The dispute between Michael Jackson’s mother and the men Jackson chose to run his estate after his death threatens to delay or derail plans for a documentary of the pop singer’s last days.
Katherine Jackson’s lawyers objected in court Monday to the deals made by the Michael Jackson estate’s special administrators with concert promoter AEG Live and merchandising company Bravado. The lawyer for AEG Live, which promoted Jackson’s shows in London, England, told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff that the company has already made many concessions to the estate and could not make more. She suggested the company might walk away from the deals, which would include production of a documentary about Jackson’s last months using Jackson rehearsal video. Howard Weitzman, a lawyer for the special administrators, told the judge the deals were “aggressively negotiated and reflect the exhaustion of all parties on give and take, and greatly benefit the estate.” “I don’t believe there is room for more negotiation,” Weitzman said. Provisions of the agreements state that if Beckloff does not approve them by the end of Monday, the deals would be canceled and would have to be renegotiated. The judge has previously said he may approve them even if Katherine Jackson objects. The judge ordered a break in the hearing to allow the two sides to talk while he looked at Katherine Jackson’s objection. He said he received her objection only minutes before the hearing began Monday morning.
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Beckloff on Friday approved a contract with Columbia Pictures, which had Katherine Jackson’s blessing, but that deal depends on the other agreements also being approved by the judge. Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s older brother, told CNN’s Larry King last week that he likes the deals, which he said could bring in nearly $100 million into the Michael Jackson estate. Katherine Jackson and Jackson’s three children are the main beneficiaries of the estate, which is controlled by Jackson’s former lawyer, John Branca, and longtime Jackson friend and music executive John McClain.
