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| News vom 06.01.06 |
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| Gruppe: Administrator Rang: ghost  Beiträge: 973 Mitglied seit: 01.09.2005 IP-Adresse: gespeichert  | Jackson sued by veterinarian at Neverland By Quintin Cushner/Senior Staff Writer The chief veterinarian at Michael Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos has sued the pop star in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for $91,602.05 in past fees. Plaintiff Martin Dinnes, who owns the Dinnes Memorial Veterinary Hospital in Santa Clarita, filed suit Dec. 27 in Santa Maria, naming Jackson and several entities controlled by the singer. Dinnes has for the past 15 years helped Jackson acquire the diverse animals living in Neverland's zoo - including flamingos, giraffes, elephants and orangutans, said Dinnes' attorney, Brenton Horner. The veterinarian continues to treat the animals at the 2,700-acre ranch on a near weekly basis, Horner said. “He filed this (lawsuit) with great reluctance,” Horner said, adding that his client hoped the case would settle quickly. “He has a lot of admiration for Michael. This is just a business matter.” Dinnes accuses Jackson of breach of contract and seeks payment for services rendered and legal costs. The first hearing in the case is set for May 2 in the Santa Maria courtroom of Judge Zel Canter. Jackson would not be required to attend the civil matter. Canter has handled other Jackson civil cases in the past, including a trial pitting the singer against concert promoter Marcel Avram. At the conclusion of that trial, a jury found that Jackson reneged on a performance contract with Avram and ordered him to pay $5.3 million. Dinnes, 65, did not return calls for comment Thursday. He is renowned for his expertise in zoo and aquatic animal medicine and surgery, according to a press release from his alma mater, the University of California, Davis. Jackson, 47, was last seen in a Santa Maria courtroom on June 13, when a jury acquitted him of child molestation and conspiracy charges after a five-month trial. The singer has recently spent time in the Middle East, primarily in Bahrain. Because the lawsuit has not yet been served on Jackson, his spokeswoman Raymone Bain declined comment Thursday. “I can't respond because I know nothing about this,” Bain said. Calls to longtime Jackson attorney Robert Sanger were not returned Thursday afternoon. Testimony at Jackson's criminal trial by a forensic accountant for the prosecution indicated that Jackson may be as much as $285 million in debt. Though that amount was disputed by his defense attorneys, the testimony called into question how long Jackson could afford to maintain Neverland, which includes a zoo and amusement park. Pete Miller, supervising animal control officer for the Santa Barbara County Animal Services Department, said that there is no investigation into the quality of treatment of animals at Neverland. “We have no first-hand accounts or complaints of any mistreatment,” Miller said. Quintin Cushner can be reached at 739-2217 or qcushner@santamariatimes.com. Santa Maria Times
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| 06.01.2006 12:58:49 |     | |
| MR. BIG |
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| Gruppe: Administrator Rang: ghost Beiträge: 973 Mitglied seit: 01.09.2005 IP-Adresse: gespeichert | Jackson Parties While Neverland Staff Suffers Thursday, January 05, 2006 By Roger Friedman Jackson Parties in Bahrain but Neverland Staff Suffers Michael Jackson had a perfect, five-star, expensive Christmas in Bahrain, thanks to his host, the prince. But back home at Neverland, his employees wound up waiting until the eleventh hour to get enough money to buy gifts for loved ones. The Neverland staff was finally paid four weeks' back pay on Friday, Dec. 23, according to my sources. That didn't leave much time for most of the remaining 50 or so zoo workers, groundskeepers, maids, cooks and administrators to do their holiday shopping. The staff's relief at getting paid on the 23rd was shattered, though, yesterday. Jackson once again missed payroll, leaving the employees right back where they started. There's talk, I'm told, that the checks may be ready by Monday. But no one's certain and no one's counting on it. The only bright side to all this is that this week Neverland finally got a gas and propane delivery. For the last couple of months, the ranch has been without heat. There was no cooking, either, because the kitchens have gas stoves. "When we saw the trucks we were thrilled," says a source. "We thought it was a sign." Well, it was probably just a sign that Jackson got some royalty money from Sony for the first quarter of the year. He still gets royalties from CDs and videos sold. That's separate from his $270 million loans for which he used his equity in Sony/ATV Music Publishing. But the employees at Neverland might not be so happy when they find out that Jackson had a very nice Christmas in Bahrain. Using someone's money — presumably that of his host — Jackson flew in his three main surrogate families from different locations, put them up in hotels and got them expensive gifts. The families were: the Schleiters, from Germany; the Bhatti's, from Norway; and the Cascio's from New Jersey. You will recall that Jackson has had close relations with Anton Schleiter and Omer Bhatti, both of whom are about 21 years old now, for a long time. Anton's father, Wolfgang, is a German music executive. Michael dedicated the song "Speechless" on his last album to Anton, who used to dress up like Michael and his sister. Omer Bhatti was the 12-year-old Jackson imitator who Michael picked up in Tunisia in 1996 and essentially kept on and off for years. He told friends that Omer was his natural son, but Omer's parents actually came to work for Jackson in exchange for letting the boy stay with him. The Cascio family has figured prominently in Jackson's world for years as well. The father, Dominick Cascio, was once a banquet manager at the Palace Hotel in New York. He and his wife, Connie, have five kids, all of whom stayed at Neverland for long stretches. The eldest son, Frank, worked for Jackson and was an unnamed co-conspirator in last spring's trial. The report from the Jackson holiday was a good one, however. Jackson, according to sources, ate heartily, didn't seem to be drugged in any way and was friendly and upbeat with his guests. The guests did not get to meet the prince, but they did see Jackson's new digs outside the palace at a house he, his kids and nanny Grace Rwarmba are all staying in courtesy of the prince. If Jackson is not desperately hooked on drugs, then what about all those panic-ridden stories that ran in the supermarket tabloids just a few weeks ago? Speculation is that some members of Jackson's family who feel left out or left back since Michael split the U.S. may be selling stories to make money. One friend of the family who attended court sessions off and on last year has been mentioned as a go-between who sets up the deals and then kicks back the payments. FOX411
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| 06.01.2006 13:01:08 | | |
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