Estate Planning

Michael Jackson Estate - Litigation Update

By Hull & Hull LLP

Michael Jackson's estate is back in the news. A Quebec art collector is suing Jackson's estate as well as a US-based auction house after a planned auction of memorabilia from Jackson's Neverland ranch was cancelled last spring. 

Apparently, there were 2000 items put up for auction, but Jackson pulled out at the last minute, forcing the cancellation of the auction. 

The collector had bid on approximately 170 items and claims that, at the time the auction was cancelled, he was the highest bidder on about half those items. He claims that in cancelling the auction, Jackson and the auction house denied the collector the opportunity to amass the largest memorabilia collection of its kind in the world. 

For its part, the auction house has dismissed the claim as frivolous and says that it is well protected by the terms and conditions bidders are required to agree to prior to placing a bid. It also argues that just because the collector was the highest bidder on a number of items at the time the auction was cancelled, does not mean he would have remained the highest bidder had the auction continued.  

The article notes that while the collector had bid on items, he hadn't actually paid for anything which, I imagine, will make his claim a little harder to prove. 

In other news, TMZ reports that Prince Michael Malachi Jet Jackson, the 24 year old who alleges that he was Jackson's love child has announced he intends to pursue a claim against Jackson's estate. He is asking a California court to declare him as Jackson's child and award him 'whatever benefits he's entitled to.' 

Have a great day!

Megan F. Connolly

Megan F. Connolly - Click here for more information on Megan Connolly.

Full post as published by Toronto Estate Law Blog on December 03, 2009 (boomark / email).