BAHRAIN: King of pop and Bahraini prince reach agreement
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
A legal row between the “king of pop” and a Persian Gulf prince over songs, promises and cash is apparently drawing to an end.
Michael Jackson was about to board his flight to London to appear in court in a lawsuit filed against him for reneging on an agreement with one of the sons of Bahrain’s king. But he was advised by his lawyers not to go after they reached an out-of-court settlement “in principal” with the Bahraini royal, Sheik Adbulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa.
The legal settlement that is to be signed soon will remain confidential, Bakim Thanki, the royal’s attorney, announced this morning, according to the Associated Press.
The story started when the prince allegedly came to the aid of the 50-year-old Jackson, loaning the troubled pop legend millions of dollars to get through rough times. But, according to the royals, Jackson walked out on the prince when it was time to repay.
So the sheik sued Jackson, saying he failed to honor his promises, which were allegedly releasing an album, including songs the royal wrote himself, as well as an autobiography and a stage play.
The prince’s attorney, Thanki, told the court during the first hearing last week:
‘My client felt a strong sense of personal betrayal because this was someone who he considered a close personal friend. ... The work they had done together and the plans for the future all seemed to be totally frustrated.’
The men shared a ‘close personal relationship’ when Jackson was dragged to court in 2005 on charges of child molestation.
The pop star traveled to Bahrain with his children and personal staff in June of that year, the prince’s defense team told a court in London, where the trial is taking place by mutual agreement. The royal had invited him to spend some ‘relaxing time’ after Jackson was cleared in the U.S.
The sheik, who claims to have wanted to revive Jackson’s career in the music industry, said that he granted Jackson $1 million in April 2005, and paid the $2.2-million legal bill for the singer’s court case. The singer was allegedly supposed to set up a studio in his Neverland ranch and record a charity single intended to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
But the prince said the pop star, whose 1982 ‘Thriller’ album is the best-selling album of all time, never delivered his promises. The prince filed his lawsuit after news broke that Jackson had to sell his ranch because of financial problems, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s website.
In a first hearing, Jackson said the payments he received from the sheik were ‘gifts’ and that there was no valid agreement between the two.
He accused the sheik of exercising ‘undue influence’ on him especially as he was facing an emotionally exhausting widely publicized trial, testifying via video from the U.S.
-- Khaled Hijab in Beirut