POSTED: 3:20 pm PDT June 19, 2006
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- A year after Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges, a lawsuit by a former associate is headed for a trial that will put Jackson's chaotic financial dealings in the spotlight.
The pop star is not expected in court but he will be seen through videotaped depositions.
"To my knowledge, he's not scheduled for any court appearances," said Jackson's spokeswoman, Raymone K. Bain. She said that Jackson, who has been living in Bahrain, is traveling in Europe. He answered questions twice in depositions in London.Jackson is being sued by F. Marc Schaffel for $3.8 million in what Schaffel says are unrepaid loans and expenses, unpaid salary for work on a charity record and his share of proceeds from two TV specials that were produced to bolster Jackson's battered reputation after child molestation allegations surfaced.
Facts involved in Jackson's criminal trial last year are likely to be revisited when Schaffel testifies about his role in attending to the family of a boy who claimed he was molested by Jackson.
But most of the witnesses called by Schaffel will be money managers and business advisers. Jury selection is set for July 26.
Bitter feelings between Jackson and Schaffel are evident in pretrial briefs.Rather than owing Schaffel money, Jackson's lawyer said Schaffel owes Jackson funds.
He said that Jackson broke all ties with Schaffel in mid-November 2001 when he found out that Schaffel's "other job" was as a producer of gay











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"Obviously, Mr. Jackson could not afford to be publicly associated with a gay pornographer in connection with the release of a record," the lawyer said.King said this was part of a "smear campaign" and "mud slinging" which should not be presented to the jury. Conversely, he suggested that Jackson would not want Schaffel to testify "with regard to Jackson's sexual proclivities or intimate details of their conversations."
He said that Jackson continued to work with Schaffel well into 2004.In a bizarre detail, Jackson maintained he got his spending money by leasing cows that lived on his Neverland ranch. During the deposition there was this exchange between King and Jackson:
Q. "So all your cash, whenever you need cash to shop or whatever comes from the cows?"
A. "Yes, believe it or not." more at link:
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