What's behind Jackson family squabble? A Times/Google+ Live hangout

Squabbling within the family of Michael Jackson has burst into the open this week.

At 2 p.m., Times reporter Andrew Blankstein will discuss the various allegations and legal issues that have emerged.

An attorney for Michael Jackson's mother said he has been unable to reach Katherine Jackson after her reported disappearance highlighted a simmering family dispute, but said he believes "nothing untoward" has happened to his client.

When asked where the 82-year-old family matriarch is and how she is doing, attorney Perry Sanders said: "We are working today on those two exact issues."

"I'm hoping this has all been a really big misunderstanding that just got out of control," he added.

Sanders said he believes his client is "safe in the technical sense of the word" and is with her daughter, Rebbie, but he has not spoken to her.

"I'm troubled because of the chaos that has ensued, but I have faith nothing untoward has happened to her," Sanders said.

Katherine Jackson was reported missing over the weekend, and although Los Angeles County sheriff's authorities and members of the Jackson family have said she was out of state with other family members, Paris Jackson — the late Michael Jackson's 14-year-old daughter — continues to publicly claim she is being kept from her grandmother.

We invite you to join in on the conversation by posting comments below or onto The Times’ Facebook and Google Plus pages or on Twitter using the #asklatimes hashtag.

ALSO:

Katherine Jackson's attorney 'troubled' by family chaos

Anaheim police beef up patrols in anticipation of protests

Federal officer kills another officer in bar brawl, police say