Michael Jackson faces a new trial
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Main News
Michael Jackson is being sued by a woman who claims she was bitten by superstar's dog. The woman, named Donna Kyman, declared she was bitten by Flash, Michael Jackson's dog, in April 2005. Kyman, 66, said she went through a "great mental, emotional and physical pain and suffering".

"The dog was possessed of vicious and dangerous propensities and was inclined to attack people and other animals without provocation."

Kyman claims the animal "viciously and without provocation attacked" her in the garage of her Encino home, near the Jackson's residence, reports Femalefirst.com, and accuses Jackson of "negligently, carelessly and wrongfully".


24th of June 2005, 08:07 GMT | Copyright (c) 2005 Softpedia

Trial turned Jackson into a 'zombie'!
Mood:  blue
Topic: Breaking News
London June 23, 2005 4:38:33 PM IST

Pop star Michael Jackson's nutritionist has revealed that the star was under so much stress during his trial that he had almost turned into a zombie.

"I got this strange call from Joe Jackson one day. He said, 'You gotta fly out here. Michael's been in his room for 30 days, drinking nothing but water,'" Dick Gregory told US TV news show EXTRA.

"He was stronger at the trial than he was when he got home in the evening. That's when he was able to collapse and deal with the pain and feel the hurt of his body. "He was a zombie... He just didn't have an appetite and he wasn't eating. There was nothing he could do to get his appetite back," he added.

Acording to Ratethemusic.com, Gregory has trained Jackson's personal cooks so they can mix vitamins and herbs into his food to help stabilise the pop star and build up his strength.

"I took about three hours training them how to cook," Gregory said. (ANI)

?2002 - 2003 Netindia123.com.
All rights reserved.

Las Vegas Jackson fan stayed loyal
President of fan club delighted with verdict, admires pop star for 'heart'

By RICHARD LAKE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Copyright ? Las Vegas Review-Journal

Want to peek inside the mind of a Michael Jackson fanatic? Sit down with Farah Pajuheshfar for 15 or 20 minutes.
"Thirty-six years ago, it was his music and his dance. Later on it was his heart," Pajuheshfar said Monday, surrounded by memorabilia featuring the pop star. "He's a humanitarian. The way he cares about the world."To Pajuheshfar, a 47-year-old immigrant from Iran and the president of a local Michael Jackson fan club, there was simply no way a jury could find Jackson guilty of hurting anybody, let alone of molesting a little boy.

"They found him not guilty of all these charges," Pajuheshfar said, sitting at the dining room table of her Henderson home a couple of hours after the jury's announcement. "I'm so glad. We've been waiting for this for 12 or 13 years."
Pajuheshfar fell for Jackson as a child growing up in Iran back when it was a democratic country. As a young woman, she fled to France after the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Her devotion to Jackson grew as his efforts to help children and the poor expanded, she said. A man like that, she said, wouldn't hurt a fly.

"I taught my kids to never ever judge someone without knowing them," she said.The family moved to Las Vegas 13 years ago. Once, she and her now 13-year-old daughter even met Michael Jackson at an event on the Strip.

And though she is not a friend of Jackson's or anything, she said she feels close to him."Michael Jackson is not just a singer to us," she said. "Michael became part of my family. ... He helped us through difficult times in our lives. I don't have any brothers, but he is like my brother. He's a part of my heart." As far as the trial goes, all any skeptic would have to do is simply look at the evidence, she said. This clearly was nothing but an attempt to extort Jackson for money, she said.
"We read every transcript," said Pajuheshfar, a local hairdresser

But isn't Jackson just a little too weird for such adoration? Didn't he go off the deep end a long, long time ago?

"Not to us," Pajuheshfar said of the pop star's adoring fans. "He's not weird." Pajuheshfar said she would have been at Jackson's Neverland Ranch already if not for her son's graduation from Green Valley High School today. Because of that event, she said she'll have to wait until Wednesday to travel there.

In the end, she said, she believes most people will come to accept the verdict as truth, once they examine the evidence.
Everybody else, she said, can wallow in their ignorance.

"Some people, they really don't want to learn the truth," she said. "These people, you cannot change their minds."

Find this article at:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Jun-14-Tue-2005/news/26718162.html

Jackson photographer speaks out
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Main News
3.38PM, Thu Jun 23 2005
Harrison Funk


Harrison Funk, who was Michael Jackson's personal photographer for 14 years, has been speaking about the Michael Jackson trial.

The world-famous snapper has worked with a host of stars, including Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Laurence Fishburne, Lionel Ritchie, model Iman, Johnny Depp, Neil Diamond and John Travolta.

New York-born Harrison has also made music videos, including Cameo's Word Up, with the famous red codpiece.

He said: "I didn't have my doubts about Michael. But I think that when you listen to evidence, you have to look at it fully. And make your judgment from that. The jury obviously did that.

"I think Michael's been the target for a lot of people making these kind of allegations. Fortunately, only a very small number of people have ever tried to target Michael in this way.

"And I think when you get to that level of your career you do become a target and people try to bring you down."

Jackson was cleared on June 13 of all ten charges in his child sex abuse trial.

A jury of eight women and four men unanimously cleared him of ten counts of molestation, attempted molestation, plying children with alcohol and conspiracy to hold Gavin Arvizo and his family captive.

Jackson's lawyers described the Arvizo family as liars and cheats who were out to profit from Jackson's deep pockets.

Content ? ITV Network Limited. All Rights Reserved

Townshend Lauds Jackson
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Main News
While gearing up to play his first Who concert in nearly a year at the London edition of Live 8, Pete Townshend weighed in on the verdict of Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. "I was pleased Michael was cleared," the sixty-year-old guitarist posted on his Web site Wednesday. "His feathers may be badly burned, and he may be damaged in other ways too, but he is something of an angel."

Townshend called Jackson's trial -- which concluded last week in the pop star being acquitted of the ten charges he faced --"absurd." He also relayed a story about how Jackson once funded a circus for a group of special-needs children, including a daughter of one of Townshend's friends. "This little girl believed she was Michael's future wife," Townshend wrote, "and he so kindly allowed her to sit next to him, as his future bride."

Townshend himself faced child pornography charges in 2003. He admitted accessing illicit photos while doing research for a memoir that would document his own abuse as a child. After a four-month investigation, the charges were dropped, but Townshend's name was placed on the National Sex Offenders register for five years.

"I intend to work my way back to normality," he told Rolling Stone at the time.Since then, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has been at work on an autobiography, a solo music project and the tentatively titled Who2, the first Who album in twenty-three years. For the July 2nd Live 8 show, the Who will perform along with U2, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Elton John, Sting, Coldplay and a reunited Pink Floyd at London's Hyde Park.


BILL CRANDALL
(Posted Jun 23, 2005)

Michael Jackson's Mother Speaks Out About Trial
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Main News
KNBC-TV

LOS ANGELES - In a "Today" show exclusive, Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, talked to MSNBC's Rita Cosby one week after her famous son's acquittal on all charges of child molestation.

Katherine Jackson is considered to be "the rock" of the Jackson family. With nine children, including Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop." The Jackson matriarch told Cosby that the seven days she waited for the jury to come back were nail-biters. The whole trial took everything out of her son, physically and mentally, Cosby reported. "One of the reasons why it devastated him," Mrs. Jackson said, "he would tell me, 'Mother, when they say 'call your next witness,' and I look around and I'm surprised. It's people that I've helped, and they're up there trying to make money off of me by lying. I don't understand how people can do that.'"

When asked if she felt Michael has shaken the allegations of child molestation once and for all, Mrs. Jackson said, "he'd been proven not to be a child molester, and they know he's not. But some people just believe what they believe and I can't stop that. But I wish they would stop and think about it. That he is not a child molester. He is not a pedophile. He doesn't give liquor to children. These kids were bad kids." Cosby asked Jackson, "If you could see the boy and the mother, what would you say to them?"

"I could not even answer that right now," Mrs. Jackson said. "It all depends on what mood I am in when I see them. I feel sorry for them, too. From what I hear about their past, I feel sorry for their future if they don't change their way." Some of the jurors said that they believed Michael Jackson may have molested someone else before, but they didn't believe the words of this family.

"I think there was one juror, I think they said juror No. 1 said that. I can't change his mind. He believed what he wants to believe," said Mrs. Jackson. Cosby said following Jackson's acquittal, Attorney Tom Sneddon was unapologetic and said he made no mistakes and would do it again.

"Maybe he didn't make what he calls 'no mistakes,' but he made a big mistake. My son is not a pedophile," Mrs. Jackson said. "Are you angry at the way some perceived he targeted your son," Cosby asked.

"My son is a better person than he is," said Mrs. Jackson. "What he did to my son, my son would never do to anyone else." "Another thing, too," Mrs. Jackson continued, "that ranch was not built to lure little children just to molest them, as the prosecutors tried to say. When he let people come out there and enjoy the ranch, everything is free. He has always been taught to give and to share." Michael Jackson's mother said Michael told her if he had to help people from now on, he would help them from a distance. "Do you think from here on out, he will say, 'OK, no kids, no boys in the bedroom because I don't want to be accused of something,'" Cosby asked. "I am sure he won't do that now. Twice he's been accused of doing something he hasn't done," Mrs. Jackson said.

When asked how the trial affected Michael Jackson's mother personally, she said, "I had anxiety sometimes, I prayed about all of that. He was my child and I loved him, and I was going to stick by him."

? 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8302648/

Profile: The Arvizo family
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Main News
By Matthew Davis
BBC News, Washington

The credibility of 15-year-old cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo and his mother Janet was key to the case against Michael Jackson, who has been acquitted of child abuse and abduction charges by a California court.

The defence sought to portray the boy and his family as dishonest gold-diggers who saw Mr Jackson as a celebrity fall guy to be milked for cash.
Janet Arvizo proved to be a loose cannon and one of the most explosive witnesses in the case with her erratic courtroom outbursts.

The many faces of her son - downcast and ghostly in a police interview, or fresh-faced and confident in documentary footage - gave the jurors a compelling dilemma. But what emerged above all was a sad picture of a family fragmented, and of a teenage boy - still with serious health problems - laying himself open in a case seen all over the world.

Father assaulted mother

Gavin Arvizo comes from a troubled background. His mother remarried in 2004 - to US Army Major Jay Jackson - following an acrimonious divorce from her previous husband, 37-year-old lorry driver David Arvizo. Mr Arvizo lost custody of the teenager, his younger brother and older sister after admitting an assault on Janet Arvizo.

The trial heard how the father was persistent in begging celebrities for money after Gavin was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2000, which required the boy's spleen and left kidney to be removed. It was in that year that Gavin first met Michael Jackson, introduced to the star by Jamie Masada, owner of The Laugh Factory in Hollywood.

'Jesus juice'

Gavin claimed the abuse started after his appearance with Mr Jackson in the British documentary by Martin Bashir - filmed in 2002 and aired in 2003. He said it was after the interview that Mr Jackson started serving him and his younger brother wine, which he claimed the singer called "Jesus juice", and began making sexual advances.

But defence lawyers were able to put a number of dents in Gavin's credibility as a witness. It emerged that the boy, and his younger brother and older sister, had taken acting lessons ahead of a 2001 lawsuit against US retailer JC Penney.

The boy himself said Mr Jackson broke his heart by rejecting him as a friend, and defence lawyers suggested the accusations were a case of revenge. In separate interviews with a social worker and a teacher after the airing of the Bashir documentary, Gavin denied he had been molested by Mr Jackson. Prosecutors said this was because he wanted to put an end to the teasing he was enduring in the wake of the film. The low, downcast demeanour of the boy in a powerful video shown at the very end of the case, in which he haltingly described the alleged abuse, was a powerful boost to his case.

'Are you Catwoman?'
From the outset of the trial, Janet Arvizo proved to be a mercurial character. She rarely gave a straight answer to any of the defence's questions thrown at her in court, often replying using a repetitive array of words and phrases.

Among her favourites were "It's burned inside my memory" and "Money doesn't buy happiness". At times she drew laughter from the courtroom - often directed at her - as in the time she tried to explain she was acting in the so-called rebuttal video.

"You are not going to call Halle Berry and say, 'Are you Catwoman?'," she said in response to questioning.

She was accused of exploiting her cancer-stricken son for money. Defence witnesses said she had concealed sources of income while receiving welfare cheques. It was also suggested that she spent $7,000 (#3,800) shopping and dining out at the same time as she alleged Mr Jackson kept her and her family captive. Now their claims about Mr Jackson's behaviour have been rejected by a jury, their motives for making the allegations against the singer will come under close scrutiny in the coming weeks.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/music/4584531.stm

Published: 2005/06/13 21:29:38 GMT

? BBC MMV

Jackson mother sorry for Arvizo
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Main News
Michael Jackson's mother has said she felt sorry for the teenager who accused him of child abuse, which resulted in her son being acquitted in court.

Katherine Jackson did not know what she would say to Gavin Arvizo and his mother Janet if she met them, she said.

"I feel sorry for them, and from what I hear about their past I feel sorry for their future if they don't change their way," she told NBC's Today show.

Last week Michael Jackson was cleared of 10 charges at his California trial. Katherine Jackson told the US TV network she believes her son's name has now been cleared beyond doubt. "He's been proven not to be a child molester and they know he's not. He's not a child molester, he's not a paedophile, and he doesn't give liquor to children. These kids were bad kids," she said. She added that Jackson would change his friendships with children, no longer allowing them to share his bed.

Radio 'boost'

"I'm sure he's not going to do that now because twice he's been accused of doing something he hadn't done," she said. In 1993 the singer paid a reported $20m (#12.7m) settlement to a boy who accused him of molesting him, although no charges were ever brought in the case. Since his acquittal, there has been a rise in the amount of times Jackson's music has been played on US radio stations, research has suggested. "There was an absolute spike in airplay subsequent to the reading of the verdict," Mediabase 24/7's president, Rich Meyer. "Only time will tell whether the increased airplay will be sustained," he added.

The top three most-played songs were Billie Jean, Beat It and Rock with You.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/music/4118014.stm

Published: 2005/06/22 07:58:03 GMT

? BBC MMV

Commentary: All the little voices deserve equal attention
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Breaking News
January 17, 2004

by Steve Corbett / Times Columnist

While the world watches Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon prepare to make his case against superstar Michael Jackson on charges of child molestation, the Santa Maria parents of another alleged molestation victim wonder why Sneddon abandoned them in their search for truth.

David Bruce Danielson retired last year from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, where he worked as a detective until his July 20, 2002, arrest on suspicion of child molestation.

In August 2002, Sneddon decided not to prosecute Danielson, of Orcutt, who was then 49, married and a veteran forensic investigator who had worked on some of the county's most serious criminal cases.

During a subsequent internal investigation into the molestation allegations, Danielson remained on paid administrative leave until he retired, according to sheriff's Lt. Julie McCammon.

Citing confidentiality, Sheriff's Department officials declined to release specifics about how long Danielson collected his paycheck while on administrative leave or how much money he received when he retired June 17, 2003.

Danielson received full pay during the time he did not work and applied that time to his pension, McCammon said. Danielson did not return to partial duty because of the seriousness of the child molestation allegations, she said.

The completed internal investigation did not exonerate Danielson, Sheriff Jim Anderson said Monday.

"He retired in lieu of termination," Anderson said.

Danielson could not be reached for comment.

Sneddon did not respond to a request to discuss the difference between freeing Danielson and prosecuting Jackson. But the district attorney has previously said that Danielson's lack of provable criminal intent figured prominently into the decision to release the detective.

Although Sneddon has offered few details about the charges against Jackson, the veteran prosecutor obviously believes Jackson acted willfully.

But Danielson admitted only to accidentally fondling the then 14-year-old child in a one-time occurrence, according to Sneddon, who said in an August 2002 interview that the deputy admitted touching the girl "in areas people would consider inappropriate."

Sneddon said Danielson came home after a night of drinking and crawled into his wife's bed where the child, who was a guest in the home, was sleeping.

"He touched (the child) a few places (and) by what he was touching realized it wasn't his wife," Sneddon said. "He said, 'Oh my gosh,' and jumped out of bed."

Sneddon said the subsequent investigation into the girl's claims did not provide the required evidence necessary to file a formal charge and prepare for court.

The child's parents, whose names are not being used to protect the identity of the alleged victim, believe that a provable case existed against Danielson.

The girl's mother and father also wonder why the Sheriff's Department - and not an outside police agency - conducted the investigation. One of the detectives even identified himself as a friend of Danielson, the child's mother said shortly after Sneddon declined to prosecute.

The child's father said last week that the Jackson case seems to depend on the word of a child who, like his daughter, cooperated with Santa Barbara County law enforcement officials.

But Sneddon didn't take his daughter's statements seriously enough to go to court.

Jackson's alleged victim, however, is expected to testify as Sneddon's star witness.

Shortly after Sneddon decided not to prosecute Danielson, the child wrote about her feelings, her father said.

"When I came clean I expected to be set free from the burden I had been carrying for so long, however, the only person set free was David Danielson," the child wrote.

"I am astounded at the stupidity the DA showed by allowing this man to be released of all charges. David Danielson may be free, but I am still emotionally trapped. There is not one day that I don't wish I wouldn't have come clean..."

"This happened to me when I was 14," she wrote. "I am now 16. I am a junior in high school, and I feel alone in this. I am asking the community to please help me to bring this man to justice. I don't want this to happen to other young girls. Santa Barbara County, please HELP..."

The child signed her letter "The "IGNORED' Teen.

The girl's father describes the now 17-year-old high school senior as bright, busy and sensitive. Yet, he worries that she will feel even more alone now that Sneddon has taken the word of another alleged child molestation victim more seriously than hers.

"Maybe it's because it is high profile, higher profile, but still, in her mind it's the same situation," he said. "She's still angry."

Although the child is "over what actually happened," the child's father said "her anger stems toward Sneddon." Although the girl's family dealt with an assistant district attorney in Santa Maria, "it all boils down to Sneddon's hands" in Santa Barbara, he said.

Despite Danielson's shocking admission to several people, Sneddon judged the evidence to be weak.

Maybe so.

But, in this uncelebrated case, even the best legal judgment does little to convince a still-vulnerable child that trust and truth matter.

Steve Corbett's column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. He can be reached at 739-2215 or e-mailed at scorbett@p... Read Corbett online at www.santamariatimes.com.

Janet Jackson Thankful, Somber At Humanitarian Awards Acceptance
Mood:  special
Topic: Main News
LAUNCH Radio NetworksMon Jun 20, 3:00 AM ET

Grammy-winning performer Janet Jackson struck a somber note as she expressed her gratitude at an awards ceremony Saturday night honoring her humanitarian work for several AIDS-related charities. It was her first public appearance since older brother Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges on June 13. After a joking introduction by actor Alan Cumming, Jackson apologized for her own lack of humor, according to AP reports. She said, "My family and I have just gone through the least humorous chapter of our lives. I'm going to leave the jokes to the late-night (comics), if that's OK."

No stranger to controversy herself after the 2004 "Nipplegate" controversy at the Super Bowl, Janet added: "What I've learned in these recent months is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And it's real, it's a beautiful light that both comforts our minds and strengthens our souls. Tonight my heart is filled with gratitude for that light. I'm so grateful that prayers are answered, that faith is rewarded and tolerance is celebrated as a virtue. I'm grateful that God is of unconditional love."

Jackson received a standing ovation at the fundraiser, held June 18 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. She was honored for the millions of dollars she has both raised and donated for humanitarian causes, including the American Foundation for AIDS Research, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation.

For more news at Yahoo! Music, click here.
Copyright ? 2005 LAUNCH.

"How Do You Feel?"
Mood:  special
Topic: Main News
Created: Sunday, 19 June 2005

That seems like the question that I am asked the most…. that, and the media begging for an interview or a sound bite. The answer to the second question is a radical “NO!”

There is absolutely no way I want to give the media one second of anything that belongs to Michael, just so they can get one more minute of ratings, a job advancement for themselves, or some more money in their greedy little paws, even if it is just me. I am not what they want. They just want another piece of Michael, and they are NOT getting it from me. I hold every moment we spent together sacred and personal. That belongs to us. My silence is the ultimate allegiance to my friend and hero.

The only one that has the authority and integrity to speak, at this time, is Thomas Messereau. He must speak in order to balance those scales of justice… remember that symbol?

I have been at “ground zero” throughout the entire year and a half. From the second day of production of ONE MORE CHANCE shooting in Las Vegas when my wake up call was interrupted by a news alert and helicopter shots of a raid on Neverland; the airplane ride to Santa Barbara where I witnessed Michael’s arms being twisted behind his back to slam shackles on his wrists. My heart has been in shackles until I heard the words NOT GUILTY repeated over and over again. Now how do I feel?

I AM FILLED WITH RAGE!!!!! I saw my dear friend go slowly from a vibrant, creative, loving man to a frail, broken hearted, human being. He was repeatedly raped (emotionally and mentally robbed and destroyed by force and violence). Day in and day out, in the courtroom and in the media, he was abused and violated in the worst possible manner in front the entire world, and me.

How do I feel? I am glad that the jury finally came to the same conclusion we knew all along. And what was the purpose of torturing this beautiful human being not only by a few ignorant (lacking a sense of awareness) lawmen, but also by a media willing to participate in the crucifixion for greed? I am ENRAGED!

I am trying to find the peace in my heart to forgive. Rage is a useless and horrible emotion to carry. Over this past week I have tried to cry it out. I went to the Neverland Gates on vindication day and tried to “hug” it out with all of my friends who marched beside Michael on this journey. I am still working on it.

Michael shared so much with me every day, and I still can not even conceive of how his body and heart is feeling now. All I do know is that Michael needs to recover (reclaim, recuperate) from this most heinous act that anyone could have put him through.

I know he needs to find peace. He did share with me his desire to be ALONE with his children… for him NOT to speak or see any one for a long time. I know he said this to also include me, not in any selfish or greedy manner, but for his own survival. I will respect this completely. But also in the same breath, he shared his love and gratitude for all of his friends that stood by his side.

I know we have so many feelings deep within us that need to be expressed. Many of us feel elated and want to party, some want to bow their heads in prayer and give thanks, and I have my rage to work through. Whatever we may be experiencing, let us please be respectful of Michael’s healing process and give him the time he needs to be able to regain his spirit to the fullest.

I have confidence that the artist, the God energy that dwells in Michael, will not be able to remain still. I am sure the music is still dancing in his mind. I am excited to know how his experiences will translate into his art.

Please, all of his friends, be patient and let us learn, and put the negative behind us quickly.

Let us turn this page with all the knowledge that we have gained. Let us leave Michael in peace. He KNOWS we are here… and waiting for him.

Lets keep dancing.

Karen Faye

Symphony of INNOCENCE
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Main News
Created: Sunday, 19 June 2005

June 17, 2005
By MJJsource Contributing Writer, John Karrys

Children of the world, there is hope. It is okay to be different and be self-made in mind and spirit. We are now reminded that one should strive to tell the truth and be loyal to one’s conscience and remember that karma returns to those who lie with malice. You can choose to stand apart from those who would like to manage your mind and not believe you have to fit into any conventional wisdom or pyramid of conformity. It’s really okay to choose not to follow this cliquish opinion of the moment, or that sheepish behavior. At this moment, Michael Jackson’s symphony of innocence is the best thing America has exported to the world in a very long time. It is a blaze of hope.

Listen to the symphony. Listen and watch closely. Notice the nuances from this or that pundit who was so sure that Michael Jackson was guilty. What do you hear? Does it sound logical? Did it ever sound logical? Do you notice certain faces puffing up? Listen to Tom Sneddon’s mumbling press conference; it felt like a Humpty Dumpty moment did it not? To all of those who hedged their careers on a Michael Jackson conviction, fear not, the angels of retribution will visit you shortly. Consult your lawyers for details. This includes those who felt it was their right to meddle in his private financial affairs. Last time I checked the pulse of this nation, any person’s private property was generally to be respected and honored. Most working people can appreciate that. I guess those moral vultures living outside of that pulse will learn that lesson. Perhaps they need some music for some insight.

A great thing about captivating music is that it can elevate ones awareness toward a more productive plateau. Listen closely to the attempted Michael Jackson career obituaries. This media has tried to tell the public that Michael Jackson’s career took a dive in the 90’s and has never recovered since. What standard did they use to decide that? A musicologist? Is it because he began to create music and videos that questioned the prevailing conditions of the time, instead of creating music for the dance clubs and charts? Revisionist music historians have tried, unsuccessfully, to desecrate the Jackson name by marginalizing his musical trailblazing achievements. Many “experts” will now have to undergo a credibility review.

For the last week, the world saw pictures of a jail cell. Who should really be there as a retribution of justice? How many? Throughout the world, the use of malicious force seems to be used illegally as a tool to exercise more state power over millions of innocent people. Out of this display, children begin to see value in lying and abandon values because they see adults lie constantly only to profit and be rewarded without consequence. Not this time around. There is a wheel of possibilities as to who should fill that jail cell and set an example. Media and legal statisticians are still working out the final tally as to the number of perjuries committed. Stay tuned.

In schools, universities, corporations, and our courts, we have clearly witnessed an epidemic of lies, frauds, the manufacturing of false profits as well as rampant perjury. As a result, we are sleeping complacently in a dangerous bed of lies. Michael Jackson’s explosive symphony is a victory for the truth and justice that is possible in all of our lives.

Ladies and gentlemen, to personify integrity isn’t out of style. To add value to the world is something to strive for as opposed to striving to be a vampire of someone else’s work and wealth. Victory is both peace and an authentic expression of what is possible throughout the cycle of life.

Michael’s triumph and rite of passage is a composition to the world; a unique symphony of innocence. At least, it seems possible that we can lock and load our victorious consciences with faith, diagnose our dangerously sick institutions and peacefully heal our communities.

For You And For Me.

A Note from MJJsource:

Team MJJsource would like to express our deepest thanks to John Karrys for the profound and powerful articles that he has contributed to this website over the past year.

John, in your articles you have so eloquently expressed the words that we felt so strongly but, as Michael's official website and voice, were gagged by law from expressing. We thank you for 'speaking' those often unpopular opinions and for courageously looking beyond the contorted image and twisted stories that were being force fed to the world on a daily basis throughout this process. We applaud your independent and insightful mind and thank you for letting us share 'you' with the world!

To All of Michael?s Friends, Fans & Supporters: THANK YOU
Mood:  party time!
Topic: Main News
Created: Sunday, 19 June 2005

On behalf of Michael Jackson, MJJsource would like to express his deepest appreciation to everyone who extended their love, prayers and support to him, his family and his entire team during this very difficult year and a half.

As we close this chapter in all of our lives and embrace a new beginning, Michael wants every fan, friend and supporter to know how truly loved and valued you are. He felt the power of your prayers, your personal sacrifices and the passion of your hearts in your many acts of love, letters, gifts and emails. There are no words to express how important each of you are to him. He is so deeply thankful to God, his family, his attorneys, his friends and his fans… the incredible power of all your love and dedication was invaluable to him and sustained him as he fought for his life everyday.

Throughout this experience, you were never far from his thoughts. He knew about your support demonstrations and vigils all over the world. He saw your faces, your banners and your signs at the beginning and end of each court day. Your constant presence and your cheers were an invaluable source of encouragement for him. He noticed every expression of love placed at his gates; the hearts, the angels, the stars, the banners… He drew strength from your strength… and he expressed his heartfelt gratitude and love for all of you, to those around him, time and time again.

It is of the highest importance to Michael, that his fans be acknowledged and that they truly know how special they are to him. He is so blessed by your loyalty and your ability to see the truth through all of the deception.

He sincerely thanks you all, with a humble and grateful heart, for standing with him, believing in him and fighting for him. His love and gratitude for you knows no bounds and he shares this victory with you. If he could have, throughout this experience, he would have told each one of you personally, “I love you more.”

From Team MJJsource:

As Michael’s official website, we were gagged by law from expressing our anger and outrage at so much of what was being done and reported… but you, the fans, did it for us… And, to you all, we say a sincere, thank you. Thank you. Thank you… for your unwavering loyalty to Michael and to the truth.

We continually cheered with you as you courageously stood up to the powerful forces of deception behind this trial. We know you cried and screamed with us as lie after lie was perpetuated and sold as fact to the world through the media. Often we looked to you to speak when we couldn’t… and you did, sacrificing your own time, money and sometimes relationships with those who refused to see Michael’s innocence. Michael has been a warrior; we have all been his army.

Each of us, in different ways, have had to stand up against much adversity as we have fought to let the truth of this incredible injustice be made known, most importantly and significantly, Michael himself. We know that it has not been easy; we know that so many of you have sacrificed so much to be there for Michael and stand up for truth.... no matter what.

The tireless 'campaigns for victory' of Michael's fans and friends were such a source of beauty and strength for Michael and for all of us involved. But most of all, throughout the entire ordeal, Michael was there, leading us all on, a source of immeasurable inspiration as he bravely walked in that courtroom each day, withstanding indescribable pressure and pain. His strength and endurance is a wonder and blessing to every one of us. We thank him, with all of our hearts, for finding the incredible fortitude within himself to see this horrible experience through to its victorious end. It is a profound lesson for all who have witnessed this triumph, “…and the truth shall set you free.”

For so many years, Michael has given his fans all he had to give on stage and in life, over and over again… and when it was your turn to give back… you were there, in force. You made him proud. You made him strong.

On behalf of Michael Jackson and everyone on his team, MJJsource wants to recognize and praise you all for your roles in this victory of truth. You always knew, you never questioned, you never wavered...

We give you a standing ovation.
Dancing IN the Victory.
Team MJJSource

Jackson Case Exposes Prosecuting Pitfalls
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Main News
Published Saturday, June 18, 2005

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
Associate Press Writer

SANTA MARIA, Calif. Set aside Michael Jackson's wealth and celebrity, and his trial could be a textbook lesson - a study in the pitfalls prosecutors face in trying to make child-molestation charges stick.

The credibility of the accuser and his family came under withering attack. Some of the children's testimony was inconsistent and muddled. And there was no DNA evidence, no smoking gun.

"Some prosecutors don't want to touch these cases with a 10-foot pole because they are so difficult," said Victor Vieth, director of child abuse centers at the American Prosecutors Research Institute in Alexandria, Va.

It's unclear how many of the thousands of molestation cases filed each year nationally end with jurors returning guilty verdicts; rough estimates run between 50 and 75 percent. In California, more than 3,420 defendants were found guilty of various sex crimes against minors in 2003, a conviction rate above 74 percent, according to the state Department of Justice.

However, the rate generally is lower in cases that depend heavily on the victim's word, Vieth said.

That's partly because prosecutors not only have to present a case against the alleged abuser, they must protect the accuser against defense counterattacks.

"The first question the jury is going to ask is 'Why would this child make up these allegations?'" said Leonard Levine, a prominent Los Angeles defense lawyer who has handled close to 100 child molestation cases. "And if you can give them a reason as a defense attorney, you're halfway there."

Jackson's prosecutor, Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon, said molestation cases are hard to prove because they often leave no physical evidence.

"They're far more difficult than murder cases. Murder cases you usually have a gun or a knife or blood or fingerprints or something," Sneddon said in an interview. "I've tried cases where they never found the body. I've had two of those cases. And those cases were much easier to try than some of the child molestation cases I've had."

The Jackson case had factors that complicated the prosecutors' job, said Sneddon's deputy, Ron Zonen.

"This case became more difficult because we were dealing with a 13-year-old boy from East L.A. who was rather unsophisticated, who was against not just a celebrity but an international superstar," Zonen said.

The deep pockets that come with celebrity tipped the scales even more. Jackson was able to hire a top defense lawyer, Thomas Mesereau Jr., who dug up alleged scams involving the accuser's family to portray them as career con artists who had been after the singer's money.

Prosecutors were able to capitalize on an unusual California law to introduce old - and uncharged - molestation allegations against Jackson, but those accusations couldn't eclipse doubts about the family's credibility.

Sneddon and his team also couldn't produce any biological or medical evidence of abuse. Only 20 percent of cases involve such physical evidence, according to David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

As a result, many prosecutors are forced to build cases on testimony alone, a strategy made more risky when the witnesses are children, who can be rattled and have trouble recalling key details in court.

Concerns about flawed child testimony grew in the 1980s and '90s, after molestation cases such as the McMartin Preschool case in Los Angeles County, the Little Rascals case in North Carolina and the Margaret Kelly Michaels case in New Jersey fell apart.

Interviewing techniques have since improved, and some jurors have become more forgiving of child testimony partly because of the Catholic church sex abuse scandal and child abduction and murders that have drawn national attention, lawyers said.

However, none of that helped when the brother of Jackson's accuser testified and gave an account of the alleged molestation that differed from statements he made to sheriff's investigators. And the accuser himself initially couldn't recall telling a grand jury that Jackson said it was "natural" when the singer appeared nude in front of him and his brother.

"As a prosecutor, once you lose the credibility of your witness, you're done," said Larry Hardoon, former lead prosecutor in Massachusetts' infamous Fells Acres sex abuse case, which produced convictions but led to the discrediting of the interview techniques used by investigators. "It's the end of the story."

---

Associated Press Writer Tim Molloy contributed to this report.

Jackson documents show jury's actions
Mood:  party time!
Topic: Main News


SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — The release of six handwritten notes from jurors in the Michael Jackson case show they reached their decision to acquit the pop star after careful consideration of evidence, including a total review of the accuser's testimony.

A request from the jury foreman to Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville resulted in a court stenographer going to the jury room and reading back the boy's entire testimony.

The notes, which were disclosed in response to a news media request, also showed jurors were briefly deadlocked on two lesser charges that accused Jackson of furnishing alcohol to a minor. They quickly broke that deadlock and agreed on an acquittal.

"We cannot agree on the lesser counts of seven and eight," said one note, which was quickly superseded by another saying, "Please disregard our prior request with counts 7 and 8."

A short time later, jurors unanimously acquitted Jackson of all 10 charges against him as well as the lesser options that were offered to them if they acquitted him of the more serious counts.

The jury notes were sealed by the judge during deliberations. He agreed at a hearing Thursday to release virtually all documents he had sealed during the trial.

"I have no intention to keep anything sealed except something that might involve privacy matters of a juror," Melville said during the hearing that led to release of the documents. The judge also ordered authorities to return the passport Jackson had to surrender when he was arrested. Melville had already ordered that Jackson's $3 million bail be returned.

Melville delayed the release of many items to give attorneys time to object to unsealing specific documents. He told lawyers to submit any requests to keep matters sealed by June 23.

On Monday, Jackson, 46, was acquitted of all charges alleging he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor in 2003, plied the boy with wine and conspired to hold him and his family captive to get them to make a video rebutting a damaging television documentary.

Jackson has not appeared in public since the verdict, but the Los Angeles Times reported Friday that the singer's family was throwing a party for his most loyal fans at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez on Saturday night.

The paper reported that a group of fans selected by the Jackson family would likely find out later Friday who was invited to the bash. It wasn't immediately known if Jackson himself would be at the party.

"We don't know who will perform. We're just told the Jackson family is putting together an event for fans they have selected," Frances Snyder, a spokeswoman for the casino, told the Times.

The casino is close to Jackson's Neverland ranch, and members of the pop star's family, including his father, Joe, have been staying at the casino hotel in recent weeks and eating at the resort's restaurant, the Willows.

"We get a lot of famous people, so it's been business as usual," said Snyder. "For Saturday, we're expecting a lot of people to be interested."

Jackson's security detail was expected to join the casino's security force for the party, Snyder said.

Melville said it could take as long as a month to release the voluminous amount of information that was sealed during the trial. Among the items are search warrants, sections of motions that were blacked out, questions asked by the jury during deliberations and transcripts of hearings in the judge's chambers.

The judge initially refused to allow the electronic media to copy videos shown during the trial after Jackson defense attorney Robert Sanger argued there was no legal right for the media to be allowed to sell evidence in the case by broadcasting it worldwide. Sanger said the videos included pictures of Jackson's home.

"There's no right to sell those around the world. This is not a public-interest issue," he said.

Media lawyer Theodore Boutrous Jr. argued that certain videos, primarily the so-called rebuttal video, had been a focus of the trial and "we think there's a public interest in that."

The judge acknowledged he had clashed with the news media over First Amendment issues before and during the trial.

"The issues are very important issues," Melville said. "... I had issues to protect, things that needed to be done to create a fair trial for both parties."

He commended Boutrous' work in arguing the news media's positions.

Outside court, Boutrous said he was glad the material was to be released.

"But it would have been preferable and constitutionally required to have this information as we went along in the case," he said. "We continue to believe that the First Amendment supported greater access."

On another issue, the judge agreed to return Jackson family memorabilia that had been seized from a New Jersey man who bought the items at an auction of a commercial storage locker's contents.

Edgar Pease III, the lawyer for Henry V. Vaccaro, said his client was now a defendant in a federal lawsuit by Jackson and his sister Janet, who want the materials back and claim they were stolen.

Sanger said outside court that Jackson is entitled to the return of all property that was seized from him.

"Mr. Jackson was exonerated. He was not guilty 10 times over. He should be allowed go on with his life," Sanger said.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

? Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Jackson prosecutors still see pop star as a danger
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Prosecutor Press Release

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Michael Jackson's prosecutors said Friday they still believe the pop star could be a danger to children, despite his acquittal on charges of molesting a boy two years ago. Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon and his two lead deputies in the case said in an interview with The Associated Press that they believed the jury set too high a bar for evidence.

Jurors rejected the prosecution's entire 10-count case Monday after a 14-week trial. Some later said that Jackson probably had molested other boys but insisted the case they heard was not proven. (Related story: Jackson documents show jury's actions)

Sneddon, who said immediately after the verdict that he would not second-guess the jury, discussed the nature of child molesters but said he was not talking about Jackson specifically.

"They don't even stop when they get treatment," he said. "This is a sickness that is very, very difficult to cure."

Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen stressed the importance of Jackson's future dealings with children.

"He's been exposed to the criminal justice system in a very profound way. Whether he poses a threat to children in the future is, of course, entirely up to him. If he brings kids back into his bedroom and even into his bed, then yes, there's probably a high likelihood that he will pose a threat or danger to the child," Zonen said.

Jackson's attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., said earlier this week that Jackson would no longer share his bedroom with children or their families because it could put him at risk for future accusations.

Mesereau persuaded jurors that there was a reasonable doubt in the case by arguing that the accuser and his mother made up the allegations against Jackson to get money.

On NBC's The Tonight Show Friday, Mesereau said Sneddon had a "personal vendetta" against Jackson and "mischaracterized the case from day one." He said Sneddon had been searching for accusers since a previous case fell apart after the boy's family accepted a multimillion dollar settlement from Jackson.

"It was like an open casting call on Michael Jackson. The best they could come up with was this family, which we thoroughly discredited from A to Z," Mesereau said.

The prosecutors said they did not buy the defense's claims that sleeping with children was part of an effort by Jackson to compensate for a childhood lost amid his rise to stardom and abuse by his father.

"I'll tell you this: I'll match my days in the bakery working with my dad (with) his dancing routines with his dad any day of the week," Sneddon said.

Sneddon said he would have considered a conviction tragic in some ways, considering Jackson's accomplishments.

"If he had been convicted, I think that part of it would have been a tragedy — like a Greek tragedy play of a person who obviously can bring great joy and entertainment to the people around the world," he said.

Also Friday, a Jackson Web site said the singer "has not made any plans for a party," responding to a report that a weekend celebration was being organized by the pop star's family to thank fans for support.

The statement was posted on mjjsource.com, which was used by Jackson's family to release information during the trial.

A spokeswoman for the Chumash Casino near Jackson's Neverland ranch was quoted in the Los Angeles Times saying the casino had learned the family planned to hold an event Saturday for selected fans.

Phone messages seeking comment from the casino were not returned Friday.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

? Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Jackson Detective "Scott Ross" Interviewed
Mood:  happy
Topic: Main News
Michael Jackson may very well be a free man today thanks to Scott Ross, a private investigator who many believe found information that led Jackson to beat the charges of molestation.

"My focus was very specific," Ross said. "It was to develop information on the accuser's mother."

And after Ross put the accuser's mother in his cross hairs, he found that, "Lying, cheating and stealing seemed to be a way of life for her."

Ross has a history turning the tables in high-profile cases. He was the guy who exposed the sordid past of Bonnie Lee Bakley in the Robert Blake case. Attorney Tom Mesereau had a blunt directive for Ross. "He said, 'You need to do to the accuser's mother what you did to Bonnie Lee Bakley,'" Ross revealed.

And to do that, Ross needed his own Deep Throat. But unlike Watergate, we don't have to wait years to learn his identify. "The accuser's father was fully aware of and knew that these allegations were not true," Ross said.

The father turned Ross on to celebrities like Chris Tucker. Ross got the reluctant actor to spill the beans. "Mr. Tucker, of all witnesses, was the first person to say to me, 'I don't really care that it's Michael Jackson. This is wrong. Someone is being falsely accused.'" Ross said.

Ross also became privy to other witnesses like Jay Leno. As it turns out, the defense had no idea Leno was even involved until the prosecution handed over an audio tape of an interview with Leno that sheriffs had secretly recorded.

"These people had to turn over the material to us, and that's how Jay Leno became a witness." Ross told us.

Actor Macaulay Culkin proved to be even better for Jackson. And Ross said that contrary to media reports, Culkin was an easy witness. "Macaulay Culkin was never not going to testify," Ross insisted. "It was never an issue."

But some witnesses weren't always available, like comedy shop owner Jamie Masada. So Ross showed up at Masada's press conference, cleverly blended in with the press corps, even asking questions, and then slapped him with a subpoena.

When the trial got underway, Ross was in a unique position to observe Michael Jackson. He said the King of Pop became the king of Post-It notes. "He would grab Post-Its, write something down, "Ross revealed. "I don't know if he's writing a song or thinking about music or putting himself in another place."

And as for those who consider Michael Jackson a "freak", Ross says they've got it all wrong. "I've been involved in hundreds of cases," Ross said. "He is one of three people who have thanked me. He doesn't sound like freak to me; he sounds like descent human being."

Source: Celebrity Justice

Jackson ?wants his stuff ? returned
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Main News
Lawyers ask court to return items seized in 2003 raid

Reuters
Updated: 7:49 p.m. ET June 16, 2005

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Three days before they acquitted Michael Jackson, jurors asked to hear all testimony from the boy who accused the pop star of molestation, newly released documents showed Thursday.

A handwritten note from the jury foreman and Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville?s response that the request would be granted was one of six notes released at the request of the media.

On the day they returned their verdicts, jurors were briefly deadlocked on two lesser charges that accused Jackson of furnishing alcohol to a minor, the documents also showed.
?We cannot agree on the lesser counts of seven and eight,? said the note which was quickly superseded by another note saying, ?Please disregard our prior request with counts 7 and 8.?

A short time later, jurors acquitted Jackson of all 10 charges. The judge, who placed a tight lid of secrecy on evidence in the trial, said at a hearing earlier in the day that he intends to release virtually every sealed document and also ordered that authorities return the pop star?s passport.

Melville, who said he accomplished his goal of providing a fair trial to both sides, was still considering a request to release videos shown during the trial. He delayed the release of many items to give attorneys time to object to unsealing specific documents. He told lawyers to submit any requests to keep matters sealed by June 23. ?I have no intention to keep anything sealed except something that might involve privacy matters of a juror,? Melville said.

On Monday, Jackson, 46, was acquitted on all charges that alleged he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor in 2003, plied the boy with wine and conspired to hold him and his family captive to get them to make a video rebutting a damaging television documentary.

Jackson, who surrendered his passport after his arrest in 2003, has not appeared in public since the verdict. His brother Jermaine said Wednesday on CNN that he was resting, and, on the issue of whether he might move away, said that ?we?ve always had a love for places outside the U.S.?

Material that was sealed included search warrants, sections of motions that were blacked out, questions asked by the jury during deliberations and transcripts of hearings in the judge?s chambers. Melville said the material was so voluminous it probably cannot be released for about a month.

The judge initially refused to allow the electronic media to copy videos shown during the trial after Jackson defense attorney Robert Sanger argued there was no legal right for the media to be allowed to sell evidence in the case by broadcasting it worldwide. Sanger said that the videos included pictures of Jackson?s home, which he said have privacy interests.

?There?s no right to sell those around the world. This is not a public-interest issue,? he said. Media lawyer Theodore Boutrous Jr. argued that certain videos, primarily the so-called rebuttal video, had been a focus of the trial and ?we think there?s a public interest in that.? Boutrous said the judge should release those videos that were central to the case.

The judge acknowledged that he had clashed with the media over First Amendment issues before and during the trial.

?The issues are very important issues,? Melville said. ?I had issues to protect, things that needed to be done to create a fair trial for both parties.?

On another issue, the judge agreed to return Jackson family memorabilia that had been seized from a New Jersey man who bought the items at an auction of a commercial storage locker?s contents. None of the items were used as evidence in the Jackson case.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
? 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8246356/

CNN LARRY KING LIVE- Interview with Jermaime Jackson
Mood:  happy
Topic: Main News
Aired June 15, 2005 - 21:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LARRY KING, HOST "LARRY KING LIVE": Tonight, exclusive, Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson, his first sit-down interview since Michael was found not guilty of child molestation. He's here for the hour. We'll take your calls -- exclusive -- Jermaine Jackson, next, on LARRY KING LIVE.
Just a quick program reminder. Tomorrow night, Reverend Billy Graham, doing his last crusade in New York. Billy Graham will be our special guest tomorrow night.

Joining us now from his home in Encino, California, is Jermaine Jackson. He was with us on the phone right after the verdict. He's now with us live from his house on screen. We'll be taking your calls.

Jermaine, first, what is the latest update on Michael? How's he doing? What did he do today?

JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL'S BROTHER: Michael's recovering. Michael's recovering, but it's a time for rejoice for the family, and we're very, very happy. As you can see, I'm smiling, and we always knew he was 1,000 percent innocent.

KING: Is he at Neverland? Or -- there were reports that he was spending time in a hotel.

JACKSON: I can't tell you. I can't tell you that, Larry, but he's at peace and we're very happy.

KING: Any reason that the location to secret?

JACKSON: Well, he just -- look what they put him through for so long and it's time for him to just get back into himself and just let the light come into him, and the peace. That's what this moment is all about. It's time to rejoice.

KING: How is his health?

JACKSON: Well, his health, he's been sort of not eating. But he's strong. Michael's very -- he's probably one of the strongest people I know, because to see him each day, and to sit there and hear these things said about you and to just -- can't say anything, because people just attacking you, and at the same time, just -- the media, and the outpour of just misinformation and things like that. I mean -- but he's strong. He got dressed every morning. He came to court. He was there and he was there for the verdict. So, I give him -- he's a strong, strong person. KING: Jermaine, you say he -- you said he was not eating much during the trial. Is he at least getting fed well now?

JACKSON: Well, he was eating sandwiches and things like that, but it's just very tough. It's just a tough time, and any human being, to go through that and to come out the way he did, they're very strong.

KING: But he's eating now?

JACKSON: Yes, he's eating.

KING: He did a -- there's a brief statement on his website. Naturally, people want to hear more. Do you expect Michael to do a major interview somewhere and to come out and do a press? What do you expect from him publicly?

JACKSON: I really don't know yet. I mean, the family is meeting. We're coming together and sort of just -- sort of trying to get all of this behind us, to move forward. And Michael has just been unbelievably strong through this whole ordeal, but he's -- I'm pretty sure he's just looking to rest. That's his most important -- to rest and get his mind back and just focus on just being a person. Nothing about doing this or doing that, but just resting. That's most important.

KING: You think he's wary of media now, a little wary of any kind of interviews after the Bashir thing? Do you think he'll hesitate to do anything? His lawyer last night appeared with us for an hour, and Tom said he'd recommend that he lay low for a while.

JACKSON: I recommend that, too, and that's what he's feeling as well but it's just very, very sad that the media and just certain people have hidden agendas. I mean, as you know, Larry, we've been beat up, we've been beat down, but still we stand, and we've stayed strong and it's because of the family unity that kept us strong through all of the adversities (ph) and the false accusations, and -- to accuse someone of something like this is just horrendous.

But at the same time, he has family and he has the love of his family and what kept him strong, and god, which is first, and the supporters from around the world. I always said, my brother is a 1,000 percent innocent.

KING: Do you -- Mesereau said it last night -- do you think that a lot of people in the media were unfair, were ganging up on Michael, convicted him before the trial started?

JACKSON: Absolutely. But even before the trial started, Larry, when you look at how many times, how many warrants they went into his property, how it was done, the bail, and just -- to take his passport, like he's a fugitive, like he's going to run. I mean, to treat a person like this, especially Michael Jackson, who's just the most wonderful person.

I mean, it saddens me deeply because it's 2005, but yet we haven't gone anywhere. I mean I call this, as you know, a modern-day lynching. And it was -- I really meant that, because people, they all just jumped on him.

And I have, an 18-page thing of this ongoing charities and things he's done around the world in every corner of the globe, helping people, giving, giving so much. The world needs to see this. They need to know who he really is. When you look at the song "Childhood," and you listen to that song, you listen to what he's saying. We're not ready. We have so far to go, and we're in the year 2005. That's what saddens me, because we should be proud. America should be proud to have someone like a Michael Jackson.

KING: But yet, you'll agree, Jermaine, it was difficult for people for people to comprehend...

JACKSON: Excuse me?

KING: ...a grown men who has boys who sleep in his bed, right? I mean, that's -- it's just unusual to understand that.

JACKSON: Larry, let me stop you right there. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Larry, let me stop you right there. Michael does not sleep in the bed with children. Also, Michael's quarters, at his ranch, is the size of a 2,000 or more square foot condo, OK? And at same time, Michael does not sleep in the bed with children.

So, that was the misunderstanding that everywhere put out there. And the fact he love and care about children so much -- listen to the song "Childhood" and you'll find out who Michael Jackson is, and he's been trying to tell the world this since day -- they don't want to hear that, OK? And it's really crazy, that even the prosecution and even the authorities, and I say the authorities up in Santa Maria would just jump on him and not even care if their witnesses or their accusers were credible. It's a shame...

KING: Well, Tom Mesereau said last night that he might recommend a case, a suit on your part, of malicious prosecution. Do you think the prosecutors didn't think they had a case? You think they were just obsessed with your brother?

JACKSON: They were obsessed because Tom Sneddon had a personal vendetta. He spent the taxpayers' money up there, which they should really do an investigation on him and the whole organization up there.

I'll say it again. This is what I feel. It should be a thorough evaluation of people who are in authority, because people to have a personal vendetta against anyone and especially someone of status, and then put it before the press and the press jumps on it and they blow it up all out of proportion, is that fair? I mean, is this constitutional? Is this the time and age that we're living in?

I will say this, though -- the jurors and whole Santa Maria County has been wonderful, because this is what makes a smile. This is what make us smile.

KING: Let me get a break and we'll come back and we'll be taking calls for Jermaine...

JACKSON: No one believes this. No one believed that.

KING: Hold it, Jermaine. We've gotta take a break. We'll take calls for Jermaine Jackson. He mentioned the song. As we go to break, here is Michael Jackson's "Childhood."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Jermaine Jackson. We'll be taking your calls in a while.

Let's -- I want to cover some areas that have being reported. Jermaine, there are reports that Michael may take part in Bob Geldof's Live 8 concert series. A British press is claiming he is keen to participate. It's planned to happen in advance of the G-8 summit out July 6. Do you know anything about that.

J. JACKSON: No, I don't. No, I don't.

KING: Speculation he might leave the United States? He doesn't feel comfortable here anymore.

J. JACKSON: Well, we've always had a love for other places outside the U.S. -- I don't know. But I do know that he needs to go and get some rest somewhere.

KING: You think he might want to leave the -- I mean, change residence?

J. JACKSON: I would. Yes, I'm pretty sure.

I mean Michael's an American. He's born African-American. He's born here. He's done so much for the world. So much for people. So much for America. And I say it again, we should be proud, the U.S. should be proud that he's been just a positive representation from America, for the world. And instead, they're the ones who's trying to put him under.

KING: So you wouldn't be surprised if he lives somewhere else?

J. JACKSON: I would be right with him, yes. I wouldn't be surprised.

KING: "The Hollywood Reporter" says that your family is pushing a reality television series. Any truth to that?

J. JACKSON: The family's pushing what?

KING: A reality television years.

J. JACKSON: I've have never heard anything like that, Larry. That's a surprise to me. That's something new.

KING: Do you hear a lot of strange reports? J. JACKSON: A lot goes on. And what's sad about it, when it gets to the media, they report and they inject their opinions instead of reporting the truth. It's just people talk. And then rumors spread that are not true. And things evolve into just a lot of horrendous lies. Lies, lies, lies.

KING: We spoke to your mom earlier, how is she doing? How's your mother doing?

J. JACKSON: Larry, I can't hear you, if you're talking.

KING: How's your mother doing?

J. JACKSON: My mother's doing wonderful. We are very, very happy. It's been a tremendous load off of her and the whole entire family. Like I said, we're rejoicing now. And she's been wonderful.

Because she's been in the courthouse everyday with her son. And she would have done it for any one of us. Because she knew in her heart she was a thousand percent innocent.

And at the same time, she was there. She's a mother who care for her child. And my father was there. And we were only allowed six seat, Larry. That's why we couldn't come in there, because we're a family of 11. And that's strength. That's unity. And the judge did not allow us us all to be in that courtroom at the same time. But we were there. So we took turns. And we all just sort of changed it up at times.

KING: Now, Tito happened to be in the courtroom. You were in the courthouse, but not in the courtroom. How did you hear the verdict? What was your first reaction?

J. JACKSON: OK, what had happened was, Janet and I went upstairs. And we were sort of pacing the floor. And we were just -- so we went -- so they put us in a room. A private room. And I hear all this -- I heard all of this screaming and fans cheering and screaming. So I walked over to the window. And I looked out of the window. And every time there was a scream, there was a dove released. I guess, they were releasing a dove for each count. And then I went back into the room, and all of a sudden, somebody ran upstairs and said, he was innocent on all ten counts. And we just screamed and jumped up.

It was just the most wonderful moment. God is real. We thank everyone around the world, especially the black community who has been there since day one. His fans who come from all around the world. And it's the positive energy and the prayers.

Michael's done a lot of good, Larry. A lot of good. And I wish the world could see, he's the No. 1 charitable supporter from any celebrity. It's in the world's Guinness Book Records. And people need to know this.

KING: Are you surprised then that Gallup --CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll says 48 percent of the people disagreed with the verdict, 27 percent were pleased. Is that one of the reasons you are thinking about living somewhere else?

J. LACKSON: Listen, listen. Larry, listen. This is my point. The media bashed my family and Michael all during this trial. They bashed him. They talked about him, even other legal people. And at the same time, they say, OK, let's go to the polls. Let's take a poll.

OK, we didn't want to talk. So you tell me if that's all they're hearing is negativity. And still the polls were favorable towards us. But you can't just talk about someone so much and say, let's go to the polls. That's the system in which we live. We know why they were doing that. And at the same time, we said, my brother's innocent. And he will come through all of this.

KING: Are you also angry at Court TV? Tom singled them out last night.

J. JACKSON: I don't even want to talk about them, because they're ignorant to even make statements like that. And I will not mention any names, because they don't deserve that.

But the fact that -- what happened to this country? What happened to just knowing the facts? Reporting the news, not injecting your own opinion, what happened to this? I mean, this is America. But what happened?

I mean, we're five kids that grew up in Gary, Indiana worked hard, worked hard. Had strong people behind us to launch our careers and the whole Motown thing in which set the foundation for all of the success you see. And we went on with our lives. And to be faced with something like this. We tried the system and justice was served.

KING: So you have come out of this bitter?

J. JACKSON: People out there, Larry, how many people out there tried the system and it doesn't work for them?

KING: Yes.

J. JACKSON: So, we're happy that Michael has been found not guilty, innocent. But at the same time, why did it have to come this far?

KING: Let me get a break, and come back. We'll take calls for Jermaine in a little while. He's with us for the full hour.

Billy Graham tomorrow night. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Jermaine Jackson's our guest.

Michael has paid millions to settle previous allegations. Tom Mesereau said last night, that was -- he had bad advice. Michael shouldn't have paid anything. Do you agree?

JACKSON: Yes, I agree, but during the time, Michael was on tour. Janet was on tour. My mother was very ill, and it just -- he felt that it wasn't the time to fight. But this time he fought, and we were victorious.

KING: The impact on his future behavior -- do you think he's going to change some of the things he does just for public image?

JACKSON: Larry, there -- OK, Michael is not a weird person. Michael is not -- I mean, this is just a bunch of talk, calling him Wacko Jacko, all of these crazy names. He doesn't do anything. Have you ever heard of him throwing televisions out of the hotel windows and setting fires and doing this and that? I mean, that behavior goes on in our industry as we know that. But I guess it's because they pick on him because he is the largest, largest entertainer in the world, and they will find something to say.

KING: But will...

JACKSON: I mean, there are things that he's going to change.

KING: Right, like...

JACKSON: Excuse me?

KING: Like...

JACKSON: Well, not to let people get so close to him, and we're going to make sure of that as well.

KING: Nor -- he's not going to let anybody take advantage of him?

JACKSON: Well, people come around you and they smile, but they have a hidden agenda and we're faced with that everyday. Everybody who's patting you on your back is not your friend. But at the same time, it's up to us to know who's who. I do know that -- all my brothers, we will make sure that these type of people stay far away. Far away.

KING: Is he -- you think he'll ever write a book?

JACKSON: I really don't know, Larry. I really don't know.

KING: In his song about being a victim, about -- his song "Billie Jean," he described himself a victim. Do you think he's a victim? Is that a correct term to apply to him?

JACKSON: Well, when you're in an industry and you're out in the public, you're victims of all types of things. And his music influences, people take context of his lyrics the wrong way, and things happen. I fear sometimes when I'm out, and now since Michael's been vindicated, we all just -- we all have to be careful. I mean, we -- we love the fact that the family held up and there was a family support, but still at the same time you never know when someone's plotting and planning.

KING: Would you describe your brother as child-like?

JACKSON: I would describe my brother as a person who was in search a childhood that he never had, but at the same time, he was around adults, and when you're around adults all the time, you hear -- who wants to hear about all of the ugly things that are going on in the world? I mean, Michael's a person who loves peace. He's a very humble person. I call him St. Michael because he's the most wonderful person I know, and I mean that. He's a wonderful, wonderful person.

KING: When you get that big, though, does anyone say no to him?

JACKSON: Of course.

KING: Because sometimes you can get so big, you have power. Does he have people around him who say no?

JACKSON: Yes. My mother tells him no. Randy tells him no. We tell him no. But at the same time, when you've had so much success, you feel that your way is a positive way, is the way to go about things, and I'm referring to just the day-to-day things that he does with his music and making decisions and creative decisions and things like that.

KING: Will he entertain again?

JACKSON: I think so, but that's on him. He's -- it's in his blood, and I think he's just resting. He's resting. He's always got time or an ear for a melody or a nice beat, but it's been so much negative -- just the whole environment has been totally negative, what they've done to him, but at the same time, he's strong. He's not going to let it beat him down. He's going to stand and move forward with his life.

KING: He must miss applause. He must miss a stage.

JACKSON: You're probably right, but he has a stage at home! He has a stage at home. We can give him -- we're giving him all the applause he needs.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: We'll take a break, and come back, go to phone calls. We'll go to phone calls for Jermaine Jackson.

Couple of program notes -- Billy Graham, tomorrow night. Shania twain on Friday. Saturday night, Bob Costas, host Vanessa Redgrave, and on Sunday night on LARRY KING LIVE, you will met my children, on Father's Day night.

We'll be right back with Jermaine Jackson and your phone calls right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: With Jermaine Jackson -- Columbus, Georgia -- as we go to calls. Hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry and Jermaine. Jermaine, you said just a few minutes ago that the jurors were wonderful. How do you feel about juror number one on numerous interviews saying that he truly believes that Michael has molested young boys and has the tendency to do so?

JACKSON: Well, that's just his opinion, but the bottom line is this: I know, Michael knows, god knows, in his heart that he's been a wonderful person. He's never done anything like that.

KING: Mobile, Alabama, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry, and thanks for your very fair and balanced show.

KING: Thank you.

CALLER: Hi, Jermaine. Will Michael consider filing...

JACKSON: How are you?

CALLER: Hi. Would Michael consider filing a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Tom Sneddon and entourage for the very unfair and horrific crime that they committed against him?

JACKSON: Well, I really don't know what he's going to do, but I would.

KING: Tom Mesereau said he would too. I other words, if it were up to you, you would take action?

JACKSON: Kick their butts, yep. They tried to bury him, Larry. They tried to bury him but they made him bigger.

KING: Santa Maria, California, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Mr. King, this is Diane.

I'm wondering, Jermaine, as a personal person who does know Mr. Sneddon and what he can do to families, I am wondering if Mr. Jackson, your brother, Michael, will be receiving or seeking counseling for the victimization he's received or endured at the hands of, quote, city hall, here in Santa Barbara County?

KING: I gather you're in the a fan of the prosecutor?

JACKSON: Well --

KING: Is Michael going to seek psychological help for just all that's happened to him?

JACKSON: I think Michael is going to rest and he's going to -- the psychological help Michael has is his family, and I would say it's just down home family love. But I do think there will be a time that the prosecutors and all of that will be dealt with. But right now, he's resting and we're rejoicing and my mother is very, very happy.

KING: What is his financial situation?

JACKSON: Well, I'll say this, Larry. Michael is no way, as they're saying, broke. When you have an incredible, incredible asset, instrument, like the catalog, and when you have other things. I mean, who's broke? I mean, look at major organizations, like AT&T and some of the major Fortune 500 companies out there. They tighten their belts at certain times. SO, this is a belt-tightening time. But Michael's no way broke, and he's still the number one superstar in the world, bigger than what he was before.

KING: Does he -- what does he own, the music rights to what, the Beatles and what else?

JACKSON: Probably everybody's music now, Larry. But it's so much. There's not enough time that we can go into that. But he's been very wise and very smart. The bottom line he's a person. Let's forget about money. Let's forget about all those things. Michael's a human being and that's what's wrong with this country now. They judge people on how much money they have. What about his -- the person he is? The love of a person? And the love that you give to others? What happened to that? What do we look for -- if a person walks around and say, I have all of this money. Everybody flocks to him.

That's not what life's supposed to be about. I mean, judge him as to who he is. Listen to his lyrics. Look at what he's done. Look at what he's done around the world, every corner of the globe -- charities, millions and millions and millions of dollars, hundreds of millions, given to people of all walks of life. He didn't deserve what happened to him.

KING: Wright City, Missouri. Hello.

CALLER: Hi, Jermaine. I'm so happy that Michael was found innocent. My question is, will Michael continue helping cancer patients like he did before? I know he did an awful lot with kids when cancer and I think it would be a shame if he had to stop.

KING: Good question.

JACKSON: I'm pretty sure he will, because one apple didn't spoil the whole bunch. It's like something that's so beautiful, and godly- like to help and give to others. That's what we've been taught. That's how we've been raised, and that's the blessing that god has giving us, to have such talent and such international appeal to give back to others. So I'm pretty sure he will, because that's what he was -- blessed with all of this talent and all of this success is to give back to others and give other people a much brighter life and that's what Neverland is all about. I mean it's about giving children who are terminally ill and on their last days, that are last bit of joy. Not to do what they said. It's a beautiful place. It's a wonderful, wonderful beautiful place, Neverland. KING: Jermaine, siblings have always disagreements. What about your brother don't you like? What aspect through your life with him bothers you?

JACKSON: He's too nice, and they say I'm like that, too, but I see myself a little different than Michael. But at the same time, he's my brother. This is how we were raised. But he's very strong in business. But that would be the thing. He's just too nice.

KING: So you're saying he's not weak, he's nice?

JACKSON: No, he's not weak at all, please believe me, because it took a strong man to show up at that court, Larry, every day to hear this rubberish (ph) and all of this stupid stuff said about you. And then -- this whole thing was just a sling his name...

KING: But...

JACKSON: ...through the mud, and I'll say this. Wait, wait, wait. This is really important. It's like there're conspirators out there who were behind this whole entire thing. It's almost like a magician. They throw this child molestation crap on you with the right hand, while the left hand is trying to do something else. So, this was the whole plan. But at the same time, we've always said Michael is a thousand percent innocent.

Now, the conspirators out there, yes, they are shaking in their boots, because they know we know. We knew from day one, and it's not going to work. They're not going to get away with this.

KING: Although not guilty doesn't mean innocent. You can't declare someone innocent. They declare him not guilty. But when you say too nice, you mean he's -- he gives to people too much? He's easily swayed?

JACKSON: No, he gives too much, and he wants to help everyone, and that's what his music's been about, that's what...

KING: He's a soft touch?

JACKSON: ...the building of Neverland. He's a soft touch, but he's strong when he needs to be, but this was a situation that he thought -- would -- that he could help, and it turned out to be they had a hidden agenda. They had a hidden agenda, and it's sad that Sneddon did not evaluate his accusers and his witnesses. They had no credibility, but to shame someone. That's why I said the authorities up there, they need to do a better evaluation of people, judges and D.A.'s, because you can't do this. This is not constitutional. This is not America.

KING: We'll be back with more of Jermaine Jackson right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TOM SNEDDON, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY: He was very down. He just didn't understand why people didn't believe him. A little cynical about the system. And I just encouraged him and told him what a hero he was and how courageous he was to come forward. And that he did the right thing and it was time for him to move on with his life and never look back, because he did the right thing. And how much we believed in him and supported him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That was Tom Sneddon talking about the accuser.

Any comment on that, Jermaine?

JACKSON: I don't believe anything that comes out of his mouth, because I'll tell you why: It doesn't take a hundred times of going to somebody's property for something like this, which was a lie in the first place -- and if you look at the family, that there was no credibility even from the mother.

From all of the things she -- I feel that this was all planed. We know this was all planned. And for Sneddon to go into his property so many times, as I said before, I wasn't worried about what they were going to take out, I was worried about what they were going to put in there -- some book they keep bringing up.

KING: How's Michael's kids doing? In the -- this is a wacky world. Do -- are they kind of normal-life? Do they go to school?

JACKSON: Yes. They -- my kids play with them and they're fine. Michael's a wonderful father. He's changed diapers. He does it all and he's very, very keen on making sure his kids are disciplined. And Michael's no wacky entertainer, out there, that doesn't care about his kids and this and that. I mean he's a wonderful father. He's had a lot of...

KING: Are they...

JACKSON: ... Brothers to learn from.

KING: Are they sheltered when they go to school? Are they watched?

JACKSON: No. No. They have -- they have private school, but at the same time, he wants them to be able to interact with the -- with children so we bring ours over. And they get a chance to do things, but you hear a lot of things, Larry, and it's up to, I guess, the public to know what the truth is.

It's very hard. It's very hard.

KING: Were you happy with Debbie Rowe on the stand?

Tom, last night, said he was very pleased with her even though she was a prosecution witness. JACKSON: I was very pleased. I was in the Middle East during the time, but I was very pleased because they tried everything. I felt that the judge worked with the prosecution. They didn't allow us anything. I -- Michael wasn't even allowed to use the bathroom half- of-the-time. We weren't allowed to -- even to sit there. There were empty seats there and we couldn't sit there. And this is -- what is --they tried to strip us of every bit of truth and strength that we portrayed as a family.

KING: The judge, too?

JACKSON: But still we prevailed. We prevailed.

KING: You include the judge.

JACKSON: Yes. Yes.

I did, yes.

KING: New York City -- hello.

CALLER: Yes, hello.

Hi, Larry.

Hi, Jermaine.

KING: Hi.

CALLER: My question to Jermaine is: Is Michael going to take Donald Trump up on his offer of doing a headline show Vegas, when he's better?

JACKSON: Sweetie, I don't know anything about that, but Donald Trump has been a friend in the past and if that's what he wants to do, that's what he'll do.

KING: Donald Trump has done nothing but praise your brother, but he doesn't have the hotel in Vegas, yet.

So, it would be premature. But that's a possibility. He would work Vegas, wouldn't he? He was always big there.

JACKSON: Well, we started out in Vegas, as children. Well, we started at The Apollo, but we played Vegas and I'm -- he loves Las Vegas. So, you never know.

KING: Miami -- hello?

Caller: Hi, Jermaine. I have a question and a comment. I wanted to say that: I've loved Michael my whole life and have never doubted his innocence and what he said...

JACKSON: Thank you.

Caller: ... life runs sprints but the truth runs marathons, is true. I just wanted to know: How did you feel about the media coverage, especially Court TV and Nancy Grace, whom I thought was extremely unprofessional and --

KING: Well, I asked him about Court TV. He didn't want to name names, but you were very critical of the whole network, right?

JACKSON: Well, I'll just say this: My mother and father's attorney, Debra Opri, was banned from Court TV, but after she had really bashed, you know who -- which I don't even want to mention their names.

But the media has been very unfair because they have not reported the news, they've injected opinions. And that's not what a reporter is supposed to do. You're supposed to report.

KING: We'll take a break and be back with more of Jermaine Jackson, more of your phone calls.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKSON: This is a very historic room here where we are right now. Because this is where the meeting took place for the Jackson Victory Tour: 1984 tour that broke all records of course.

We were sitting here on the couches and negotiating and talking and sort of getting our ideas together,creatively, of what we're going to do on stage live, real soon. So, we're very proud of this room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Speaking of that, Jermaine, how about a Jackson family reunion tour?

JACKSON: That sounds good, Larry.

KING: I mean, you would do that, right?

JACKSON: Sounds very good.

KING: Do you think Michael would do it?

JACKSON: We're ready. We're ready.

KING: By the way, in all honesty...

JACKSON: Victory two.

KING: Are you -- Victory two -- Are you, Jermaine, a bitter winner?

JACKSON: A bitter winner in what sense? Can you...

KING: That you have won, you are happy, but at the same time, very bitter at the whole turn of events.

JACKSON: I'm not bitter. I'm just disappointed in the system. Michael didn't get off because of money, because of his popularity. He got off because he was innocent and they never presented a case. But at the same time, I'm bitter because he's done so much -- we've done so much. We represent this country and for them to act as we were some -- from somewhere else, I mean, it's just...

KING: So, there's some bitterness.

JACKSON: Yes.

JACKSON: Yes. Yes, but we move on. We have to be bigger than that. We have to be -- we have to move on, but it's hard to turn the other cheek.

KING: I'll bet.

JACKSON: They tried to bury us. They tried to bury us. You would be the same way, right?

KING: If I thought I was being buried, I would be mad, yes.

Big Rapids, Michigan, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry. Hi, Jermaine.

KING: Hi.

CALLER: I'm a huge fan of Michael's.

JACKSON: Hi.

CALLER: He saved me life as a child, and I would love to let him know that. My question is...

JACKSON: Oh, thank you.

CALLER: ...will there be a victory party for the fans?

JACKSON: Well, Randy -- Randy is arranging things now. He's done a wonderful job of pulling the team together for Michael. And I guess that's in the plans. I spoke to him just before I came on.

KING: So, there might be a party put together for the people who supported him?

JACKSON: Absolutely. They came so far, Larry. The fans sent -- they put out so much positive energy in the prayers. One time I was leaving the gates and they were standing and holding hands in the circle and just that positive light, positive energy, and that's what it was, and I thank everyone from around from the globe and here and far and near, because they know who Michael is, and if you get past the media and get to the fans and to the public, they know who he is.

KING: Poughkeepsie, New York, hello. CALLER: Hi, Jermaine. Hi, Larry.

KING: Hi.

JACKSON: I would like to know, how has Michael been feeling? And if he has any plans on going on tour or to record a new CD?

KING: Ah, we have asked about touring. How about recording?

JACKSON: Well, I really don't know. Right now he's resting. He's just -- he doesn't have to wake up at 4:00 in the morning anymore. He was there everyday, Larry. He was there. They thought he would flee. They thought he would run.

But he's -- he loves music. I'm pretty sure he's always going to sing, but right now, that's not important. What's important for him is just to get himself back and to -- just to be a human being, a person again.

KING: We'll be back with remaining moments with Jermaine Jackson. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Jermaine, it's been no secret the family has feuded in the past. There've been public feuds and problems with your dad and growing up. Has this, in a sense, brought the family closer together?

JACKSON: Well, this has brought us closer, but at the same time, we're a family. We're no different than any other family who has feuds and problems. What is life without problems? I mean -- but at the same time, we're united, and we have united front that is very, very strong, and its supported by god. My mother and father did a great job in instilling the morals and principles in us from the very beginning. We feel that with that, with that, that's all you need to go through life.

KING: Your father was -- your father was tough, though, was he not? Have you forgiven some of the -- the way you were treated as a kid?

JACKSON: I was treated fine. There's nothing to forgive. I mean, any black family or any black child or just person out there listening, we grew up like any other black family. You did something, you got your butt tore up, and it wasn't tore up, it was just, you got a spanking. And so, making this more than what it is -- they're looking for problems.

But I will say this. He kept us off of the streets. He kept us away from drugs. He kept us away from gangs and we were able -- like I said, we're five kids from Gary, Indiana, house the size of a two- car garage, but at the same time, we've been able to project a talent out there and have the support of strong people to entertain the world. So that's a blessing from god, and so -- at the same time, having good parents.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: But, Michael never really had what could be called a normal childhood.

JACKSON: No, because he started so early.

KING: Yes.

JACKSON: And, like I said, people would approach him. That's why he doesn't feel comfortable -- and I feel the same way -- being around adults and talk to you about this and that and business. Who wants to be reminded of just -- the world should be a better place, and that's been the challenge of man to try to make it a better place.

KING: Do you still keep -- you ever keep in close touch with the Osmond boys? The two of you were so big together at one time.

JACKSON: Yes, well, I've been talking to Merrill a while back but we'll been so busy with what has just happened and -- but we stay in touch. We'll get a call from him and I speak to Donny on and off. And I'm pretty -- I mean we're in the same circle, so we run across each other or someone who is with him, we tell them we are looking for him.

KING: So, what are you going to be doing, Jermaine, now that this is over?

JACKSON: I'm going to be, just, probably just working on some music, starting a label, and just staying strong, staying by my family, staying by my brothers. My brothers are -- we're strong. We're ready for whatever. If there's a tour, fine. If not, we're going to continue to be a family, a united family. We came through this.

KING: If Michael leaves the country, would you?

JACKSON: I'll be right there.

KING: You would?

JACKSON: Right there with him. We love -- we love the people in America. It's been the media and we have nothing bad to say. I mean there's some wonderful places here, but at the same time, there are wonderful places all around the world and we need to just travel and see more.

KING: Yes. Well, that would be understandable if you -- feelings are that way, you known all over the world -- I guess he'd be taken in -- a lot of places would warmly accept the Jacksons.

JACKSON: Thank you, Larry.

KING: Jermaine, thank you very much for giving us this hour. We appreciate it. Thank you for taking phone calls, and we appreciate you're spending the time with us.

JACKSON: Thank you.

KING: Jermaine Jackson from his home in Encino, California.



TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

International Edition Languages --------- Arabic German Japanese Korean Turkish
CNN TV CNN International Headline News Transcripts Advertise With Us About Us

? 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
Denotes premium content.
Add RSS headlines.

Michael Jackson could face civil suit
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Main News
Accuser, family expected to seek monetary damages in court

The Associated Press
Updated: 9:28 a.m. ET June 16, 2005

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Part of Michael Jackson's winning legal strategy was convincing jurors that his accuser's family intended to get rich by suing the pop star for a cash bonanza. Whether that happens to Jackson may soon be clear.

When a celebrated criminal case ends without a conviction, it is often not the end of the defendant's legal troubles — O.J. Simpson, Kobe Bryant and Robert Blake are just a few celebrities who have been hit with civil suits.

Civil suits have their appeal: Victory can result in monetary damages and a sense of vindication, and such cases are easier to win because the burden of proof is lower. In Jackson's case, he already has a history of paying millions of dollars to make child molestation allegations go away.

During Jackson's criminal trial — which ended Monday with the pop star being cleared of molesting a 13-year-old boy — defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. told jurors that the accuser and his mother were "looking for a big payday" at the pop star's expense. The mother testified she did not plan a lawsuit and did not want "the devil's money." She could still change her mind. The accuser's family has not spoken publicly since the verdict. The lawyer who appears most likely to file any civil suit, Los Angeles attorney Larry Feldman, did not immediately return a call Wednesday.

Feldman represented a boy who received a multimillion-dollar settlement after making molestation accusations against Jackson in 1993. Feldman is also the attorney the accuser's family approached after their close relationship with Jackson ended.

Lower standard of proof required

One key difference in a civil trial that would benefit the family is the lower standard of proof required. While all 12 jurors in the criminal case would have had to find Jackson guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt," in a civil case plaintiffs must simply prove their case "by a preponderance of the evidence." Also, only nine of the 12 must agree. For those and other reasons, Jackson will have to be well-prepared for another trial, said Carl Douglas, a lawyer who has represented Jackson in past civil matters and a member of the "Dream Team" that won Simpson's murder acquittal.

"He has to send a message to the world: `If you're going to come after Michael Jackson, you have to be ready for a war,'" he said. Another key difference in civil litigation is that the accuser's family could force Jackson to testify both in depositions and at a trial, said Daniel Petrocelli, the attorney who sued Simpson for the family of slaying victim Ronald Goldman.

Jackson exercised his right not to testify at his criminal trial. But in a civil case, "if he refused to take the stand, there would be a default entered," and Jackson would he held liable for damages, Petrocelli said.

At the same time, family members would face even more stinging attacks on their credibility than they did during the criminal trial, where Jackson's lawyers worked to bring out the mother's history of welfare fraud and other possible scams. "The defense was able to portray the mother as greedy, manipulative, grasping," said John Nockleby, director of the civil justice program at Loyola University Law School. "If she is the plaintiff, her credibility is sorely lacking." The family's motives in pursuing a lawsuit could be critical in the eyes of the jury.

"Money is not a good enough reason," Petrocelli said. "The jury will see right through that. In the O.J. Simpson case, it was about justice, and money was barely mentioned." If the accuser's mother sues, she will not have trouble finding a lawyer — the publicity alone would attract many eager candidates. "It's considered to be golden," Douglas said. "They will take a case with a big-time defendant just to get in the papers."

Any lawyer taking on a suit against Jackson would face enormous costs. The lawyer would have to study the entire file of the criminal case, which had over 600 pieces of evidence. Pretrial depositions would probably stretch over months, and a team of investigators would have to be hired. Those costs would have to be borne by the attorney in the hope of receiving court costs if the suit is won.

And the payoff in cases brought against celebrities is not necessarily a sure thing. A jury held Simpson liable for the slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman, and awarded $33.5 million to the families. But little was ever collected.In Jackson's case, prosecutors presented evidence that his once vast fortune is in peril.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
? 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8242221/