The Michael Jackson Thread

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LazyLion

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Former Jackson Defender now says that Michael abused him
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY

A choreographer and television personality who was a key witness in Michael Jackson's successful defense against child molestation charges is seeking permission to file a claim against the singer's estate alleging the pop superstar sexually abused him as a child, court records and an attorney said.

Wade Robson was abused by Jackson during a seven-year period, the choreographer's attorney, Henry Gradstein, wrote in a statement Wednesday. The attorney said Robson, 30, suffered a breakdown last year but has not stated how much his client is seeking to recoup from Jackson's estate if a judge permits him to pursue his abuse allegations.

Details on Robson's accusations were filed under seal.

The molestation allegations have been fiercely denied by an attorney for Jackson's estate and the singer's criminal defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr.

"Mr. Robson was one of my strongest witnesses in Michael Jackson's criminal trial," Mesereau said. "I called him to the stand at the beginning of the defense case and he was adamant that he had never been improperly touched or molested. This makes no sense."

Robson was the first defense witness during the 2005 trial that ended with Jackson's acquittal on molestation charges. He also spoke favorably about Jackson after the singer's death in June 2009.

"Last year, on a career trajectory that was off the charts, (Robson) collapsed under the stress and sexual trauma of what had happened to him for seven years as a child," Gradstein wrote in a statement that referred to Jackson as a sexual predator.

"There are significant legal issues involved in this case that have the potential to impact lives beyond just our client," he wrote.

Gradstein said he could not discuss specifics of the case, but he cited Robson's recent breakdown as the choreographer's reason for reversing his previous statements about Jackson. "As a result, he started intensive treatment which ultimately led to his ability to come forward," Gradstein said.

Robson, an Australian-born choreographer, has appeared on the Fox series "So You Think You Can Dance" and worked with Britney Spears and other stars.

"Mr. Robson's claim is outrageous and pathetic," Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman wrote in a statement. "This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him. Now, nearly four years after Michael has passed this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is."

Gradstein filed a motion seeking permission to file a late creditor's claim against Jackson's estate on May 1, nearly four years after the singer's death, court records show. Most of the documents are sealed pending a June court hearing, but a summary of the documents states the choreographer includes a declaration from a psychiatrist and an "Unfiled Complaint for Childhood Sexual Abuse."

The period for filing claims against Jackson's estate has long since passed, but a California civil statute allows victims of abuse to file a lawsuit within three years of discovering "that psychological injury or illness ... was caused by the sexual abuse."

The judge overseeing Jackson's massive probate case will have to determine whether Robson's claim can go forward.

Gradstein's statement did not address any specifics about when or where Jackson's alleged molestation occurred, but the choreographer testified extensively in 2005 about the time he spent with Jackson.

"Wade Robson, in addition to being one of the most talented people on the planet, is one of the kindest, most gentle, decent and introspective human beings one will ever meet. He is the loving father of a young son and happily married," Gradstein wrote in a statement first obtained by celebrity website TMZ.

His claim was filed nearly eight years to the day after Robson testified Jackson never inappropriately touched him. He was 22 at the time he testified, telling jurors in Jackson's criminal case that he met Jackson when he was 5 years old and had spent the night at Jackson's Neverland Ranch more than 20 times, sleeping in the singer's bedroom on most visits.

During the trial, Robson bristled at testimony by other witnesses that they had seen Jackson molest him. "I'm very mad about it," he told jurors. "It's not true and they put my name through the dirt. I'm really not happy about it."

The claims come as Jackson's mother, who supported her son throughout the molestation trial in Santa Maria, Calif., is in a Los Angeles courtroom pursuing a negligent hiring case against the promoter of Jackson's planned series of comeback concerts.

Katherine Jackson has not addressed Robson's allegations, and her attorney, Perry Sander Jr., said Mesereau was the appropriate person to comment on the molestation claims.

Marvin S. Putnam, an attorney for concert promoter AEG Live LLC, said he wasn't familiar with the specifics of Robson's claims but doubted it would come up in the civil trial filed by Jackson's mother. "I don't see how it has anything to do with our case," he said.

---

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

---

Anthony McCartney can be reached at twitter.com/mccartneyAP


Source : Sapa-AP /aw
Date : 09 May 2013 07:30
 
Double pay?

So he wasn't molested (get money from Jackson), and now saying yes... (get money from Jackson estate)

Only in America!
 
'The Michael Jackson' thread and it's a news article about someones claims... hmmm
 
Pooky said:
'The Michael Jackson' thread and it's a news article about someones claims... hmmm
Click to expand...

I'm going to be using it for article's about the trial for the singer's wrongful death suit as well.
There are quite a few of those on SAPA.
 
Dancer says she warned of Michael Jackson's Health

A dancer who worked with Michael Jackson says she expressed concerns about the singer's health as he prepared for a series of planned comeback concerts.

Alif Sankey told a jury hearing a lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother that the pop star appeared thin and unprepared.

She testified that a month before Jackson's June 2009 death, she wrote an email to tour director Kenny Ortega urging him to try to improve the singer's health and spirits. She says she never received a reply.

Sankey is testifying in a negligent hiring trial filed by Jackson's mother against concert promoter AEG Live LLC.


Source : Sapa-AP /dm
Date : 08 May 2013 21:46
 
Makeup artist describes jackson's pain, artistry

Michael Jackson's longtime makeup artist tearfully described to jurors on Thursday the singer's struggles with back pain and insomnia after suffering injuries during his career.

Witness Karen Faye also recalled how Jackson's reliance on medications coincided with the first time he was accused of child molestation in the early 1990s.

"Michael had to go on stage every night knowing that the whole world thought he was a pedophile," Faye said, shaking her head and crying.

Despite being asked by tour promoters, Faye said she refused to give the performer injections for pain.

She said Paul Gongaware, a promoter who later became a top executive with AEG Live LLC, then brought in doctors who treated Jackson in 1993 on his "Dangerous" tour, which she told jurors had to be halted early due to the singer's prescription drug addiction.

Faye testified in a negligent hiring lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother, Katherine, who claims AEG failed to investigate a doctor who cared for the pop star and was later convicted of causing his death in June 2009.

AEG denies hiring the doctor and says Jackson concealed his addiction to propofol, a powerful anesthetic that killed the singer.

Faye said she never witnessed the singer's treatments, but he appeared to become more dependent on prescription drugs in the years following the "Dangerous" tour.

She said she worried every time she saw a doctor arrive to treat Jackson.

"I was always worried that Michael was in pain," Faye said under questioning by Brian Panish, an attorney for Jackson's mother.

She said Jackson had a low pain tolerance except while performing.

She recalled that he complained more about back pain after he fell several stories from on on-stage bridge during a Munich concert in 1999. Despite the fall, Jackson finished the show.

His high-energy performances, however, led to sleepless nights afterward, she said.

Jackson's condition worsened during the singer's 2005 trial on child molestation charges, Faye said.

Although he was acquitted, the pressure of the case and media attention took its toll, she told jurors.

"He couldn't eat," she said. "He was afraid. He was in pain. He got thinner. His physical pain, his back pain, it all kicked in."

Faye spent about 90 minutes testifying about her close relationship with Jackson, who hosted her wedding at his Neverland Ranch and enlisted her to travel around the world with him.

She breezily described Jackson's meetings with Princess Diana and other dignitaries, his Super Bowl performance, and other larger-than-life moments from the singer's life. Jurors and spectators laughed at times as a parade of photos and videos shot during Jackson's performances were played.

She said Jackson was like a brother to her. Even after she gave birth to her daughter, Jackson enlisted her for another tour.

"I said, 'I can't go all around the world with you. I'm a mother now,'" Faye recalled.

"Michael never took no for an answer. 'Yes you can, it'll be great for her,'" she recalled him saying.

---

Anthony McCartney can be reached at twitter.com/mccartneyAP


Source : Sapa-AP /pd
Date : 09 May 2013 23:24
 
Court urged to reject Jackson Doctor appeal

A state attorney says an appeal by the doctor convicted of causing Michael Jackson's death should be rejected because there were no errors made during the criminal case that warrant overturning a jury's verdict.

Supervising Deputy Attorney General Victoria B. Wilson wrote in a response to Conrad Murray's appeal that the former cardiologist's own lawyers forfeited several opportunities to object to a judge's rulings in the case.

The filing also states that the rulings were not errors, and if they were decided differently it would not have changed the case's outcome.

Murray in April appealed his four-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter, arguing a judge made multiple mistakes.

His attorney Valerie Wass said the state's filing overlooked several of her arguments and she will address those in another filing.


Source : Sapa-AP /pd
Date : 14 May 2013 07:07
 
Jackson described as 'Loopy' after Doctor visits

Michael Jackson appeared "a little loopy" after visits with his longtime dermatologist and was considering using a teleprompter to help him perform some of his songs during his ill-fated comeback concerts, a choreographer who worked one-on-one with the pop superstar told a jury Tuesday.

Travis Payne said he expressed concerns to the director of the "This Is It" shows that Jackson might be misusing prescription medications and was exhibiting troubling signs of insomnia, weight loss and paranoia in his final days.

Some of the behavior occurred after Jackson's visits with dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein, who Payne believed was performing cosmetic treatments on the singer so he would be comfortable performing onstage again.

"Sometimes in rehearsal, Michael would appear just a little loopy," Payne said, adding that the singer appeared to be "assisted or under the influence of something."

Jackson's condition and missed rehearsals led to talk within the last 10 days of Jackson's life that AEG Live LLC, which was promoting "This Is It," might cancel the concert series.

Payne was working for AEG and said he relayed his concerns about Jackson's possible prescription drug use to tour director Kenny Ortega. Jackson was struggling to get into shape for the shows, and Payne said his voice coach suggested using a voice track for fast-paced songs until the singer's stamina improved.

He said Jackson wanted to use a teleprompter during the shows as "extra security," but it was an aid the performer had not used in his two previous tours.

The choreographer testified for AEG, which is being sued by Jackson's mother. Katherine Jackson claims AEG failed to properly investigate Conrad Murray, the doctor who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson's death, and that the concert promoter also missed or ignored signs of Jackson's poor health.

AEG denies it hired Murray and claims Jackson was private about medical treatments and hid the depths of his prescription drug addiction. Jackson died from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, which Murray was giving him as a sleep aid.

The company also did not hire the dermatologist, Klein.

Klein is listed as a potential witness in the case, but it's unknown whether he will testify. His treatment of Jackson, which included Demerol shots, has been scrutinized both during Murray's 2011 criminal trial and the current civil case.

Under cross examination, Payne acknowledged that some of Jackson's behavior, including grogginess, lethargy, insomnia and occasional paranoia, were possible symptoms of prescription drug abuse. He also said that despite testifying earlier that he worked with Jackson one-on-one five days a week, he couldn't recall how many rehearsals the singer actually attended.

Payne's testimony was similar to two plaintiff's witnesses, dancer Alif Sankey and makeup artist Karen Faye, who testified last week that Jackson was in poor health and paranoid in the weeks before his death and they alerted Ortega about it.

"You could sense that something was wrong, you just didn't know what it was?" plaintiff's attorney Brian Panish asked. Yes, Payne replied.

The choreographer had remained composed throughout most of his testimony, occasionally smiling and politely trying to answer questions. But after several hours of testy exchanges with Panish, his voice quivered and he dabbed his eyes with a tissue.

"I don't have a dog in this race," Payne said at one point. "I'm just trying to have a conversation with you and tell the truth."

---

Anthony McCartney can be reached at twitter.com/mccartneyAP .


Source : Sapa-AP /pd
Date : 15 May 2013 02:36
 
Promoter denies pushing Jackson to rehearse show

A promoter denied Monday that he pushed Michael Jackson to rehearse for his ill-fated comeback concerts, refuting testimony by the singer's longtime makeup artist and stylist.

Paul Gongaware of AEG Live LLC said he never told Jackson's assistant to get the pop star out of a locked bathroom and to a rehearsal, an incident described to jurors by makeup artist Karen Faye.

"Never, never happened," Gongaware said.

Faye testified last month that she overhead Gongaware tell Jackson's assistant to do "whatever it takes" to get the "Thriller" singer to a rehearsal. She described Gongaware as sounding "angry and kind of desperate."

Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, is suing AEG Live, claiming it failed to properly investigate the physician convicted of administering an overdose of the anesthetic propofol to her son. Jackson died from an overdose of it in June 2009.

AEG denies it hired Conrad Murray or could have known that Murray was giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid.

Gongaware also said he was mistaken when he wrote in an email that his company was paying for Murray. He said AEG agreed to advance Murray's $150,000 a month fee to Jackson, but the costs would have come out of the singer's share of "This Is It" earnings.

He said he never instructed Murray on how to care for the singer and never considered doing a background check on the doctor.

Murray had several liens and child support judgments and was facing foreclosure before agreeing to work with Jackson.

"I just expect doctors to be ethical," Gongaware said. "Their financial side of their life shouldn't affect their medical judgment."

AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips is expected to testify later this week.


Source : Sapa-AP /mjs
Date : 04 Jun 2013 01:02
 
Paris Jackson OK after alleged suicide attempt

Los Angeles - The 15-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson is physically fine after being taken to a hospital early on Wednesday, an attorney for Jackson's mother said.

Perry Sanders Jr wrote in a statement to The Associated Press that Paris Jackson is getting appropriate medical attention and the family is seeking privacy.

"Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are," he wrote. "It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you. Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention. Please respect her privacy and the family's privacy."

Sanders declined further comment on Paris' condition or the circumstances that led to her hospitalisation.

Fire and sheriff's officials confirmed they transported someone from a home in Paris' suburban Calabasas neighbourhood for a possible overdose but did not release any identifying information or additional details....
http://www.channel24.co.za/Gossip/News/Paris-Jackson-OK-after-alleged-suicide-attempt-20130606
 
Late pop icon Michael Jackson's daughter Paris was rushed to a California hospital Wednesday after trying to commit suicide, a family source told AFP, as her relatives appealed for privacy.

The 15-year-old tried to cut her right wrist with a meat cleaver and wrote a suicide note, according to celebrity website TMZ.

The teenager, whose father died in 2009, was put on a 72-hour psychiatric hold in hospital, the family source said, adding that Paris suffered from depression and had previously reported suicidal thoughts.

"She tried to cut herself," said the source, requesting anonymity, adding: "She really feels like she needs her father... she had been in treatment once before for depression, so this is kind of like a real cry for help."

"She's in good condition, she's not in critical condition."

A sheriff's spokesman told AFP officers had responded to a home in Calabasas near Los Angeles, where Jackson lives, over a "medical situation," but refused to confirm the identity of the person taken to hospital.

The teenager tweeted a few times late Tuesday, including: "yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away now it looks as though they're here to stay" and "i wonder why tears are salty?"

Her grandmother Katherine -- who is currently suing the promoters of Jackson's doomed last tour -- said: "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. Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention. Please respect her privacy and the family's privacy," she added in a statement.

Debbie Rowe, Paris's mother and the self-styled King of Pop's former wife, said: "We appreciate everyone's thoughts for Paris at this time and their respect for the family's privacy."

The teenager had "a lot going on," Entertainment Tonight quoted her as saying.

TMZ reported that Jackson had called a suicide hotline, and the person she spoke to alerted emergency services. It posted an audio clip of the 911 call, in which a dispatcher is heard saying, "Overdose. Sheriffs responding."

She was taken out of her Calabasas family house on a stretcher, it reported, adding that the teenager cut her right arm, and had also taken a large number of Motrin painkiller pills.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore told AFP: "At 1:27 this morning, sheriff's deputies responded to (an address in Calabasas) for a medical situation.

"Medical support was offered, and a patient was transferred to an area hospital," he said.

Paris -- Jackson's middle child, along with older sibling Prince and younger brother "Blanket" -- has made a start in the entertainment industry, starring in "Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys," a film in development.

The film's writer/producer, Dennis H Christen, told AFP in an email that they had not yet begun shooting the movie.

"Paris has been prepping her acting skills over the last two years and is getting very accomplished as a young vital actress. We have great hopes for her in this role," he said.

Katherine Jackson is currently suing the promoters of Jackson's last doomed tour, AEG Live, for negligently hiring doctor Conrad Murray, who was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter over his death.

The 83-year-old has been in court for much of the last five weeks, but was not there on Wednesday.

Paris has been listed as a witness in the trial, which is expected to last several months, and which so far has heard a lot of the same evidence recounted at the Murray trial.


Source : Sapa-AFP /mjs
Date : 06 Jun 2013 00:49
 
I suspect it's youtube trolls cause she did release a YouTube vid recently if I'm not mistaken
 
Paris Jackson now in all too familiar spotlight

Michael Jackson's family is saying little about the hospitalization of his 15-year-old daughter while pleading for privacy and saying nothing about the cause of her ailment.

Paris Jackson was "physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention," attorney Perry Sanders Jr., said in a statement Wednesday.

All fire and sheriff's officials would say is that they transported someone from a home on Paris' suburban Calabasas street in the middle of the night for a possible overdose. They did not release any identifying information or additional details.

"Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are," said Sanders, who represents Katherine Jackson, a guardian of Paris and Michael Jackson's two sons, Prince and Blanket. "It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you."

Paris' uncles Tito, Marlon and Jackie echoed that sentiment in their statement Wednesday: "Thank you for the outpouring of concern and support for Paris - she is safe and doing fine. We truly appreciate you respecting our family's privacy at this time."

On Tuesday, Paris hinted at her state of mind on Twitter, posting, "I wonder why tears are salty?" followed by lyrics from the Beatles' song "Yesterday": "yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay."

Since Michael Jackson's death in 2009, Paris has emerged as the most visible of his children, granting interviews to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, appearing in magazine articles and amassing more than a million followers on Twitter. She has also expressed interest in starting a singing career and has plans to star in a movie.

A 20-minute video of the teen applying makeup was posted to YouTube last week. It shows Jackson in what she describes as her bedroom playfully demonstrating how she does her eye makeup. She also makes goofy faces and says, "I need serious help. I'm crazy!"

Paris wrote on Twitter that she doesn't know how the video, in which she repeatedly asserts, "I am so weird," ended up on YouTube.

"I hope you guys liked it tho and didn't think i'm too crazy," she wrote. "i get weird when i'm not around people lol."

Katherine Jackson shares guardianship of her son's three children with the singer's nephew, TJ Jackson.

Paris and Prince are listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by their grandmother Katherine Jackson against concert giant AEG Live LLC, who she claims is responsible for her son's death. The lawsuit claims AEG failed to properly investigate the doctor convicted of causing the singer's death, and pushed the superstar to rehearse and perform a planned series of 50 comeback shows titled "This Is It."

Paris and Prince are listed as potential witnesses in the case, which is in its sixth week of trial.

Marvin S. Putnam, a defense attorney for AEG Live, joined in the family's calls for privacy.

"There's a real person involved here," 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."

---

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.


Source : Sapa-AP /pk
Date : 06 Jun 2013 10:55
 
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