The battle over the estate of Michael Jackson continued this weekend with a new challenge to the authenticity of his Will. Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, fired one lawyer and hired another at the end of last week to take the dispute in another direction based on “new evidence” that allegedly has surfaced.
Katherine Jackson hired an experienced estate litigation lawyer, Adam Streisand, cousin of Barbara Streisand, who has worked with other stars including Ray Charles, Marlon Brando, and Britney Spears. The development came from Londell McMillan, Katherine’s personal attorney and counsel, who said that the decision was made after the family discovered some “new evidence” bringing the Will into question. McMillan specifically cited a possibility that the Will was not actually signed by Michael Jackson. Randy Jackson, Michael’s brother, backs up the claim, telling TMZ that Michael could not have signed the Will on July 7, 2002 in Los Angeles, the location indicated by the document, because Michael was in New York City that weekend.
It has since been confirmed by TMZ that the will was signed in New York City on July 7th, not in Los Angeles, and the mistake was simply made by a witness who signed the document. The court will make a final ruling as to the Will’s validity in the coming weeks, although such a mistake, without other issues, would not invalidate the document. It remains to be seen what other new evidence may have cropped up and what new direction might be taken by Streisand. It appears that the 2002 will and the previous version, dated to 1997, both pour-over Michael’s estate assets into trust, with 40% directed to his mother Katherine for her lifetime, 40% to his children, and 20% to charity.
{ 0 comments… add one now }