Arab royal sues king of poopypooppoop

[panamania79 2]

http://www.yahoo.com/s/988681

Michael Jackson sued by Arab sheikh in UK court

11/17/2008 3:18 PM, AP

The son of an Arab monarch took the King of Pop to court Monday, charging that Michael Jackson took $7 million as an advance on an album and an autobiography that he never produced.

Lawyers for Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa say their client paid's Jackson expenses as an advance on the book and joint recording project with the sheikh, who is an amateur songwriter. Jackson claims the money was a gift.

Al Khalifa, 33, was due to testify at London's Royal Courts of Justice Wednesday. Jackson's lawyer Robert Englehart said he was seeking permission to have Jackson testify by video link from Los Angeles.

A lawyer for Al Khalifa said the royal first spoke to Jackson, 50, by telephone while the singer was on trial in California following his 2003 arrest on child molestation charges. Attorney Bankim Thanki said that Al Khalifa wanted to work with Jackson on rebuilding his career. Jackson's finances fell apart after his arrest and he was desperately short of cash.

Al Khalifa's first payment, for $35,000, went toward paying the utility bills at Neverland, Jackson's 2,500-acre (1,000 hectare) ranch and miniature amusement park in California, Thanki said. When Jackson was found innocent of the molestation charges in June 2005, Al Khalifa footed $2.2 million in legal bills, the lawyer said.

Al Khalifa said he believed the money would be repaid once Jackson's career recovered from the damaging trial.

"I saw the payment as an investment in Michael's potential," the sheikh in a statement he read out in court. "He said he would pay me back ... through our work together."

Al Khalifa moved Jackson and his entourage to Bahrain almost immediately after the trial, setting up a recording studio for him in Manama, the Gulf state's capital. The sheikh, who is the governor of the Bahrain's Southern Province, supplied Jackson with $500,000 in cash to subsidize his lifestyle and splashed out on a $350,000 European vacation for Jackson and his associates in February of 2006, Thanki said.

"The costs even included the expenses of bringing out Mr. Jackson's hairdresser," he said.

The lawyer said Jackson and the sheikh became close friends and at one time both lived in a palace in Abu Dhabi owned by Al Khalifa's father, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain's king. The singer stayed nearly a year in Bahrain as a guest of the son, but the relationship soured when Jackson repudiated a business deal Thanki said they had agreed to.

Jackson's lawyers say the pair never entered a valid agreement and that Al Khalifa's money was given freely.

Thanki acknowledged that Al Khalifa gave some gifts to Jackson but said that most of what the singer received was part of a business deal.

The gifts, he said, "were essentially personal effects — watches, jewelry."

Thanki said the sheik was wealthy but that paying Jackson's bills had taken a big bite out of his finances.

"Some of the payments were staggering by any standards," Thanki said, saying the expenditure "should not be regarded as loose change for my client."

As for Jackson, he still appears to be in difficult financial straits.

Last week he was forced to give up the deed on Neverland, which is named for the mythical land of Peter Pan.

The trial is being held in London because the parties had agreed to take any disputes over their deal to an English court, Al Khalifa's representatives said. The trial is due to wrap up by the end of the month.

More Michael Jackson News

More Yahoo! Music News

Add AP Music News to My Yahoo!

ADVERTISEMENT

Edited November 17, 2008 by panamania79

[rocks 494]

i read about this earlier on the bbc. who would ever trust the word of michael jackson???

"The singer travelled to the country, with his children and personal staff, at the sheikh's invitation "to relax" shortly after being cleared of child abuse charges in the US.

Prior to his stay, Sheikh Abdulla set up Mr Jackson with a recording studio on his Neverland ranch and sent him his own musical compositions. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7733608.stm

he also lost his neverland ranch last week. oh well.

[IAMX 3,055]

Time for MJ to make a comeback and save himself some change.

[rocks 494]

Time for MJ to make a comeback and save himself some change.

jermaine jackson went on celebrity big brother here in the uk in 2007, he said he'd tried to convince michael to reform the jackson 5, michael said no.

i really don't think mj is in touch with reality, not even slightly. he must think money just falls out of the sky for him to spend.

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

yay! :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: i'm happy.

[mawilson 2,133]

I thought they sued Coca-Cola - King of Pop

[IAMX 3,055]

I thought they sued Coca-Cola - King of Pop

Half the country would be lost on the "pop" you mention.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I thought they sued Coca-Cola - King of Pop

I thought Elvis was meant by "king of pop"--and was disappointed after reading

[Chica Yeyé 41]

WHAT? No nekkid little boys? that's so uncool.

[Amby 490]

I thought they sued Coca-Cola - King of Pop

your jokes are starting to become fails

I'd just like to say I'm very proud of panamania posting the story and not just a link

[panamania79 2]

Time for MJ to make a comeback and save himself some change.

Nobody likes him anymore.

[mawilson 2,133]

I thought they sued Coca-Cola - King of Pop

your jokes are starting to become fails

[panamania79 2]

I thought they sued Coca-Cola - King of Pop

your jokes are starting to become fails

I'd just like to say I'm very proud of panamania posting the story and not just a link

Thank you.I want my friends at VJ to be happy.

[Amby 490]

I thought they sued Coca-Cola - King of Pop

your jokes are starting to become fails

ok I laughed like > < that much

[panamania79 2]

Time for MJ to make a comeback and save himself some change.

jermaine jackson went on celebrity big brother here in the uk in 2007, he said he'd tried to convince michael to reform the jackson 5, michael said no.

i really don't think mj is in touch with reality, not even slightly. he must think money just falls out of the sky for him to spend.

I think so.remember in that documentary a few years ago when he was buying all these statues and ended up giving them all back because he couldn't afford them?