Krista Kennell/Sipa USA; JSN Photography/Getty ImagesAll's well that end's well for the Jackson family? For today, at least?
Howard Weitzman, attorney for the beleaguered executors of Michael Jackson's estate, said that he was "happy for the kids," now that a court has granted Michael's mother, Katherine, and her grandson T.J. joint custody of the late singer's three children.
It's "all worked out on our perspective," Weitzman added, a nod to the letter signed by Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson (Tito and Jermaine have since backed off) that accused his clients of managing Michael's affairs in a way that was detrimental to Katherine's health.
"There really isn't anything else to say," added Katherine's attorney, Perry Sanders, after today's emergency hearing.
"I think the court's comments today absolutely speak for themselves," he said. The decision "codifies what has already been in place since Michael's death. Everything that has happened to date is behind us. It is clear that from a standpoint of what this court thinks, after a through investigation about the role Mrs Jackson has played, she has been a phenomenal guardian for these children and T.J. has been a phenomenal support of her as guardian."
Well, then, just what does this all mean for 15-year-old Prince, 14-year-old Paris and 10-year-old Blanket, all of whom also signed off on the new arrangement.
According to the custody agreement obtained by E! News, legal and physical guardianship is pretty much split right down the middle. (The fact that T.J. resides at the family compound in Calabasas, Calif., makes the physical part much easier.)
Both Katherine and her 34-year-old grandson will both have a say in the children's medical care, their schooling and other parental-type decision making, and they now both have the right to hire and fire household staff members, including security guards, according to court documents. The $86,000 a month in child support that Katherine had been receiving from Michael's estate will continue to be paid out in the same manner.
In their petition to reinstate Katherine as a guardian, her attorneys stated that the family matriarch had satisfactorily explained why her grandchildren weren't able to reach her while she was at a resort in Tucson, Ariz., last month.
"After Mrs. Jackson had a chance to rest following her return, [she] was asked why she had not communicated with the minor children," the papers state. "Mrs. Jackson explained that, based upon what she believed to be the direct orders of the office of her longtime personal physician, she was ordered to rest. Also based upon what Mrs. Jackson believed to be the orders of the office of her longtime personal physician, Mrs. Jackson's phone was taken away. When one of the people with her asked if she could communicate with her iPad and she replied yes, Mrs. Jackson's iPad was also taken away."
There was a telephone in her room, but "it was not functioning and could not dial out. In addition there was no picture on the television in her room."
Guess it goes without saying that she didn't have access to Twitter, which granddaughter Paris at one point used to tweet out a phone number for people to call if they could help her get in touch with Katherine.
Katherine said in a statement to ABC News the day before she left that she had voluntarily given up her phone when she got to Miraval so that she wouldn't be able to receive or make calls while she was resting up.
"She was never informed that the Minor children and T.J. were trying to reach her," the petition continued. "Had she known that fact, and if she had been provided with the means to contact TJ and the Minor children, Mrs. Jackson would never have been gone for such a long period of time without communicating with them."
By the time she finally called them, the day before she left Tucson, T.J. had been appointed their temporary guardian.
"At the time, I trusted the people I was with to be honest with me," Katherine said in a sworn declaration included in the court filing.
Daughters Rebbie and Janet and son Randy were with her when she gave the taped statement to ABC. (The trio were not welcome at her home as of earlier this week.)
"What Mrs. Jackson did not realize at the time, but realizes now," her attorneys continued, "is that certain situations could arise which would require T.J. to have legal authority over the minor children in order to ensure their safety and welfare." She would like, however, to "serve alone as Guardian if there ever becomes a time that she can no longer serve with him as coguardian."
Let's hope that contentious-sounding day isn't in the near future.