Jackson Ordered to Pay Attorneys' Legal Bills
Michael Jackson may not live like the rest of us, but he still has to pay his bills like an average Joe.
A judge has ordered the Thriller artist to fork over $175,000 in attorneys' fees to the Torrance, California, law firm that sued him last year to recoup the cash for services rendered on his behalf.
Jackson retained Ayscough & Marar to, among other things, file motions to delay discovery proceedings in various civil cases and to seal information pertaining to his child molestation trial in 2005.
The O.C. firm also represented the erstwhile King of Pop in July 2006, when a former business associate, porn producer F. Marc Schaffel, alleged Jackson owed him $1.4 million in unpaid royalties, loans and expenses from projects the two worked on together.
Schaffel won a $900,000 judgment but was also ordered to pay Jackson $200,000 to satisfy the singer's countersuit, in which Jackson accused Schaffel of draining the account they set up for creative projects and of writing company checks long after Jackson had fired him.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant entered a $256,000 judgment in the firm's favor in July, in accordance with what Jackson reportedly agreed to pay to help settle the outstanding bill.
Monday's ruling is meant to compensate Ayscough & Marar for the counsel it hired to represent the company in these proceedings, which kicked off with the filing of the lawsuit in February 2006.
"That's quite a lot of money for not paying his bills," firm partner Brent Ayscough told reporters, adding that he and his colleagues haven't yet seen a penny of the original $256,000. That sum will continue to accrue by an interest rate of 10 percent until Jackson pays up, Ayscough said.
Jackson tried to get the legal eagles off his back in August 2006, filing a countersuit in which he alleged that one of the firm's attorneys threatened to air some confidential dirty laundry if he didn't pay, but Chalfant dismissed the suit for lack of merit.
That same month, the firm Wachtel & Massey begged off representing Jackson in a breach-of-contract lawsuit in Manhattan, after the "Beat It" visionary stopped paying his bills. (Jackson then claimed he had fired the firm the month before.)
Meanwhile, Jackson seems to be becoming public enemy number one as far as the State Bar of California is concerned.
The high-profile L.A. firm Lavely & Singer sued Jackson in August to try and recoup what it says is more than $113,000 in unpaid fees.
The Big Picture
Women Glow & Men Plunder
Britney embraces local culture by eating Vegemite clothes shopping in the land Down Under
Most Commented
- Bitch-Back! Breaking News—Johnny's a Hottie (913)
- Costars and Suits Give Robsten Their Blessings! (650)
- Blab Blab Blab: Is Twilight Sexist? (552)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Why Won't Sarah Palin Go Away? (440)
- Bitch-Back! What's Brad Got to Do With It? (426)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (417)
- Is Ugly Betty Ending? And Who Gets the Girl? (414)
- Adam Lambert: For Your Entertainment—or His? (363)
- Review: New Moon Is Either Just Fine or Way Mopey, Depending On Who You Are (334)
Top 10 Stories
- TLC Lets the Door Hit Jon (Not So Much Kate) on the Way Out
- Jennifer Lopez Stumbles for East Coasters Only
- Michael Jackson's Cash-Strapped Doctor Returns to Work
- Taylor Swift Tops Even Michael Jackson at American Music Awards
- Carrie Prejean the Hot Topic at Miss California USA Pageant
- New Moon Makes a Lot of Money (But Not Quite Batman Money)
- Jon (Plus Flowers) & Kate Reunite to Put Finishing Touches on Divorce
- New Moon Eclipses Dark Knight!
- Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray & More Continue Singing Oprah's Praises
- Michael Jackson's Doc Shipped Propofol From Vegas to L.A., Records Show
Fashion Police
Bring On the DramaLeave it to fearless fashionista Rihanna to make the fiercest statement on the AMAs red carpet
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
1 Comments
-
Show the next 1 - 0 of 1 comments
Now loading...