Jacko Back in Cali as Neverland Closes

Jacko Backo As Neverland Closes

Attention creditors and the state of California: Even as his Neverland ranch has been shut down today by authorities, Michael Jackson is back home in Encino after a nine month self-imposed exile.

Sources tell me exclusively that Jackson has been back at his family home in Encino for a day or so. He did not return to Neverland because he owes the staff back pay from December 23, 2005.

This column has been the first and only to chronicle the lack of pay and insurance at Neverland. Reports today that California authorities finally figured out that there was no insurance at Neverland are pretty amusing. We've told you repeatedly for weeks that Neverland was about shut its doors. Wire reports today say that 30 employees have filed official complaints with the state labor authorities.

Readers of this column knew that weeks ago.

Some good news, though: Jackson returns to the family home in Encino with his mortgage payments up to date. Sources tell me sister Janet Jackson brought his $2.2 million loan current on February 10th. The mortgage holder is relieved they don't have to foreclose. Janet Jackson also brought up to date Jackson's overdue payments on storage facilities in Buellton, California.

But Michael Jackson is in big, big trouble now. The state fined him $69,000, or $1,000 per employee, for allowing his insurance to lapse. He's also been levied $100,000 in fines for not paying the employees $306,000. That comes to $475,000, which Jackson does not have.

I do feel a little like Rodney Dangerfield here. For weeks I've told you in this space that Jackson was heading for a colossal financial disaster. Well, it's here, and so is he. Jackson's arrival in Encino signals a total break with Prince Abdullah of Bahrain who was underwriting the singer's extravagant lifestyle since last year. At the same time, Jackson faces imminent foreclosure on $270 million of loans guaranteed by his 50% ownership in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a.k.a the Beatles catalog.

More tomorrow, including the news that Jackson's year 2005 civil attorney, Brent Ayscough, has filed a breach of contract suit against the singer in Torrance, California as of February 21, 2006. And that's not all. Tonight, even as you read this, Jackson's employees who are still talking to him are headed to the Encino house for a meeting.

Our flies are on the walls.

(fox news)

Dispute shuts down Jackson ranch

Jackson moved abroad soon after his acquittal
Californian authorities have ordered Michael Jackson to close his Neverland Ranch for failing to pay staff or renew their insurance policies.
The singer was fined $169,000 (£97,000) for not paying at least 30 staff since December and letting his employer's insurance policy lapse in January.

Animals in the ranch's zoo are to be cared for by the local authority.

Michael Jackson has been living in Bahrain since being acquitted on child sex abuse charges last June.

Under Californian law, anyone employing more than one person has to have what is known as a workers' compensation policy.

An order to stop operations at the ranch was served on a security guard at the front gate but officials were turned away when they asked to see the ranch's management.

All the workers have been told to stay away and the ranch operators given five days to appeal.

Legal threat

The Neverland Ranch sprawls over 1,100 hectares (2,800 acres) in central California and as well as the main home and zoo contains a theme park.

Animals at the zoo have included elephants, giraffes, snakes, orang-utans, tigers and a crocodile.

Dean Fryer, spokesman for the state's department of industrial relations, said that Mr Jackson could reopen the ranch by obtaining workers' compensation insurance.

However, he may face legal action by the state if he fails to pay the back wages, Mr Fryer added.

The department was alerted after a Neverland employee making an unpaid-wage claim remarked that a co-worker had been injured at work and was unsure about filing a claim due to the lapsed insurance.

(bbc)

<div class='quotetop'>ZITAT(JaZZyJames @ Friday, 10.3.06 - 9:28) [snapback]81226[/snapback]</div>

Zitat

blödes A***loch ...
[/b]

da fehlt ein sternchen...

A****loch

<div class='quotetop'>ZITAT(MJmana @ Friday, 10.3.06 - 9:51) [snapback]81242[/snapback]</div>

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Um was geht es
[/b]

hab da ne deutsche kurzfassung zum thema.

Behörden schließen „Neverland“-RanchFreitag, 10. März 2006, 8.03 Uhr

Michael Jackson hat erneut Ärger mit den Behörden: Seine Neverland-Ranch in Kalifornien wurde faktisch geschlossen, weil die Versicherung für 69 Beschäftigte auf dem mehr als 1.000 Hektar großen Anwesen ausgelaufen ist. Zudem muß der„King of Pop“ eine Strafe in Höhe von 69.000 Dollar (58.000 Euro)zahlen. Die Behörde für Arbeitsschutz habe entschieden, daß Arbeiter die Ranch nicht mehr betreten dürften, teilte Sprecher Dean Fryer mit. Seit dem 10. Januar seien keine Versicherungsbeiträge mehr eingegangen. Außerdem hätten seit Jahresbeginn 47 Angestellte beklagt, daß sie kein Gehalt mehr erhielten.

(bild)
entspricht aber den fakten von bbc und co.
also keine eigen-meldung von der bild.

Workers barred from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch because of insurance lapse

The Associated Press

LOS OLIVOS, Calif. — The state barred workers from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch on Thursday and fined the singer $69,000 because the estate's workers compensation insurance policy had lapsed.

The "stop order" was issued after a worker reported Tuesday that a co-worker who had been injured did not have the state-required health coverage, said Dean Fryer, spokesman for the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Regulators determined coverage for 69 employees at the Santa Barbara County ranch lapsed Jan. 10, Fryer said.

"In effect, it shuts them down," Fryer said.

Jackson and his immediate family may still live at Neverland, however, and he could keep the ranch running by hiring an outside company whose employees are covered by workers compensation, Fryer said.

A call to Jackson's spokeswoman seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Jackson, 47, has lived in the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain since being acquitted of child molestation charges last year. A call to his spokeswoman seeking comment was not immediately returned Thursday.

The 2,600-acre ranch boasts amusement park rides and has been home to elephants, giraffes, snakes, orangutans, tigers and a crocodile. Fryer said local animal welfare agencies were notified of the shutdown so they could make arrangements to feed and care for the animals.

The ranch operators have five days to appeal the order and fine, Fryer said. If workers violate the order by returning to the ranch, the department can seek criminal charges or file a lawsuit.

The shutdown was prompted by the latest in a slew of complaints against the ranch by workers, 47 of whom have complained this year that they haven't been paid, Fryer said.

On Tuesday, the department sent a letter to an accounting firm that handles Jackson's business, demanding payment of $306,000 in wages, and an investigation into the complaints is continuing, Fryer said.

A call to a Los Angeles office of the accounting firm Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan LLP was not immediately returned Thursday.

Fryer noted that the department has not heard directly from the worker who was said to be injured, but the report was enough to get the investigation moving. The department hopes to hear from that worker, he said.

(the morning sun)

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Heute ist die Beerdigung vom Michaels Cousin, dem Drummer der J5. Deshalb ist Michael in Encino.
[/b]

schon klar.
wegen der andern sache musste er ja nicht anwesend sein.

Jackson ordered to close Neverland

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson was ordered to shut down his Neverland Valley Ranch on Thursday by California authorities who have fined the pop star $169,000 for failing to pay his employees or maintain proper insurance.

Jackson's sprawling ranch in the central California foothills was closed, at least temporarily, by an agent of the State Labor Commissioner after the office discovered that his worker's compensation policy had lapsed in January.

"We went out there this morning and issued a stop order to the security guard at the front gate," state Department of Industrial Relations spokesman Dean Fryer told Reuters. "We asked to be escorted in to meet management, but we were refused and turned away, so we gave the order to (the guard)."

Fryer said local animal welfare officials had been asked to care for the inhabitants of Neverland's zoo.

He said that Jackson could reopen the ranch if he obtains workers compensation insurance but may face legal action by the state if he fails to pay the back wages.

Jackson, who was cleared last June of criminal charges that he sexually abused a young boy at Neverland, has spent much of his time since the trial in Bahrain and was not at his ranch when authorities arrived. His representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

The order prohibits Jackson from employing anyone at the 2,800-acre (1,130-hectare) ranch until the insurance issues are resolved, Fryer said. "So it looks like this would mean for Neverland Valley Ranch that they would be closed down."

Jackson on Thursday was fined $69,000, or $1,000 per employee, for allowing his insurance to lapse. Earlier this week, authorities cited him for violating state labor law by failing to pay at least 30 employees since December of 2005. A letter for that citation imposes a $100,000 fine and demands that he make good on $306,000 in unpaid wages.

Fryer said his office learned of the workers compensation issue after a Neverland employee making an unpaid-wage claim remarked that a co-worker had been injured on the job and was uncertain about filing a claim due to the lapsed insurance.

If an employee were hurt at Neverland while Jackson was uninsured, Fryer said, "the medical expenses associated with that injury would have to be picked up by the state."

Prosecutors asserted during Jackson's child molestation trial that the pop singer was in precarious financial shape due to mounting debts.

(abc news)

<div class='quotetop'>ZITAT(Blanket @ Friday, 10.3.06 - 10:43) [snapback]81260[/snapback]</div>

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Is ja wurscht, aber die bestehen ja wieder alle darauf, dass Mike Stress mit dem Prinz hat.
Source Post Tribune
[/b]

ja, das glaub ich auch net,
dass mike sich mit dem prinzen überworfen hat.
das wäre auch gerade jetzt SEHR ungünstig, wo der prinz schliesslich ihn grad in vielerlei hinsicht unterstützt und wieder ins showgeschäft helfen will...

Ist Jacko bankrott?
Neverland: Game over

10.03.2006 | 08:06:33

LOS OLIVOS (USA) – Sind ihm seine Angestellten egal? Verdrängt er die Erinnerung an sein ehemaliges Spielparadies? Oder hat er nicht mehr genügend Geld auf dem Konto? Tatsache ist: Die Neverland

Aktuelle Zeit, Bahrain, Persischer Golf: Jacko lässt sich wohl gerade von den Bediensteten seines Freundes Scheich Abdullah bin Hamad al Khalifa verwöhnen. Aktuelle Zeit, Neverland-Ranch, Kalifornien: Totenstille, Menschenleere – ein trauriges Bild. Das Leben auf dem 1000 Hektar grossen Anwesen ist praktisch zum Erliegen gekommen. Und die Zoo-Tiere wundern sich, wohin die Zweibeiner alle gegangen sind.

Die erschütternde Antwort: Seit zwei Monaten arbeiteten die 69 Menschen, die auf Jackos Neverland-Ranch beschäftigt sind, ohne Versicherung, weil der ehemalige «King of Pop» kein Geld mehr in die Kasse einbezahlt hat. 47 der Betroffenen behaupten zudem, seit Anfang Jahr keinen Lohn mehr erhalten zu haben. Jetzt sind die Behörden eingeschritten und haben Jackos Spielwiese dicht gemacht. Die Angestellte dürfen gemäss Beschluss der Behörde für Arbeitsschutz das Anwesen nicht mehr betreten. Tierschutzvereine kümmern sich um das Wohl der Neverland-Vierbeiner.

Michael Jackson – der tiefe Fall geht also weiter.

(blick online)
is ne schweizer zeitung

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SCHEIß Berichtertsattung.
[/b]

stimmt. schlimmer als die bild

Behörden schließen Michael Jacksons Neverland-Ranch

Die Angestellten des Anwesens sind seit zwei Monaten nicht versichert. Der Popstar lebt seit einiger Zeit in Bahrain am Persischen Golf und nutzt das Anwesen nicht mehr.

Los Olivos/USA - Michael Jackson hat erneut Ärger mit den Behörden: Seine Neverland-Ranch in Kalifornien wurde faktisch geschlossen, weil die Versicherung für 69 Beschäftigte auf dem mehr als 1.000 Hektar großen Anwesen ausgelaufen ist. Zudem muss der „King of Pop“ eine Strafe in Höhe von 69.000 Dollar (58.000 Euro) zahlen.

Die Behörde für Arbeitsschutz habe entschieden, daß Arbeiter die Ranch nicht mehr betreten dürften, teilte Sprecher Dean Fryer am Donnerstag mit. Seit dem 10. Januar seien keine Versicherungsbeiträge mehr eingegangen. Außerdem hätten seit Jahresbeginn 47 Angestellte beklagt, daß sie kein Gehalt mehr erhielten.

Die Behörde habe Tierschutzvereine informiert, damit für die zahlreichen Tiere auf Neverland gesorgt werde, erklärte Fryer weiter. Der 47 Jahre alte Jackson lebt seit seinem Freispruch im Prozeß wegen Kindesmißbrauch im vergangenen Jahr in Bahrain am Persischen Golf.

Die Anordnung verbietet Jackson, irgendjemanden auf dem mehr als 1100 Hektar großen Gelände zu beschäftigen. Er könne die Ranch wieder öffnen, wenn er die Versicherung für die Angestellten zahle. Wenn Jackson allerdings den Lohnrückstand nicht zahle, drohten rechtliche Schritte, sagte der Sprecher weiter. Der Musiker wurde bislang mit insgesamt knapp 170.000 Dollar Strafgeldern belegt. morgenpost.de

(berliner morgenpost)