Photo: Getty
The fight over control of Michael Jackson’s assets is continuing in the courts. Though Jackson named two executors in his 2002 will (see it here) — lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain — the singer’s mother, Katherine, has continued to argue that the family should be more involved in business decisions. Katherine and Jackson’s three children are set to receive the bulk of the King of Pop’s estate, with unspecified charities getting the remaining 20 percent.
Displeased with the family’s legal representation, the family has switched lawyers, bringing in Hollywood heavyweight Adam Streisand to replace Burt Levich and Londell McMillan. Streisand’s first day on the Jackson case came just moments after a hearing that granted more authority to Branca and McClain to make deals for the Jackson estate, CNN reports. Streisand said the family “felt they needed a different perspective and fresh look at how this case was being approached.”
Look back at Jackson’s remarkable career, in photos.
Trust and estate litigation are Streisand’s specialties, and he has notched victories in cases involving the estates of Ray Charles, Marlon Brando and Barry White, according to his profile on the Loeb & Loeb Website. Streisand also represented Britney Spears in February 2008 during the singer’s conservatorship proceedings.
Though Jackson owed money to many creditors, his estate is expected to rake in about $100 million this year thanks in part to one of the first deals the executors nailed down, the upcoming This Is It concert film and soundtrack which will be released next week.
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Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily