Janet Jackson keeps up fight for Michael Jackson's estate despite 'relentless' negative publicity

by **Admin** Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:08 pm

"Janet Jackson keeps up fight for Michael Jackson's estate despite 'relentless' negative publicity"

In a statement on behalf of Janet and her siblings Randy and Rebbie, lawyer Blair Brown reiterated the claim that executors John Branca and John McClain have never publicly explained how Michael could have signed a will with a Los Angeles dateline when evidence shows he was in New York with the Rev. Al Sharpton at the time.

BY NANCY DILLON / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
8/3/12

Janet Jackson isn't backing down.

A lawyer for the "Control" singer said late Friday that she'll "press forward" with her battle against the executors of Michael Jackson's lucrative estate - even though the negative publicity has been "relentless."

In a statement on behalf of Janet and her siblings Randy and Rebbie, lawyer Blair Brown reiterated the claim that executors John Branca and John McClain have never publicly explained how Michael could have signed a will with a Los Angeles dateline when evidence shows he was in New York with the Rev. Al Sharpton at the time.

"Since the loss of Michael, Janet, Randy and Rebbie's principal concern has been and continues to be for the safety and wellbeing of Michael's children, their mother Katherine Jackson, and the entire family," the statement said. "Unfortunately, those people have been harmed by the actions of the executors of Michael's estate."

The letter accuses the executors and "those installed and paid to do their bidding" of hiding behind the questionable documents and perpetrating a smear campaign related to treatment of matriarch Katherine Jackson and Michael's daughter Paris, 14.

"The negative media campaign generated by the executors and their agents has been relentless," the letter said. "In recent weeks, the media received preposterous reports - all now proven to be false - of a purported kidnapping of Katherine Jackson and of physical and verbal abuse of a child."

The family's feud went viral last week after a relative reported Katherine missing while she was spending 9-days in seclusion at an Arizona spa on an impromptu trip organized in part by Janet.

Paris complained about the situation on Twitter and celebrity website TMZ posted surveillance video from the kids' Calabasas house that showed Janet grabbing for Paris' cell phone during a tense confrontation.

TMZ also cited unidentified sources saying Janet slapped Paris and called her a "spoiled little b----." The report garnered widespread attention before TMZ retracted it Wednesday saying it never happened.

Janet's lawyer also took issue Friday with a recent estate edict banning Janet, Jermaine, Randy and Rebbie from Katherine's Calabasas house now that she's back home

"The effect of that notice not only is to damage fundamental family relationships, it is also to isolate Katherine Jackson from anyone questioning the validity of Michael's will," he wrote in his Friday statement.

"It is important to stress that Janet, Randy and Rebbie have questioned the validity of the will with no financial motive whatsoever - the stand to gain nothing financially by a finding that the will is invalid," Brown wrote, 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," Brown said.

The new statement follows after siblings Janet, Rebbie, Randy and Jermaine signed an earlier letter calling on the executors to resign. That letter claimed Katherine suffered a mini-stroke and was stressed out by the executors' actions.

The executors responded saying they were "saddened" by the "false and defamatory" accusations grounded in "stale Internet conspiracy theories."

Jermaine rescinded his signature from the letter earlier this week saying his young son was heartbroken over the ban on visits to Katherine's house.

Katherine, 82, temporarily lost custody of Michael's kids while in Arizona. A judge reinstated her Thursday as a co-guardian with grandson TJ Jackson, the 34-year-old son of Tito Jackson.

"Janet, Randy and Rebbie will continue to press forward in their search for the truth in order to carry out the wishes of their brother Michael," Brown wrote Friday.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]