Michael Jackson has reached a settlement with a Bahraini sheik who
says the singer owes him $7 million after breaching a signed
contract, according to the pop star's spokeswoman. The out-of-court
settlement means Jackson will not be giving evidence at London's
High Court as scheduled today, Celena Aponte said.
Scores of journalists and fans had been expected to cram the
courtroom for the appearance by the always-unpredictable King of
Pop. Aponte said Jackson was informed of the deal as he was about
to board a flight to London.
"As Mr. Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was
advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties
had concluded a settlement in principle," Aponte said. "Therefore,
he will not be attending court on Monday."
A representative for the sheik could not immediately be reached for
comment.
Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa said he gave the singer millions
and planned a series of collaborations following Jackson's
acquittal on child molestation charges in June 2005. Al Khalifa,
33, invited Jackson to the small, oil-rich Gulf state to escape the
media spotlight.
The sheik, the second son of the king of Bahrain, said he believed
he had formed "a close personal relationship" with the star, whom
he referred to affectionately as "my brother."
Al Khalifa said he gave Jackson millions of dollars to help shore
up his finances and subsidize Jackson's lifestyle in Bahrain -
including more than $300,000 for a "motivational guru." Al Khalifa,
an amateur songwriter, says the pair even moved into the same
palace to work on music together.
But Jackson dropped the project in 2006, leaving Bahrain and
pulling out of the contract. Jackson's lawyers have maintained the
money was a gift and argued that the musician wasn't bound by the
deal because the contract was signed on behalf of 2 Seas Records, a
venture which never got off the ground.
The singer originally wanted to avoid coming to London to answer
the lawsuit in person, seeking instead to give evidence by video
link from the United States. His lawyer, Robert Englehart, had
claimed that Jackson should be spared the trans-Atlantic trip due
to an unspecified illness, but on Thursday the lawyer said the
50-year-old star had been cleared for travel.
The suit was to be heard in London by mutual agreement.
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