Michael Jackson’s Family Demands Estate’s Executors Resignation, Effective Immediately: ‘Fake, Flawed and Fraudulent’

[h=1]Michael Jackson’s will attacked again;
estate in battle over copyrighted material in tribute book[/h][h=2]Memorabilia dealer Howard Mann says he is 'in possession of evidence that casts substantial doubt
on the validity of the will,' and plans to present it when he goes to court next month over the intellectual
property in a tribute book he published with Katherine Jackson.[/h]
Michael Jackson's will is under assault again, this time in federal court.
Howard Mann, a memorabilia dealer who published a tribute book with matriarch Katherine Jackson two years ago, filed legal docs Monday claiming he was "in possession of evidence
that casts substantial doubt on the validity of the will."
He told the Daily News Wednesday that he hopes to present the evidence in court when a copyright battle centered on the book goes to trial next month.
He's fighting with the estate's executors over intellectual property contained in the book and a website created to sell it.
"I am not backing down from my court fight with these guys. I'm not interested in settling with them. I came out and said these guys were a fraud two years ago,"
Mann told The News. "I have many people who will come and give testimony that the entire administration is a fraud and a collusive operation designed to take assets away from Katherine and Michael's kids."

Asked about his alleged "evidence," Mann echoed a recent claim by Janet Jackson and her siblings Randy and Rebbie that the 2002 will is a "fake" because it was signed with
a Los Angeles dateline while Michael was in New York at an event with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
The estate executors called Janet's accusation "false and defamatory," rooted in "stale Internet conspiracy theories" that had been "thoroughly debunked."
Mann said he also might call experts to the stand to question so-called "variances" in handwriting on the will and errors in the spellings of Michael's kids' names.
"I have no ability to contest the will. It's not up to me to prove its validity. All I have to do is prove they don't own certain copyrights," he said.
Janet's lawyer issued a statement Friday saying the "Control" singer, Randy and Rebbie would "press forward in their search for the truth."
"It is important to stress that Janet, Randy and Rebbie have questioned the validity of the will with no financial motive whatsoever - they stand to gain nothing financially by a finding that
the will is invalid," the lawyer said, noting that Michael's children are his beneficiaries either way.
"What will be gained by a finding of invalidity is that the executors will be replaced and the estate and the guardianship will be managed in a manner that is in the best interests of the children,
which is what Michael wanted," the lawyer said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ent…e-1.1132078#ixzz231rfdsB9

in stichworten, artikel folgt in bälde

Re: THE ESTATE V HOWARD MANN

« Reply #15 on: Today at 08:37:36 PM »

‏@Ivy_MJJC

Estate's partial summary judgement request against Mann / Vaccaro is GRANTED. Will be posting details &document in a few minutes.
Judge says Mann / Vaccaro has violated MJ's copyrights in “This Is It” key art, “Destiny” song, and “Thriller”
Judge grants Estate's partial summary judgement request as well as for unfair competition and an accounting;
Court agrees that bankruptcy sale did not transfer any rights, title, or interest to Michael Jackson’s intellectual property.
This is a huge win for MJ Estate
Court says Ed Pease's statement that MJ worker "very likely" as work for hire is just a speculation.
Judge says Katherine & Joe's statements given to Mann doesn't have a value as they can't explain how they came to own the assets
Judge says regardless the MJ's IP rights weren't on bankruptcy assets and bankruptcy sale did not include them.
Judge says 2004 lawsuit is different from the current one. As it was about pre 2004 actions and this is about post 2009 actions.
Judge says none

http://www.google.com/hostedne…fa7cf4c1d9af18db78693e7a9

Judge rules website violated Jackson copyrights
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer – 7 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge ruled Friday that a businessman working with Michael Jackson's mother has violated copyrights owned by the singer's estate
and should be blocked from future uses of the work.

U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson sided with the singer's estate in a ruling against Howard Mann and the website http://www.michaeljacksonsecretvault.com ,
which appeared to be inactive Friday morning.

The estate sued Mann in January 2011, claiming he was violating copyrights and posed unfair competition to Jackson's estate. Pregerson ruled that the website improperly used art
from the film "This Is It," a logo featuring Jackson and the song "Destiny," as well as other material.

"In light of defendants' past and present infringement, it is also undisputed that future violations are likely, causing ongoing harm to plaintiffs and misled consumers," Pregerson wrote.

An upcoming trial will address damages, although the judge noted that Mann and the site probably will not be able to pay any amount because of debts.

A phone message for one of Mann's lawyers, Lee Durst, was not immediately returned Friday. Mann has collaborated with Katherine Jackson, who is a beneficiary of the singer's estate,
on several projects, including a book of recollections about her son. Several of the Jackson Secret Vault releases occurred at the same time as estate projects were being released,
including the anniversary of Jackson's death and the release of the album "Michael" in December 2010.

Mann's attorneys recently wrote in court filings that they hoped to introduce evidence during the upcoming trial that the singer's will was a fraud. The businessman had claimed
he obtained rights to the works in a bankruptcy sale years ago, but Pregerson ruled there was no evidence that the items could be used commercially.

"The court's ruling makes clear that Howard Mann had no right to use Michael Jackson's intellectual property for his own benefit," attorney Zia Modabber, who represented the estate in the case,
wrote in a statement. Estate attorney Howard Weitzman said executors John Branca and John McClain are "extremely pleased" by the ruling.

#########################################################################

http://www.showbiz411.com/2012…ores-a-major-win-in-court

Michael Jackson Estate Scores a Major Win in Court
08/10/12 3:08pm Roger Friedman

The Michael Jackson estate has won a major victory in court. The executors have triumphed over Howard Mann, the Canadian business man who published a book of photos
with Katherine Jackson without the estate’s permission. Mann also purchased a boatload of souvenirs and Jackson family memorabilia from a warehouse owner in New Jersey.
Among the items were tapes of music by Michael Jackson. Mann claimed ownership of the copyrights of those tapes even released a song from the collection. Now,
with a summary judgment, the court has ruled against Mann. He’ll have to shut down his Jackson websites, especially the one selling the book of photos.
Mann took a bath on that book, too. He has cartons and cartons of them somewhere. More to come…

####################################

tschakkaaaa!

via @Ivy_MJJC
MJ Estate - Mann / Vaccaro , Court Order Granting Partial Summary Judgement - Documents

http://www.scribd.com/doc/1025…Partial-Summary-Judgement

Judge: Michael Jackson's mother can't profit from merchandise line

A federal judge rejected a novel legal argument Friday that would have allowed Michael Jackson's mother and her business partner to profit from a line of merchandise separate from the late star's estate.
In a 15-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson granted summary judgment in a copyright-infringement case brought by the executors of Jackson's estate and issued a permanent injunction barring Canadian entrepreneur Howard Mann from trading on the singer's name.
"There is undisputed evidence that Defendants intended in bad faith to profit from use of Jackson’s name, by registering multiple domain names containing his name or the initials 'MJ' to sell Jackson-related products," the judge wrote.
Mann and Jackson's mother, Katherine, collaborated on a coffee table book and calendar that were sold without the estate's authorization. The 82-year-old Jackson family matriarch received a cut of the profits and other money amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars, Mann told The Times in 2010. Katherine Jackson said then that she needed the money and wanted estate executors John Branca and John McClain to "leave Howard alone."
Mann's lawyers had argued in court papers that his company, Vintage Pop, was forever immunized against lawsuits accusing it of exploiting Michael Jackson's intellectual property because of a ruling in a 2004 suit by the singer. Jackson had sued Vintage Pop for copyright infringement and other claims, but then refused to submit to a deposition and stopped paying his lawyers. A judge dismissed the case in 2006 "with prejudice" -- meaning Jackson couldn't bring the same claims against Vintage Pop again.
But in his ruling Pregerson wrote that the executors could sue Vintage Pop if their allegations were completely different than the ones Jackson made in the abandoned lawsuit.
"(A)ll of the misconduct alleged in this suit took place long after the 2004 action, and the claims from the two suits therefore do not arise from the same transactional nucleus of facts," the judge wrote.
A spokesman for the executors said in a statement that they were "extremely pleased with the Court's ruling," and noted that Michael Jackson's intellectual property is "owned by the late singer's Estate for the benefit of his children and mother."
The relationship between the Jackson family and the estate has been contentious, with three of the star's siblings claiming that the executors derive their power from a fraudulent will.
Mann's lawyers said they wanted to raise questions about the validity of the will at the trial, but estate lawyer Howard Weitzman said in a statement that the judge's ruling means that a planned September proceeding will focus on determining the financial damages sustained by the estate.

Mann did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.co…fit-merchandise-line.html

lalalaaaaaa...:pfeif

zur erinnerung - der vertrag von kitkat von 2010

http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/ne…uments/1111_jackson_2.pdf

#################################

ich frag mich grade, ob der estate nicht kitkat verklagen könnte/sollte,
wenn sie rechte vorgibt zu haben, die sie eben NICHT hat, und damit gegen die copyrights in großem stil verstieß...

oder man kommt auf ein abkommen - keine klage vom estate, wenn kitkat ihre blagen zurückpfeift...:kicher

jedenfalls - wurde zeit, dass da mal ein machtwort gesprochen wurde!

oooooh... armer Mann.

..haaach ..das läuft mir runter wie ayurvedisches Öl....ich les das gleich nochmal...um mich so richtig zu suhlen...:hehe

es wird echt mit allen tricks über alle ecken versucht die genauesten infos zu mikes vermögen zu bekommen...
es ist echt widerlich.

Katherine Jackson Wants An Extensive Audit Of Michael's EstateKatherine Jackson Wants An Extensive Audit Of Michael's Estate

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on Aug 24, 2012 @ 03:45AM

Katherine Jackson's legal team wants to do an extensive audit of late son's Michael Jackson's estate the matriarch's attorney, Perry Sanders, told RadarOnline.com exclusively.

"My audit is being done to see the details of where the money is coming from and where it is going," Sanders told Radar. "The beneficiaries should be entitled to all detailed documentation
so they can see what THEIR money is paying for."

On July 19, Katherine's lawyers submitted legal docs asking for "production of supporting documents for account current," and the docs state, "Ms. Katherine Jackson...hereby requests
that representatives John Branca, John McClain and counsel for the Estate of Michael Jackson produce for inspection and audit all supporting documents for the Second Account Current
and Report of Status of Administration and Petition.."

However, lawyers for Michael Jackson's Estate have several issues with Katherine Jackson's request, and said in their response, "John Branca and John McClain object to the Request
to the extent that it is vague and ambiguous as to the phrase 'all supporting documents for the Second Account Current' in that the Request encompasses thousands of pages of documents
which potentially support the Second Account Current...Responding Party (the executors) objects to the Request to the extent that it seeks highly confidential business and financial information..
.it will not produce such documents absent the entry of a stipulation and protective order governing, among other things, the access to and use highly confidential documents."
Most of the contracts that the estate has entered into are sealed because they contain trade secrets and other privileged information, and this is routinely done to protect the best interests of the estate.

As previously reported, Judge Mitchell Beckloff awarded co-guardianship of Michael's three children to Katherine and TJ Jackson on Wednesday after a string of bizarre incidents involving the
82-year-old grandmother/guardian, who was whisked away to an Arizona resort by her children and out of contact with the grandkids for 11 days.

Almost all of the major contracts, business deals and other transactions have all been presented to Judge Beckloff by the executors, in order to be transparent with Michael Jackson's estate.
The executors have requested that Michael Jackson's estate be handled in probate court for another year.

In the three years since Michael's tragic death, the executors have wiped almost $475 million dollar in debt off the books that the pop singer had when he passed away.
The estate has entered into lucrative business agreements with Pepsi, Cirque du Soleil and were instrumental in the wildly successful theatrical release of Michael Jackson's rehearsal footage, This Is It.

Judge Mithcell Beckloff will weigh in on what documents if any, the estate will turn over to Katherine Jackson.

http://www.radaronline.com/exc…it-michael-jackson-estate

Executor is Cool Under Jackson Family Pressure

- While family members squabble in public over Michael Jackson’s money, John Branca, who holds the purse strings of the estate, is a calm center of the storm.
As co-executor of Jackson’s will, he chooses to ignore the erupting dramas and personal attacks and keeps his eye on the future, which he says belongs to Jackson’s mother and children
and to the pop star’s musical legacy.
He and co-executor John McClain have been successfully pursuing projects to pay off a mountain of debt left by the superstar, to assure the financial future of his three children and to guarantee
that Jackson’s music will live forever.
“When Michael Jackson died, he was near bankruptcy,” said Branca, suggesting the future for his three young children was uncertain. “Now we know the kids will be OK.”
Branca sat down recently with The Associated Press to discuss the current state of the Jackson estate and projects to preserve Jackson’s image as the King of Pop. But he resolutely refused to address
the elephant in the room — recent attacks on him and McClain by some Jackson siblings who were left out of their brother’s will.
They sent a lengthy letter that became public accusing the executors of deceit and manipulation of their mother and claiming that Jackson’s will was a fraud. They have not taken any court action and
legal experts say the time to challenge the will, which disinherited them, is long past.
Branca and McClain issued a statement calling the accusations “false and defamatory,” adding “we are especially disheartened that they come at a time when remarkable progress is being made to secure
the financial future of his children …”
Secure in his knowledge that all four of Jackson’s wills named him as executor, Branca continues to make deals for the Jackson estate that are generating millions in revenue. This week, they announced
an agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing to administer Jackson’s Mijac Music catalog, which includes such hits as “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.” The deal is expected to generate enough revenues
to pay off a remaining $5 million loan by year’s end.
Since his death on June 25, 2009, Branca said Jackson’s personal debt of $200 million has been paid off and another $300 million tied to his ownership of Sony and ATV catalogs has been renegotiated.
“Michael had a will and a trust and that’s what we follow,” he said.
The estate pays Mrs. Jackson $70,000 a month for the children’s support, pays the rent on their mansion in Calabasas, and is picking up bills for other expenses including renovation of their Encino home.
Branca’s AP interview was his indirect response to accusations by Randy, Jermaine, Janet and Rebbie Jackson that the estate was being mishandled. Jermaine later disavowed the incendiary letter
and called for peace in the family. But Janet, Randy and Rebbie fired back with a letter of their own reiterating their complaints.
Brimming with excitement, Branca spoke of upcoming ventures he thinks would have delighted Jackson, especially a permanent Jackson-themed extravaganza on the Las Vegas Strip.
It comes on the heels of the Cirque du Soleil Jackson tribute show, “Immortal: The World Tour.”
“The Lion King” theater at the Mandalay Bay Hotel is being rebuilt to house the still untitled show, also a Cirque du Soleil production, which is set to open May 23, 2013.
“It will be highly theatrical and completely different from the arena show, which was more of a concert,” Branca said. “We will have the opportunity to create something special and ground-breaking.”
Declining to reveal all of the technical wizardry planned, he said, “We’ve got all kinds of tricks up our sleeves.”
Every seat will have its own speakers, while the walls and ceiling will be used to create “a totally immersive experience for the audience,” he said.
Unlike the touring show, there will be no live band and all music will come from remixes of Jackson’s recordings.
Branca and co-executor McClain, a reclusive recording executive, say they understand Jackson;s’s desires to take care of his mother and children — Prince, Paris and Blanket — financially and keep his music alive.
“We feel Michael entrusted us with his legacy and with the future of his mother and children,” Branca said. “We’re honored and proud and passionate about celebrating Michael. It’s a labor of love for us.
We love Michael.”
Branca met Jackson in 1980 when both were just starting out and their success story was legendary. But there were rocky periods. During more than two decades together they had two three-year periods
of estrangement over business disagreements.
Branca was rehired by Jackson a month before he died, with instructions to draft an agenda for future business deals. Branca presented the plan a week before Jackson died and it has been the roadmap
for the estate’s posthumous enterprises.
In addition to the new Las Vegas show, a new album and a concert DVD will be released soon celebrating the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s “BAD” album. And a two-hour documentary by acclaimed
filmmaker Spike Lee on the making of “BAD” will show at the Toronto and Venice film festivals next month.
The anniversary promotions include a deal with Pepsi to put silhouettes of Jackson on a billion cans of soda in 20 countries.

http://www.mjjunderground.com/…-jackson-family-pressure/

(hab das nur hier mit reingestellt, da es zum derzeitigen gezicke mit dem clan passt
also kommentare wie 'das steht da und dort schon' sind nicht nötig )

Streit ums Jackson-Erbe
Nachlassverwalter fühlen sich von Geschwistern angegriffen

24.08.2012, 13:52 Uhr Linda Deutsch (dapd)

Geschwister des verstorbenen "King of Pop" bezichtigen die Testamentsvollstrecker des Betrugs. Sie bekommen vom Jackson-Erbe nichts ab.

Los Angeles. Inmitten des emotional ausgetragenen Streits um das Vermögen des „King of Pop“ steht Nachlassverwalter John Branca wie ein Fels in der Brandung. Er und seine Kollege John McClain wurden von den Geschwistern von Michael Jackson persönlich angegriffen und des Betrugs bezichtigt, doch die beiden Männer lassen sich nicht aus der Ruhe bringen. Sie sehen es als ihre Aufgabe, Jacksons Mutter und Kinder finanziell abzusichern und das musikalische Erbe des verstorbenen Popstars zu schützen.

"Als Michael Jackson starb, stand er kurz vor der Insolvenz“, sagt Branca. Die finanzielle Zukunft von Jacksons Kindern sei äußerst unsicher gewesen. "Jetzt wissen wir, dass es den Kindern gut gehen wird.“

Der Testamentsvollstrecker sprach kürzlich mit der Nachrichtenagentur AP über den derzeitigen Stand der Nachlassverwaltung und der geplanten Projekte in Andenken an die außergewöhnliche musikalische Karriere des King of Pop. Zu den jüngsten Angriffen der Jackson-Geschwister äußerte er sich allerdings nicht.

Randy, Jermaine, Janet und Rebbie Jackson hatten den Nachlassverwaltern in einem Brief Betrug vorgeworfen. Branca und McClain hätten Mutter Katherine manipuliert und würden das Jackson-Vermögen schlecht verwalten, heißt es in dem Schreiben. Jermaine zog seine Äußerungen später zurück, doch die anderen Geschwister hielten an den Vorwürfen fest. Allerdings leiteten sie keine juristischen Schritte ein, und die Anfechtungsfristen für das Testament sind nach Einschätzung von Rechtsexperten bereits abgelaufen. Jackson hatte seine Geschwister in seinem letzten Willen nicht berücksichtigt.

Die Nachlassverwalter nannten die Beschuldigungen in einer Stellungnahme falsch und verleumderisch. "Wir sind vor allem enttäuscht, dass sie zu einer Zeit vorgebracht werden, in der wir bemerkenswerte Fortschritte erzielt haben, um die finanzielle Zukunft der Kinder sicherzustellen“, hieß es in dem Antwortschreiben.

Nachlassverwalter zahlten bereits 200 Millionen Dollar von Jacksons Schulden zurück

Seit Jacksons Tod versucht Branca, die Finanzen des verstorbenen Popstars in Ordnung zu bringen. 200 Millionen Dollar persönliche Schulden seien bereits zurückgezahlt worden und über weitere Außenstände von 300 Millionen Dollar * in Verbindung mit der Beteiligung an dem Musikverlag Sony/ATV Music Publishing werde derzeit neu verhandelt. Zuletzt wurde ein Abkommen über die Vermarktung von Jacksons Mijac Music Katalog geschlossen, zu dem die Rechte an Hits wie "Beat It“ und „Billie Jean“ gehören. Branca sagt, er hoffe mit den Einnahmen bis zum Ende des Jahres einen weiteren Kredit in Höhe von fünf Millionen Dollar ablösen zu können.

Bei seiner Arbeit orientiere er sich an den Wünschen von Michael Jackson, sagte Branca. Er lernte den Popstar 1980 kennen und begleitete ihn über weite Strecken von dessen Karriere. Zwar herrschte auch immer mal wieder Funkstille zwischen den beiden Männern, doch einen Monat vor seinem Tod engagierte Jackson Branca wieder und beauftragte ihn mit der Erstellung eines Geschäftsplan für künftige Projekte.

"Michael hatte einen Willen und dem folgen wir“, sagt Branca. Aus dem Nachlass zahlt er Katherine Jackson einen monatlichen Betrag von 70.000 Dollar, mit dem die Kinder Prince, Paris und Blanket versorgt werden. Zudem werden die Miete für ihr Anwesen in Calabasas und anfallende Rechnungen übernommen.

Neben der Versorgung von Jacksons Mutter und Kindern kümmert sich Branca um den Schutz von Jacksons musikalischem Erbe und der posthumen Fortführung von dessen Karriere. Derzeit bereitet er ein neues Spektakel auf dem Strip in Las Vegas vor, die auf die Tribut-Show "Immortal: The World Tour“ von Cirque du Soleil folgen soll. Dafür lässt er momentan einen Theatersaal im Mandalay Bay Hotel umbauen, jeder Sitz wird mit eigenen Lautsprechern ausgestattet, und die Wände „werden eine total umfassende Erfahrung für das Publikum“ schaffen, wie Branca ankündigt. Was genau geplant ist, um den Pop-Giganten Michael Jackson zu würdigen, will der Nachlassverwalter allerdings noch nicht verraten: "Wir haben noch eine Menge Karten im Ärmel.“

http://www.abendblatt.de/vermi…hwistern-angegriffen.html

25.08.12: Katherine Jackson möchte den Geldfluss des Estate überprüfen

Wie Radar Online berichtet, möchte das juristische Team von Katherine Jackson eine ausführliche Prüfung des Geldflusses vom Estate anfordern. Katherines Anwalt Perry Sanders äussert sich gemäss Radar online wie folgt dazu: „Die Prüfung wird durchgeführt, um die Details zu sehen, wo das Geld herkommt und wo es hingeht.” Richter Mithcell Beckloff wird nun abwägen, ob und welche Dokumente der Estate an Katherine auszuhändigen hat. Detaillierte Informationen können dem Artikel auf Radar Online entnommen werden.

http://www.radaronline.com/exc…it-michael-jackson-estate

Quelle: jackson.ch, radaronline.com