who was michael jackson's attorney in the child molestation case

by Maryjane Sauer 5 min read

Did Michael Jackson molest his own children?

Jul 08, 2017 · In one of the most highly publicized cases in history, Michael Jackson not only faced the judicial system, but the court of public opinion. Documentarian Bashir went on to make another video, recanting his previous assertion that Jackson was “disturbed” and instead praising his father-figure-like relationship with other people’s children.

Was Michael Jackson guilty or innocent?

Dec 19, 2003 · Jackson was accused of child molestation in 1993, but the case was settled, reportedly for millions of dollars, and no charges were filed. Sneddon was the district attorney who looked into that...

What are some of the allegations against Michael Jackson?

Mar 04, 2019 · Robson first sued in 2013, claiming that Jackson abused him for nearly a decade. He later said in an amended complaint to his 2013 lawsuit that MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures were operations...

What happened in Michael Jackson's 2005 trial?

Nov 30, 2005 · Sneddon, who was involved in the 1993 molestation investigation of Jackson, said his history with the singer never influenced his decisions in the case. He had no comment on whether his office would continue to pursue other investigations against Jackson and declined to say whether he believed a child molester got away with a crime.

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Jan 29, 2019 · Michael Jackson Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: A Timeline It’s been 25 years since sexual molestation allegations broke about the King of Pop By Amelia McDonell-Parry Michael Jackson with Wade...

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Who was Michael Jackson's lawyer?

Thomas Mesereau (born 1950; JD Hastings College of the Law 1979) is a California-based criminal trial lawyer at Mesereau & Yu. He rose to national and international fame for successfully defending Michael Jackson in his 2005 child molestation trial.

Who defended Michael Jackson in court?

attorney Susan YuAccording to Jackson's defense attorney Susan Yu, over five hundred witnesses were prepared in the case.

Where is Gavin Arvizo now?

Arvizo has pondered a legal career at least since his wedding in 2013, when the Daily Beast said he was working as a paralegal and preparing to take the LSAT. “He works in sales right now, he has been a teacher in a Catholic school for a while,” Palanker said.Mar 7, 2019

How old would Michael Jackson be today?

How old would Michael Jackson be now? Michael Jackson would be 62-years-old if he were alive today, having celebrated this big birthday on August 29.Sep 2, 2020

What is Neverland ranch now?

However, the neglected ranch fell into disrepair. The amusement rides and animals were gone by 2013, and replaced with a meditative zen garden and a section decorated with Peter Pan. In May 2015, Neverland Ranch was renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch, and was put up for sale with an initial price tag of $100 million.Jan 4, 2021

What was Michael Jackson's net worth?

In 2018, the figure was $400 million. It was the eighth year since his death that Jackson's annual earnings were reported to be over $100 million, thus bringing Jackson's postmortem total to $2.4 billion. In 2020, Forbes recognized Jackson as the top-earning dead celebrity each year since his death except 2012.

Did Michael Jackson have kids?

Paris JacksonPrince Michael Jackson IIPrince JacksonMichael Jackson/Children

Is Michael Jackson indian?

Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, near Chicago, on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street.

What happened to Evan Chandler?

On November 5, 2009, fourteen weeks after Jackson's death, Evan Chandler was found dead following an apparent suicide.

Is Michael Jackson funeral?

September 3, 2009Michael Jackson / Date of burialJackson was originally to be buried on what would have been his 51st birthday; however, the services were postponed, and he was instead interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale on September 3, 2009.

How old is Bubbles the monkey?

And to get one question out of the way, yes, Bubbles is still alive - he is 38 years old, which means he is in late middle age, in chimp terms. These days Bubbles lives in the Centre for Great Apes in Florida, The Sun reports.Sep 29, 2021

How can I contact Janet Jackson?

This is Singer Janet Jackson Official contact information....Janet Jackson Phone Number, Contact Address, Fan Mail Address, Email Id.House AddressLos Angeles, United StatesAddress InformationSimon & Schuster (Book Publisher) 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 USA Phone: (212) 698-7541 Fax: (212) 698-733610 more rows

Overview

Trial

The trial began on February 28, 2005 in the courthouse of Santa Maria, Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara County Judge Rodney Melville presided over the trial. Melville, who had a contentious relationship with the news media, banned cameras from the courtroom and put a gag orderon both sides. He delayed the three-day jury selection process for a week while Jackson was hospitalized, re…

Background

In 1993, Michael Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler. The abuse allegedly took place at Jackson's Neverland Ranch home in Santa Barbara, California. In January 1994, Jackson settled the lawsuit made against him for $23 million, with $5 million going to the family's lawyers. Prosecutors pursued the criminal case and presented the evidence to two sep…

Investigation and arrest

From February 14 to February 27, 2003, a few weeks after the broadcast of the documentary, the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services conducted a preliminary investigation of Jackson and Arvizo. In a confidential report based on interviews with the Arvizos, which leaked to the media, child welfare officials stated that they believed that accusations of illicit conduct we…

Verdict

The jury deliberated for about 32 hours over seven days. On the initial vote, nine jurors voted to acquit Jackson, while three voted guilty. On June 13, 2005, they returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges. Jurors found the prosecution's case weak and the timeline of accusations problematic because they had claimed the molestation occurred after the broadcast of the documentary, when the world's attention was on Jackson and Gavin. One juror believed the mot…

Media coverage

The trial attracted international media attention, and several commentators described it as a media circus. When news of the raid on Jackson's home broke, many channels switched to 24-hour rolling coverage; CBS, NBC, ABC and VH1produced television specials. The media covered Jackson's health, dress and behavior, such as when he hopped on top of a car and waved to fans. The net…

Aftermath

Following the trial, Mesereau said Jackson would no longer allow people to enter in his room and would no longer "easily allow people to enter his life", as he had become a target for "people who want to extract money or build careers". Jackson moved to the Persian Gulf island country of Bahrain as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah. According to Jackson's brother Jermaine, unbeknownst to Jackson, the family had intended to send him to Bahrain had he been convicted. Jackson then li…

Bibliography

• Newberg, Debra. "Reflections and Corrections on Michael Jackson – America in the Mirror", 2010. 9780615320793, published by Newberg and Personal Promotions

Overview

In February 1993, Evan Chandler, a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, accused the American singer Michael Jackson of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son, Jordan Chandler. Jackson had befriended Jordan after renting a vehicle from his stepfather's dealership. Though Chandler initially encouraged the friendship, he later confronted his ex-wife, who had custody of Jordan, with suspicions that the relationship was inappropriate.

Aftermath

A week after the settlement in January 1994, L.A. District Attorney Garcetti announced that he supported amending a law that prohibited sexual assault victims from being compelled to testify in criminal proceedings. The amendment, introduced into the state assembly in February, would have immediately allowed Garcetti to compel Jordan Chandler's testimony.
On February 15, 1994, PBS Frontlineaired the documentary Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson …

Background

According to Consequence of Sound, in 1993, the pop star Michael Jackson was the most popular musician in the world. That February, Jackson's car broke down and was towed to a local garage, Rent-A-Wreck. Rent-A-Wreck owner David Schwartz called his wife, June Chandler-Schwartz, to meet Jackson. She brought her son from a previous marriage, Jordan Chandler. Jordan's father, E…

Allegations

On 8 July 1993, Schwartz phoned Evan to discuss Jordan’s relationship with Jackson. Unbeknownst to Evan, Schwartz recorded the phone call. Chandler was hostile about Jackson, describing him as "evil". He said he had hired "the nastiest son of a bitch he could find", lawyer Barry Rothman, to humiliate Jackson, and said:
Once I make that phone call, this guy is going to destroy everybody in sight in any devious, nasty…

Investigation

On August 18, 1993, the Los Angeles Police Department's Sexually Exploited Child Unit began a criminal investigation into Jackson. June Chandler initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested her son; however, her position wavered a few days later. On August 21, a search warrant was issued, allowing police to search Neverland Ranch. Police questioned 30 children who …

Jackson's health

Jackson took painkillers for his scalp surgeries, administered due to the Pepsi commercial accident in 1984, and became dependent on them to deal with the stress of the allegations. Within a few months of the allegations becoming news, he had lost approximately 10 pounds and stopped eating. According to Jackson, he had a tendency to stop eating when "really upset or hurt" and his friend Elizabeth Taylorhad to make him eat: "She took the spoon and would put it into m…

Jackson's response

On December 22, 1993, Jackson responded to the accusations for the first time via satellite from Neverland Ranch. He denied all the allegations and stated his intent to prove his innocence. He accused the media of manipulating the allegations to "reach their own conclusions", and described the "dehumanizing" police search as "the most humiliating ordeal of my life". On January 5, 1994, a few weeks before the settlement, Jackson gave a five-minute speech at the 26th NAA…

Media reaction

Most of the information available on the allegations was released (officially or unofficially) by the prosecution and unchallenged by Jackson. He was largely portrayed as guilty by the media, which used sensational headlines implying guilt when the content itself did not support the headline. Stories were purchased of his alleged criminal activity, police investigation material was leaked, and unflattering photographs of Jackson were printed.