she said. “While there was no picture, I heard a broadcast that stated I was missing.”
Katherine Jackson made a statement to ABC News before she left Tucson, seated with her children Randy, Janet and Rebbie next to her, denying that she had been prevented from leaving.
“My children would never do a thing to me like that, holding me against my will,” she said.
“It’s very stupid for people to think that.”
Katherine Jackson also said she was devastated she had lost guardianship of her grandchildren “based on a bunch of lies.”
Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said an investigator who looked into the children’s care found the late singer’s mother was an excellent guardian and the children love her.
Michael Jackson died aged 50 from an overdose of the surgical anaesthetic propofol.
His former doctor Conrad Murray was jailed for four years in November, after being convicted of the singer’s involuntary manslaughter.
Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s mother, has broken her silence after “deserting” her grandchildren for ten days – to claim she “wasn’t kidnapped” and “just needed a rest”.
Following days of escalating tensions amongst her feuding family Katherine Jackson, 82, was filmed by ABC News claiming: “There are rumors going around about me that I have been kidnapped… I am here today to let everybody to know that I am good and fine.
“My children would never do anything to me like that. It’s stupid.”
In a bizarre show of unity her children Jermaine, Janet and Rebbie stood close around an anxious Katherine Jackson as she read out a prepared statement at the luxury resort where she has been staying.
Katherine Jackson seemed confused at times, calling grandson Prince “my nephew”.
Earlier Katherine Jackson had lost custody of her late son Michael’s three children after a judge awarded temporary guardianship of the trio to their cousin Tito Jackson Jr., also known as TJ.
Michael Jackson’s children, Prince, 15, Paris, 14, and Blanket, 10, will be cared for by their 34-year-old cousin who had been staying with them in their grandmother’s absence.
Katherine Jackson said: “I am devastated that while I’ve been away, my grandchildren have been taken away from me and I’m coming home.”
And she claimed the move was “based on a bunch of lies”.
But Katherine Jackson failed to explain why she hadn’t notified her three wards of her intention to take a “short vacation and rest”.
“One reason I didn’t call is I just gave up my phone and I didn’t want to have any phone calls while I was here,” Katherine Jackson said.
She also confirmed that she had left her grandson TJ in charge.
The film crew was told they were not to ask Katherine Jackson any questions as she read the statement.
At one stage Janet and Jermaine Jackson exchanged glances and whispered.
Katherine Jackson also explained that her assistant had been in contact with her grandson Prince.
“He said everything was going fine back home,” she said.
“Still I think about the children… worry about them but they’re fine.”
Katherine Jackson then confirmed reports that she had spoken to her grandchildren after ten days without contact.
“I told them I would come home today and they’re waiting for me to come,” she said.
Bizarrely Katherine Jackson also repeatedly thanked the resort where she had been staying, adding: “I had a very good time here – and if anyone wants to rest I think they should come here.”
The latest feud between the Jacksons is said to have been stemmed from a dispute over Michael Jackson’s $500 million will.
Michael Jackson died in June 2009 at age 50 and left his estate to care for his mother and three children. He left nothing to his father or siblings, who have repeatedly tried to intervene in the estate.
Several have expressed doubts about the validity of his will, although the courts have rejected this.
Following yesterday’s ruling TJ, the son of Michael’s brother Tito, will now get access to funds from the estate in order to care for the children, who are said to be in favor of him being their temporary guardian.
Jermaine, Janet and Rebbie stood close around an anxious Katherine Jackson as she read out a prepared statement at the luxury resort where she has been staying
Katherine Jackson’s statement to ABC News
On the “kidnapping”:
“There are rumors going around about me that I have been kidnapped and held against my will.
“I am here today to let everybody know that I am fine and I am here with my children, and my children would never do a thing to me like that, holding me against my will.
“It’s very stupid for people to think that.”
On the loss of custody of her grandchildren:
“I am devastated that while I’ve been away, that my children, my grandchildren, have been taken away from me, and I’m coming home to see about that, also.”
Who was looking after her grandchildren?
“Before I left I put everything in order with the appropriate people to take care of my children for me and it’s really bad to hear that what’s going on at home, and the children have been taken away – but I know that… I’ll get there in time to get them back.
“And after I finish this, I will be on my way home.”
Where did she go?
“I am grateful for my children that they saw that I needed rest and they wanted to take me away for a while, just a short vacation and rest up.
“They have taken good care of me and have made sure that I got the rest that I needed.”
Why didn’t she call?
“One reason I haven’t called is I just gave up my phone and I didn’t want to have any phone calls while I was here.”
The $500 million fight for Michael Jackson’s fortune:
What’s at stake:
A recent financial summary showed that Michael Jackson’s estate has earned almost $500 million in gross profits since his death, and many of his major debts have either been resolved or are no longer delinquent.
Key players:
Katherine Jackson
• Beneficiary of Michael’s Jackson’s estate and legal guardian of his three children. She was reported missing over the weekend but later found to be with her daughter Rebbie and other relatives in Arizona.
• Her lawyer claims a plan has been in place for the last three years to remove Katherine Jackson from her home and her beloved grandchildren. Last reported whereabouts – an Arizona spa.
Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket
• Michael Jackson’s three children are set to inherit his $500 million estate when Katherine Jackson dies. None of Michael Jackson’s eight siblings were named in will. Michael Jackson’s kids are seeking contact with their grandmother Katherine, who they have not spoken to in nine days.
• Targeted in an “ambush” by uncles and aunt (Janet, Jermaine and Randy) last night.
Janet, Randy, Rebbie and Jermaine Jackson
• Claim that the King of Pop’s will was a fake and that the executors of his lucrative estate should step down.
• Pressuring Katherine Jackson to seek permission from a judge to investigate the will’s validity.
• Letter penned by siblings on July 17 claims Katherine Jackson was being manipulated by the executors, John Branca and John McClain, her health had been affected, and she suffered a mini-stroke.
• Randy and Jermaine had both previously asked their brother Michael Jackson’s estate to pay their child support, hinting at financial motives behind plot. The request was denied.
Tito Jackson
• He also signed the July 17 letter but has today backed out of plot and says he’s renounced any intention to challenge validity of his brother’s will.
Marlon Jackson
• Not part of plot to challenge brother’s will. Claims he has been cut off from contacting Katherine Jackson and in an interview with The Insider today he declared: “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
On the fence
• Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson and remaining siblings La Toya and Jackie Jackson have not made their allegiances clear. Although sources say Jackie is “furious” at his squabbling siblings
Tito Junior, son of Michael Jackson’s brother Tito
• Tito Jr., also known as TJ, has been awarded temporary custody of Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket while Katherine Jackson is away. The 34-year-old is married and used to date Kim Kardashian.
Trent Jackson, Joe Jackson’s nephew
• He has sided with his young cousins Paris, Blanket and Prince Michael. Involved in alleged physical altercation with Jermaine and Randy at Calabasas compound last night.
A court in Los Angeles has decided to give temporary guardianship of Michael Jackson’s three children to their cousin, Tito Jackson Jr.
The children’s grandmother Katherine Jackson has been their guardian since the singer’s death in 2009.
However, Judge Mitchell Beckloff made the decision after concerns were raised over Katherine Jackson’s absence from the family home.
Reports of a rift in the Jackson family have emerged in recent days.
Police were called to Katherine Jackson’s home on Monday as a result of a “minor scuffle” reportedly involving two members of the Jackson family.
A court in Los Angeles has decided to give temporary guardianship of Michael Jackson's three children to their cousin, Tito Jackson Jr
Three of Michael Jackson’s siblings and his children, Paris, 14, Prince Michael, 15, and 10-year-old Prince Michael II (also called Blanket) were present at the time.
That came days after Katherine Jackson was reported as missing. On Tuesday, Paris Jackson tweeted that she hadn’t seen her grandmother for nine days.
There have been conflicting claims about her wellbeing and whereabouts, with pictures emerging of her later with relatives in Arizona.
Questions were raised at the Los Angeles hearing about whether Katherine Jackson was being held against her will, with Tito Jackson Jr. telling the court he had had a conversation with his grandmother in which she used strange phrases and her words were “slurred”.
In addition to the change of guardian, Judge Beckloff also ordered that the children not be removed from the state of California.
However, he said there was no evidence that Katherine Jackson had done anything wrong and that he would restore her as the children’s guardian on her return, the Associated Press reports.
Michael Jackson died aged 50 of an overdose of the anaesthetic, propofol, in June 2009.
Katherine Jackson, the mother of dead superstar Michael Jackson, has been contacted by police after she was reported missing on the weekend.
Katherine Jackson, the grandmother and guardian of the megastar’s three children, is safe and with a family member in Arizona, authorities said late on Sunday, just one day after another relative reported her missing to police.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Pope said investigators made contact with Katherine Jackson, but he did not have specifics on her whereabouts.
The agency previously said they believed Katherine Jackson was with a relative and safe, but wanted to speak with her, a request that went unanswered.
Son Jermaine Jackson said in a statement: “Mother is safe and well in Arizona with her daughter and our sister, Rebbie, resting up on doctor’s advice, so it is beyond me how she can be reported <<missing>>.”
He said access to his mother is not being blocked but that her access to phones and computers was removed for her well being.
“Furthermore, it dismays me that such an alarmist <<missing person>> report has caused unnecessary anxiety among Michael’s children who will understandably react to what they misunderstand, hear or are told,” he said.
Katherine Jackson is safe and with a family member in Arizona, authorities said late on Sunday
Katherine Jackson’s grandchildren reported losing contact with her for a week, and nephew Trent Jackson filed a missing person report on Saturday night.
Her brief disappearance occurred at the same time of a brewing battle among other family members over his will believed faked after his death in June of 2009. The grandmother and her three grandchildren are the sole beneficiaries to Michael Jackson’s estate.
Worried for her grandmother’s safety, Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris tweeted on early Sunday that she wanted her to return home.
“Yes, my grandmother is missing. i haven’t spoken with her in a week i want her home now,” the 14-year-old tweeted adding a number to call if there was any word.
It was unclear who is taking care of the children in Katherine Jackson’s absence.
At the same time of Paris’ pleas for help, her uncle Jermaine Jackson tweeted his own of assurance that his mother was safe and being taken care of during a time of medical need, naming a mini-stroke in recent months.
The stroke was initially disputed by the teen who tweeted that “nothing had happened to her”. The tweet was later deleted.
The incident demonstrated divisions in the Jackson family just days after five of the singer’s siblings once again claimed that the King of Pop’s will was a fake and that the executors of his lucrative estate should step down.
The undated letter, signed by Janet, Randy, Tito, Rebbie and Jermaine Jackson, claimed Katherine Jackson was being manipulated by the executors, John Branca and John McClain, her health had been affected, and she suffered a mini-stroke.
The estate has denied the accusations, which have swirled since Michael Jackson died from an overdose of a powerful anesthetic. Katherine Jackson obtained permission from a judge to investigate the will’s validity, but never pursued the matter in court.
Hearing her grandmother was sent away on doctor’s orders did little to calm Paris, who expressed concern of a possibly more dangerous situation brewing.
“The same doctor that testified on behalf of dr murray saying my father was a drug addict (a lie) is caring for my grandmother… just saying,” she wrote.
Radar Online identified that doctor as Dr. Allan Metzger, the same who wrote fraudulent prescriptions for Michael’s sister Janet Jackson leading to his 2009 reprimand by the Medical Board of California.
Last fall he testified in Dr. Conrad Murray’s trial that Michael Jackson had come to him requesting Propofol, the drug that ended his life. Allan Metzger said he refused Michael Jackson’s request and warned him of the consequences, aiding prosecutors despite being a defense witness.
Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the June 2009 propofol overdose death of Michael Jackson at age 50.
According to Radar Online, Dr. Allan Metzger was called on specifically by brothers Jermaine and Randy Jackson to treat their mother last week.
Dr. Allan Metzger is not Katherine Jackson’s primary physician and her regular doctor wasn’t aware of his house call until concerns about her whereabouts were raised.
Michael Jackson’s three children have lived with their grandmother since their father’s untimely death.
Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s mother, was reported missing late Saturday night after her grandchildren have been unable to contact her for a week, according to reports.
Katherine Jackson’s nephew, Trent Jackson, filed the missing persons report for the 82-year-old with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office, according to police.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says Katherine Jackson may be with family members but have reached out to her to contact them.
Michael Jackson’s three children have lived with their grandmother since their father died in 2009. She has not spoken to them for a week which is unheard of, according to Katherine Jackson’s lawyer, Sandra Ribera.
The Jackson matriarch has gone missing in the middle of a family dispute between several Michael Jackson’s children and the executors of the megastar’s estate.
Katherine Jackson was reported missing late Saturday night after her grandchildren have been unable to contact her for a week
The siblings claim Michael Jackson’s will, which stated that his assets be placed in a family trust and that Katherine Jackson was guardian of her grandchildren, was forged and have demanded that the executors of his estate are fired.
A letter to executors, made public on Wednesday, from two of Katherine Jackson’s daughters, Rebbie and Janet, and three sons, Jermaine, Randy and Tito, also states that their mother had a “mini-stroke”, reported CNN.
However, Paris Jackson, Michael’s 14-year-old daughter, initially disputed the claims about the stroke and tweeted that “nothing had happened to her”. The tweet was later deleted.
According to Sandra Ribera, on July 15 Katherine Jackson left her Calabasas, California, home with her daughter Rebbie to attend a Jackson brothers concert in Albuquerque, New Mexico a few days later.
However, when Paris has called her grandmother she has been told she cannot speak to her, Sandra Ribera said.
Paris tweeted Sunday morning: “yes, my grandmother is missing. i haven’t spoken with her in a week i want her home now.”
She also tweeted that anyone who sees her grandmother to call the authorities and gave out a security number to call.
Paris later posted: “the same doctor that testified on behalf of dr murray saying my father was a drug addict (a lie) is caring for my grandmother… just saying.”
Sandra Ribera said that Katherine Jackson “has never gone 24 hours without talking to her kids”, and added that she was concerned the 82-year-old was not safe.
The sheriff’s homicide-missing persons unit has been asked to investigate, Sandra Ribera confirmed.
Jermaine Jackson tweeted on Friday: “I want to reassure everyone (inc all sudden medical experts) that Mother is fine but is resting up in AZ on the orders of a doctor, not us.”
A second tweet read: “This is our mother and her health is paramount. We are not inventing or plotting anything. We are following doctor’s advice. Period.”
