February 24, 2004
ET broke the news yesterday that court papers had been filed to allow a retired judge to mediate an issue concerning MICHAEL JACKSON and ex-wife DEBBIE ROWE's divorce agreement. Today, our BOB GOEN sat down with the judge who will hear the case.
Retired Judge STEPHEN M. LACHS can't reveal whether or not the case involves child custody, but he did say that in other family law disputes, criminal charges against one of the parties is often brought up. Judge Lachs' ruling is binding, though it can be appealed.
While Judge Lachs isn't at liberty to discuss specifics of "Deborah Rowe Jackson vs. Michael Jackson," a source tells ET the "family matter" noted in court papers is indeed about custody of 7-year-old PRINCE MICHAEL and 5-year-old PARIS. The move is only the first step in a long struggle as Rowe tries to get the kids, according to the source. ET is told Rowe's tactic in her fight will be to claim that Jackson violated many aspects of the divorce agreement, which allegedly includes the stipulation that Jackson gets sole custody of the children.
Seeking custody may be a long shot for Rowe, who reportedly gave up custody of the kids and, in the past, has praised her ex as a father. Rumblings that Rowe's feelings had changed began in mid-January when, after years of lying low, she surfaced on Jan. 12 for a very public lunch at the posh Ivy restaurant in Los Angeles. It was the same day Jackson's advisors gathered to strategize on Jackson's future.
Rowe has reportedly been getting increasingly frustrated because her many attempts to contact him have failed. It's an allegation more than one of Jackson's former friends and advisors have made, frequently blaming Jackson's inaccessibility on his association with the Nation of Islam. Rowe is reportedly unhappy with the singer's involvement with the N.O.I. on another front. She is Jewish and the organization has been accused of anti-Semitism.
Watch ET for the latest info on the Jackson bombshell.