Michael Jackson's Siblings Barred From Seeing His Children
by Sean ComerLosing a father is hard enough on children. Leave it to Michael Jackson's flesh and blood to heap on the acrimony years after the King of Pop's death.
The late Jackson's estate executors have notified Randy, Jermaine, Rebbie and Janet Jackson that they're hereby barred from the home of Katherine Jackson, their and Michael's mother, The Huffington Post reports. In essence, that also bars them from visiting Michael's three children Paris, Blanket and Prince.
It's the latest wrinkle in an ugly, ugly saga rooted in a dispute over the authenticity of Michael's will and Katherine's capability to care for the children. Last week, Katherine lost the legal guardianship she'd had of Michael's children since shortly after his June 25, 2009 death following a drug overdose. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on July 25 ruled at that time that Katherine's alleged failing health had left her incapable of properly caring for them. Custody was awarded to Michael's nephew, T.J. Jackson.
On July 23, Michael's siblings showed up unannounced at Katherine's Calabasas, Calif., home and attempted to remove the kids from the home. As a result, estate lawyer Howard Weitzman drafted and delivered a letter informing that the siblings, anybody related to them, and Katherine's assistant Janice Smith were all to keep their distance from her and the children. Katherine has announced plans to file for joint custody of Paris, Prince and Blanket. Thursday morning, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge granted her request, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Trent Jackson, Katherine's nephew, filed a missing persons report July 22 with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department when Michael's children claimed Katherine had been out of contact for a week after Katherine flew from Calabasas to Albuquerque, N.M., July 15 to attend a July 17 Jackson Brothers performance. Jermaine claimed shortly after that she was not missing, but resting with family in Arizona, per a doctor's orders.
Katherine went radio-silent amid another legal challenge by the Jackson siblings to the authenticity of their brother's will, and demands that estate executors John Branca and John McClain resign their legal status. Additionally, the letter referred to Katherine as being in poor health, including an alleged mini-stroke that Katherine has publicly denied.
The Jackson children's previous three legal challenges to the will all failed.