riviera1992
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there is this one happy photo. it seems to be taken at the airport.
LOOOOL! He was happy to leave :hee hee:
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MJ's list of Shady/Unshady Characters?
- Thread starter ForeverKOP
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LOOOOL! He was happy to leave :hee hee:
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Here is an interesting blog:
Mesereau's Thoughts on John Branca
At this point in the game, I have been reading and researching about Michael Jackson for almost one year. There are so many players in the life of Michael Jackson that it is sometimes hard to keep them straight and to remember facts. However, one figure is impossible to forget. JOHN BRANCA. The names of Michael's children are misspelled, making the will's validity questionable. The letter that Michael Jackson wrote to John Branca in 2003, ordering the attorney to "cease expending any effort of any kind on my behalf" and the termination of Branca and his law firm's services. For the 4 people left of the planet who have not read the original document themselves, here is a link where you can read it: http://mjhoaxlive.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-from-michael-jackson-to-branca.html
I must admit that I've wavered about John Branca. So I decided to research Branca's alleged "crimes" and the hysteria that has caused fans to not only detest him, but to publicly denounce the validity of the will and Branca's executorship of the Michael Jackson Estate. I decided to start researching from the point where Tom Mesereau came into the picture. Tom Mesereau seems to be universally loved by Michael Jackson fans. And so, I start with Mesereau and the '05 trial.
Branca is accused of being fired in 2003 by Michael Jackson. Michael, at the time, believed there was a conspiracy to force him into involuntary bankruptcy, in order to gain control of the ATV catalog. The letter above attests to this; that in fact, Michael did fire Branca in 2003. Per the letter, Michael then hired attorney David LeGrand to investigate the many people who surrounded Jackson at the time. At this point in time, Michael was surrounded by people who did not have Jackson's best interests at heart. Among them were Ronald Konitzer and Deiter Weisner.
The results of David Legrand's investigation became a turning point for Michael Jackson's 2005 trial. When questioned by Tom Messereau, LeGrand stated that Jackson had in fact, hired him to investigate the people surrounding MJ in 2003. Under oath and penalty of perjury, LeGrand stated that there was no evidence that Branca had anything to do with any offshore accounts, period. He also stated that Ronald Konitzer and Deiter Wiesner had informed LeGrand that they wanted to manage Michael Jackson's business affairs, which made LeGrand suspicious. According to court transcripts of the 05 trial:
Mesereau: "Didn't you investigate Mr. Branca because you were concerned that he
and SONY had set up an offshore account to funnel money so they could defraud Michael Jackson?
LeGrand: "...I instructed the firm Interfor to investigate Mr. Branca because Mr.
Konitzer had indicated in several conversations that he was very concerned about Mr. Jackson and that Mr. Jackson had expressed concern about Mr. Branca's loyalty."
Mesereau: "As far as the John Branca...investigation by Interfor, Interfor never
found any evidence that Mr. Branca...(was) engaged in any fraud with Mr. Jackson right?"
LeGrand: "I was given no credible evidence to support those charges. I would be
doing Mr. Branca a great wrong if I said otherwise."
There is much more to this testimony that the few lines that I wrote here, but it clearly maintains that Branca did not embezzle funds. Both Tom Mesereau and Michael Jackson were in that courtroom and both were fully aware that Branca was innocent of those charges. A link to the copy of the court transcripts is here: http://www.geniusmichaeljackson.com/court/Transcripts/Court Transcript 5 13 2005.txt
LeGrand maintained that those who were whispering in Jackson's ear, Konitzer and Wiesner, had also taken nearly $1 million from Michael Jackson without his knowledge. In addition, LeGrand helped to bolster the defense's claim when he stated that Janet Arviso "seemed satisfied being there (at Neverland). She expressed support for Mr. Jackson." Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/12/entertainment/main694915.shtml
First point, LeGrand found that Branca had NOT been involved in any offshore account embezzlement, and Michael Jackson rehired John Branca. Second point...when John Branca was either fired or left Michael Jackson's employ...he sold his ATV equity interest BACK TO MICHAEL JACKSON. Branca owned 5% of the ATV....and I REPEAT...HE SOLD IT BACK TO MICHAEL JACKSON!
Does anyone understand that if John Branca's first loyalty was to SONY, that he would have sold his interest in the ATV to SONY? This 5% that Branca owned, would have given SONY a majority stake in the ATV, and left Michael Jackson with considerably less control.
Yes, Branca sits on the board at SONY. But so does Ahmed Al Khan...does anyone know who HE is? Khan is the King of Bahrain's personal counsel, who also renegotiated Michael Jackson's finances with Sony while Jackson's was staying there. And conveniently, Ahmed Al Khan now ALSO sits on the board at SONY. And yes, Branca's LAW FIRM did represent SONY, but not Branca personally. Are there connections? Yes. Enough damning evidence to try and convict Branca? I don't think so.
Third and last point...has anyone considered that Michael Jackson might have hired Branca 8 days before he died to PROTECT him? I've read on so many blogs that Michael KNEW...he knew and lived in fear that someone would murder him. Has anyone considered that he hired Branca and possibly DiLeo because he knew that in his fear and desperation, Jackson may have reached out to those who he felt would protect him and his best interests?
If Tom Mesereau believes in Branca's innocence, then what does that say? I live in America where I have the option to think INDEPENDENTLY. I urge Michael Jackson fans not to rely on one blog (including mine) or article to form an opinion about those who surrounded him prior to death. Take a good look at the information that is available and form your own opinion. Happy Independence Day everyone. Enjoy your holiday and above all, be safe. Peace.
Mesereau's Thoughts on John Branca
At this point in the game, I have been reading and researching about Michael Jackson for almost one year. There are so many players in the life of Michael Jackson that it is sometimes hard to keep them straight and to remember facts. However, one figure is impossible to forget. JOHN BRANCA. The names of Michael's children are misspelled, making the will's validity questionable. The letter that Michael Jackson wrote to John Branca in 2003, ordering the attorney to "cease expending any effort of any kind on my behalf" and the termination of Branca and his law firm's services. For the 4 people left of the planet who have not read the original document themselves, here is a link where you can read it: http://mjhoaxlive.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-from-michael-jackson-to-branca.html
I must admit that I've wavered about John Branca. So I decided to research Branca's alleged "crimes" and the hysteria that has caused fans to not only detest him, but to publicly denounce the validity of the will and Branca's executorship of the Michael Jackson Estate. I decided to start researching from the point where Tom Mesereau came into the picture. Tom Mesereau seems to be universally loved by Michael Jackson fans. And so, I start with Mesereau and the '05 trial.Branca is accused of being fired in 2003 by Michael Jackson. Michael, at the time, believed there was a conspiracy to force him into involuntary bankruptcy, in order to gain control of the ATV catalog. The letter above attests to this; that in fact, Michael did fire Branca in 2003. Per the letter, Michael then hired attorney David LeGrand to investigate the many people who surrounded Jackson at the time. At this point in time, Michael was surrounded by people who did not have Jackson's best interests at heart. Among them were Ronald Konitzer and Deiter Weisner.
The results of David Legrand's investigation became a turning point for Michael Jackson's 2005 trial. When questioned by Tom Messereau, LeGrand stated that Jackson had in fact, hired him to investigate the people surrounding MJ in 2003. Under oath and penalty of perjury, LeGrand stated that there was no evidence that Branca had anything to do with any offshore accounts, period. He also stated that Ronald Konitzer and Deiter Wiesner had informed LeGrand that they wanted to manage Michael Jackson's business affairs, which made LeGrand suspicious. According to court transcripts of the 05 trial:Mesereau: "Didn't you investigate Mr. Branca because you were concerned that he
and SONY had set up an offshore account to funnel money so they could defraud Michael Jackson?
LeGrand: "...I instructed the firm Interfor to investigate Mr. Branca because Mr.
Konitzer had indicated in several conversations that he was very concerned about Mr. Jackson and that Mr. Jackson had expressed concern about Mr. Branca's loyalty."
Mesereau: "As far as the John Branca...investigation by Interfor, Interfor never
found any evidence that Mr. Branca...(was) engaged in any fraud with Mr. Jackson right?"
LeGrand: "I was given no credible evidence to support those charges. I would be
doing Mr. Branca a great wrong if I said otherwise."
There is much more to this testimony that the few lines that I wrote here, but it clearly maintains that Branca did not embezzle funds. Both Tom Mesereau and Michael Jackson were in that courtroom and both were fully aware that Branca was innocent of those charges. A link to the copy of the court transcripts is here: http://www.geniusmichaeljackson.com/court/Transcripts/Court Transcript 5 13 2005.txt
LeGrand maintained that those who were whispering in Jackson's ear, Konitzer and Wiesner, had also taken nearly $1 million from Michael Jackson without his knowledge. In addition, LeGrand helped to bolster the defense's claim when he stated that Janet Arviso "seemed satisfied being there (at Neverland). She expressed support for Mr. Jackson." Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/12/entertainment/main694915.shtml
First point, LeGrand found that Branca had NOT been involved in any offshore account embezzlement, and Michael Jackson rehired John Branca. Second point...when John Branca was either fired or left Michael Jackson's employ...he sold his ATV equity interest BACK TO MICHAEL JACKSON. Branca owned 5% of the ATV....and I REPEAT...HE SOLD IT BACK TO MICHAEL JACKSON!
Does anyone understand that if John Branca's first loyalty was to SONY, that he would have sold his interest in the ATV to SONY? This 5% that Branca owned, would have given SONY a majority stake in the ATV, and left Michael Jackson with considerably less control.
Yes, Branca sits on the board at SONY. But so does Ahmed Al Khan...does anyone know who HE is? Khan is the King of Bahrain's personal counsel, who also renegotiated Michael Jackson's finances with Sony while Jackson's was staying there. And conveniently, Ahmed Al Khan now ALSO sits on the board at SONY. And yes, Branca's LAW FIRM did represent SONY, but not Branca personally. Are there connections? Yes. Enough damning evidence to try and convict Branca? I don't think so.
Third and last point...has anyone considered that Michael Jackson might have hired Branca 8 days before he died to PROTECT him? I've read on so many blogs that Michael KNEW...he knew and lived in fear that someone would murder him. Has anyone considered that he hired Branca and possibly DiLeo because he knew that in his fear and desperation, Jackson may have reached out to those who he felt would protect him and his best interests?
If Tom Mesereau believes in Branca's innocence, then what does that say? I live in America where I have the option to think INDEPENDENTLY. I urge Michael Jackson fans not to rely on one blog (including mine) or article to form an opinion about those who surrounded him prior to death. Take a good look at the information that is available and form your own opinion. Happy Independence Day everyone. Enjoy your holiday and above all, be safe. Peace.Dangerous Incorporated
Guests
That pic could have been taken before RATner and Malnik showed their true colours.
Well a lot of people on this board said that even though there was suspicion about Branca in 2003 , the investigation did not show any proof as mentioned in the trial. Branca's rehiring in 2004 (and employment through 04-06) is also mentioned several times.. so having an "anonymous blog" makes the whole difference I guess.
edit: one interesting question from the 2005 trial transcripts
Q. And in fact, that report only indicate that Sony was depositing money in some offshore account, apparently for Mr. -- on Mr. Jackson’s behalf, true?
that offshore account turned out to be on MJ's behalf.
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honeysucklejasmine
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Minor quibble - the third quote is attributed to Mesereau - it was actually Prosecutor Auchincloss who posed the question as part of his re-cross examination. Doesn't change LeGrand's answer though.
This is another interesting exchange about the Interfor report between Auchincloss and LeGrand:
12 Q. That report was basically full of rumors and
13 unsubstantiated allegations, true, because it was
14 incomplete?
15 A. Ultimately that was my view.
http://www.geniusmichaeljackson.com/court/Transcripts/Court Transcript 5 13 2005.txt
furthermore the witness also explains why they investigated Branca in the first place
THE WITNESS: Because we had -- we, the lawyers, had been given information from a source that appeared to have some credibility that such an account existed.
so basically it was one person who was making these claims about Branca, nothing more.
Ashtanga
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kasume
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hmmm....very interesting. i have never thought of that before. BUT i still will not trust them fully until things become more clear.
And I know that Michael wanted NOTHING to do with sony, and here's Brance making all these huge deals with sony, and then goes on with the auction of Michael's items. Michael wanted a museum.
I really don't know what to say about DiLeo except that he gets fidgety when talking about Thome, and derails questions about Thome too.
Ashtanga
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:agree:
But I do not know if things will be shown clearer at some moment for us. There are so many unanswered questions and we all would love that all the answers were revealed....... While it does not, confusion and mess in our heads about it continues.
proof that he was rehired after the February 2003 firing letter
Another article found by honeysucklejasmine : which confirms his involvement with Michael in January 2004:
"The meeting Monday — held days before Jackson's arraignment on child molestation charges — was attended by his attorneys, managers and accountants, along with Nation of Islam leaders. They disputed reports that the religious group had assumed control of Jackson's financial matters.
"Michael is in charge," John Branca, one of the singer's business attorneys, told reporters.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-01-13-jackson-advisers_x.htm
Branca was no longer working with Michael in 2006 by the time of the refinancing deals.
April 2006 refinancing deal - we learn 3 things
1. Branca wasn't doing the refinancing deal in 2006
2. Branca tried to do a deal in 2005
3. Michael bought out Branca's share in Sony/ATV in 2006 so no business contact remains
June 28 2006 talks about bringing in Londell McMillan
Raymone Bain talking about hiring Peter Lopez in 2006
So in short we can see that Branca was rehired after the infamous 2003 firing, was working with Michael during 2004-2005, stopped working with Michael (for whatever reason) early 2006 before/during the Sony/ ATV refinancing deal and was replaced by Peter Lopez and Londell McMillan.
Michael owned items have not been auctioned. They are currently on an exhibition and the estate has plans for a museum.
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riviera1992
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Indeed. Michael still spoke foundly of Ratner when he made that docu Michael Jackson Private home movies in 200???. It aired (or re-aired (not quite sure since MJ had shorter air than in the Bashit docu)) April 04 and MJ commented about his "friend" and their Miami vacation.
But around trial time when he asked Gordon Novel to investigate Ratner and Malnik and their connection with Mottola, Michael had grown more suspicious of them for whatever reason. I guess It was good judgement by MJ to not trust anybody connected to Mottola in some way.
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144000
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so we can only imagine what Michael had to go through.
riviera1992
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Here is where Malnik is linked with Lansky:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...NwPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s40DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6822,1620062
^^
In the court transcripts it's also mentioned that the reason that Malnik was investigated was due to mob connection. However the transcript also says that as the Sony & Mottola goes there was no connection between them and Malnik.
http://www.geniusmichaeljackson.com/court/Transcripts/Court Transcript 5 13 2005.txt
In the court transcripts it's also mentioned that the reason that Malnik was investigated was due to mob connection. However the transcript also says that as the Sony & Mottola goes there was no connection between them and Malnik.
http://www.geniusmichaeljackson.com/court/Transcripts/Court Transcript 5 13 2005.txt
Gaiaschild
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I agree with this list, but why David Gest, can you enlighten me as to why he is an enemy of MJ
Gaiaschild
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OK so no-one has a reason as to why David Gest is on that list so can I can assume there isn't one
another blog with information about branca
John Branca 2003-2006
Enough is enough. I have seen blogs everywhere that maintain that John Branca was fired by Michael Jackson, never to be rehired again. Had any one of them bothered to delve deeper than their "one-source-research", they would realize that John Branca was both fired and rehired by Michael Jackson in 2003, and worked for him until 2006. This blog covers the timeline of 2003 through 2006, and the professional relationship between Jackson and Branca.
I am only going to cover the firing of John Branca in a limited manner in this blog, because it would be repetitive. My other blog with regard to Branca's firing by MJ is here. In that blog, it is already established that Michael Jackson began to have doubts about John Branca's loyalty and believed that Branca may have been funneling MJ's money into offshore accounts. Jackson fired Branca and replaced him with Las Vegas attorney, David LeGrand. The infamous letter that has circulated the Internet thousands of times dated February, 2003, can be seen here. In the letter Jackson asks Branca for "all of my files, records, documents, accounts for myself and all companies I own or control which may be in your possession. You are to deliver the originals of all such documents to Mr. LeGrand immediately. He will arrange copies to be returned to you."
After the investigation, Michael must have realized that John Branca did not embezzle any money, because in November of 2003, Branca was once again Michael Jackson's attorney. In November of 2003, Neverland was raided by the Santa Barbara Police Department. On November 19, 2003 a New York Times article regarding the raid stated that "John Branca, Mr. Jackson's lawyer, did not return a phone call seeking comment."
On December 25, 2003, Michael Jackson did an interview with Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes, to deny the molestation charges against him. There was a lot of drama that ensued over this interview. CBS refused to air the special "Michael Jackson's Number Ones" until there was a public denial of the charges by Jackson. This was when an offer was made to CBS to do an interview with Ed Bradley. Dieter Wiesner took the credit for contacting and making the deal with 60 minutes, but an MTV article dated January 4, 2004, states that "lawyer John Branca and...Charles Koppelman negotiated the interview with CBS in exchange for the network putting Jackson's 'Michael Jackson's Number Ones' back on its programming schedule." Roger Friedman's article dated December 31, 2003, states that the Bradley interview emanated from MJ's advisors, John Branca and Charles Koppelman. Part 1 of the 60 minutes video can be seen below. There are several parts to the interview, part 2,part 3 and the transcript. Although it breaks my heart to hear Michael talk about this ordeal, it was imperative that Michael's side of the story was heard. According to several sources, John Branca negotiated this deal with CBS, in late 2003.
So it is safe to believe that Branca was working for Michael Jackson in 2003, only months after he had been fired. In January of 2004, a group of Michael's advisors met at the Beverly Hills Hotel to plan their strategy for their employer and show their support through solidarity. Michael's senior advisor at the time, Charles Koppelman, stated that "it so happened that we were all in the same place, and thought it would be great to sit down together." This same article reported that despite the rumors, "John Branca, one of the singer's business attorneys, stated 'Michael is in charge.'" Below is a picture of that meeting. Branca can been seen at the table, on the left.
In April, 2004, the Los Angeles Times wrote an article which I could only access when I paid for it. However, this article was written when Michael was gearing up for the trial. Many were counting on the downfall of Michael Jackson, as most of us realize now. Yet, the LA Times states that "Jackson's longtime attorney, John Branca says it would be a mistake to count him out. Michael was counted out once before, when the Jackson Five lost popularity and came back bigger than ever, Branca said. Michael speaks to a worldwide audience like no other artist in history."
In October of 2004, the New York Post stated that "the role of Jackson's long time lawyer, John Branca, have been greatly diminished to make way for Brian Oxman and Thomas Messereau." We have to take this statement with a grain of salt. First, the source is the NY Post. Secondly, the statement is ridiculous. John Branca is an entertainment attorney, not a criminal defense lawyer. Branca's specialty is entertainment law and publishing rights. Oxman and Mesereau were brought in for Michael's criminal defense, and therefore did not diminish Branca's role as Michael's entertainment lawyer. However, the Post does maintain that Branca was employed with Michael Jackson as of Oct. 2004.
Logic would tell us that since Branca covers the entertainment legalities of Michael's life, we would not hear a lot about him in early 2005, while the molestation trial was going on. Most of the articles are exploitative in nature regarding Michael Jackson in early 2005. There are few that are objective. A Times Online article maintains that Branca was advising Michael Jackson in early June of 2005 regarding the ATV catalog. The article states that Michael "is being advised in the matter by John Branca, a well-known music industry lawyer, and Charles Koppelman..."
After Michael's acquittal in 2005, he was sued by the scam artists, Prescient. The financial group Prescient claimed that they helped Michael to find a way to refinance his loans and sued him for $48 million; the claim turned out to be false. Newsday, dated July of 2005, stated that "John Branca, a lawyer representing Jackson, could not be reached for comment." In December 2005, while Michael was in Bahrain, refinancing occurred again, and the Daily News reports that John Branca, Michael's attorney, could not be reached for comment.
And so we arrive at the beginning of 2006. At this point, we have established that Branca was fired in early 2003, and rehired in late 2003, and worked for Michael Jackson until the end of 2005. Since it is late and early 2006 is complicated with regard to the Jackson/Branca working relationship, I will continue this tomorrow.
There are a lot of blogs and articles that seem reliable, but they are not. Again, I urge MJ fans to
dig deep before passing judgement on Michael Jackson's business partners and friends.
Posted by Michael Jackson: And Justice for Some at 11:52 PM
http://mjandjustice4some.blogspot.com/2010/07/john-branca-2003-2006.html
John Branca 2003-2006
Enough is enough. I have seen blogs everywhere that maintain that John Branca was fired by Michael Jackson, never to be rehired again. Had any one of them bothered to delve deeper than their "one-source-research", they would realize that John Branca was both fired and rehired by Michael Jackson in 2003, and worked for him until 2006. This blog covers the timeline of 2003 through 2006, and the professional relationship between Jackson and Branca.
I am only going to cover the firing of John Branca in a limited manner in this blog, because it would be repetitive. My other blog with regard to Branca's firing by MJ is here. In that blog, it is already established that Michael Jackson began to have doubts about John Branca's loyalty and believed that Branca may have been funneling MJ's money into offshore accounts. Jackson fired Branca and replaced him with Las Vegas attorney, David LeGrand. The infamous letter that has circulated the Internet thousands of times dated February, 2003, can be seen here. In the letter Jackson asks Branca for "all of my files, records, documents, accounts for myself and all companies I own or control which may be in your possession. You are to deliver the originals of all such documents to Mr. LeGrand immediately. He will arrange copies to be returned to you."
After the investigation, Michael must have realized that John Branca did not embezzle any money, because in November of 2003, Branca was once again Michael Jackson's attorney. In November of 2003, Neverland was raided by the Santa Barbara Police Department. On November 19, 2003 a New York Times article regarding the raid stated that "John Branca, Mr. Jackson's lawyer, did not return a phone call seeking comment."
On December 25, 2003, Michael Jackson did an interview with Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes, to deny the molestation charges against him. There was a lot of drama that ensued over this interview. CBS refused to air the special "Michael Jackson's Number Ones" until there was a public denial of the charges by Jackson. This was when an offer was made to CBS to do an interview with Ed Bradley. Dieter Wiesner took the credit for contacting and making the deal with 60 minutes, but an MTV article dated January 4, 2004, states that "lawyer John Branca and...Charles Koppelman negotiated the interview with CBS in exchange for the network putting Jackson's 'Michael Jackson's Number Ones' back on its programming schedule." Roger Friedman's article dated December 31, 2003, states that the Bradley interview emanated from MJ's advisors, John Branca and Charles Koppelman. Part 1 of the 60 minutes video can be seen below. There are several parts to the interview, part 2,part 3 and the transcript. Although it breaks my heart to hear Michael talk about this ordeal, it was imperative that Michael's side of the story was heard. According to several sources, John Branca negotiated this deal with CBS, in late 2003.
So it is safe to believe that Branca was working for Michael Jackson in 2003, only months after he had been fired. In January of 2004, a group of Michael's advisors met at the Beverly Hills Hotel to plan their strategy for their employer and show their support through solidarity. Michael's senior advisor at the time, Charles Koppelman, stated that "it so happened that we were all in the same place, and thought it would be great to sit down together." This same article reported that despite the rumors, "John Branca, one of the singer's business attorneys, stated 'Michael is in charge.'" Below is a picture of that meeting. Branca can been seen at the table, on the left.
In April, 2004, the Los Angeles Times wrote an article which I could only access when I paid for it. However, this article was written when Michael was gearing up for the trial. Many were counting on the downfall of Michael Jackson, as most of us realize now. Yet, the LA Times states that "Jackson's longtime attorney, John Branca says it would be a mistake to count him out. Michael was counted out once before, when the Jackson Five lost popularity and came back bigger than ever, Branca said. Michael speaks to a worldwide audience like no other artist in history."
In October of 2004, the New York Post stated that "the role of Jackson's long time lawyer, John Branca, have been greatly diminished to make way for Brian Oxman and Thomas Messereau." We have to take this statement with a grain of salt. First, the source is the NY Post. Secondly, the statement is ridiculous. John Branca is an entertainment attorney, not a criminal defense lawyer. Branca's specialty is entertainment law and publishing rights. Oxman and Mesereau were brought in for Michael's criminal defense, and therefore did not diminish Branca's role as Michael's entertainment lawyer. However, the Post does maintain that Branca was employed with Michael Jackson as of Oct. 2004.
Logic would tell us that since Branca covers the entertainment legalities of Michael's life, we would not hear a lot about him in early 2005, while the molestation trial was going on. Most of the articles are exploitative in nature regarding Michael Jackson in early 2005. There are few that are objective. A Times Online article maintains that Branca was advising Michael Jackson in early June of 2005 regarding the ATV catalog. The article states that Michael "is being advised in the matter by John Branca, a well-known music industry lawyer, and Charles Koppelman..."
After Michael's acquittal in 2005, he was sued by the scam artists, Prescient. The financial group Prescient claimed that they helped Michael to find a way to refinance his loans and sued him for $48 million; the claim turned out to be false. Newsday, dated July of 2005, stated that "John Branca, a lawyer representing Jackson, could not be reached for comment." In December 2005, while Michael was in Bahrain, refinancing occurred again, and the Daily News reports that John Branca, Michael's attorney, could not be reached for comment.
And so we arrive at the beginning of 2006. At this point, we have established that Branca was fired in early 2003, and rehired in late 2003, and worked for Michael Jackson until the end of 2005. Since it is late and early 2006 is complicated with regard to the Jackson/Branca working relationship, I will continue this tomorrow.
There are a lot of blogs and articles that seem reliable, but they are not. Again, I urge MJ fans to
dig deep before passing judgement on Michael Jackson's business partners and friends.
Posted by Michael Jackson: And Justice for Some at 11:52 PM
http://mjandjustice4some.blogspot.com/2010/07/john-branca-2003-2006.html
another blog with information about branca
John Branca 2003-2006
Enough is enough. I have seen blogs everywhere that maintain that John Branca was fired by Michael Jackson, never to be rehired again. Had any one of them bothered to delve deeper than their "one-source-research", they would realize that John Branca was both fired and rehired by Michael Jackson in 2003, and worked for him until 2006. This blog covers the timeline of 2003 through 2006, and the professional relationship between Jackson and Branca.
I am only going to cover the firing of John Branca in a limited manner in this blog, because it would be repetitive. My other blog with regard to Branca's firing by MJ is here. In that blog, it is already established that Michael Jackson began to have doubts about John Branca's loyalty and believed that Branca may have been funneling MJ's money into offshore accounts. Jackson fired Branca and replaced him with Las Vegas attorney, David LeGrand. The infamous letter that has circulated the Internet thousands of times dated February, 2003, can be seen here. In the letter Jackson asks Branca for "all of my files, records, documents, accounts for myself and all companies I own or control which may be in your possession. You are to deliver the originals of all such documents to Mr. LeGrand immediately. He will arrange copies to be returned to you."
After the investigation, Michael must have realized that John Branca did not embezzle any money, because in November of 2003, Branca was once again Michael Jackson's attorney. In November of 2003, Neverland was raided by the Santa Barbara Police Department. On November 19, 2003 a New York Times article regarding the raid stated that "John Branca, Mr. Jackson's lawyer, did not return a phone call seeking comment."
On December 25, 2003, Michael Jackson did an interview with Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes, to deny the molestation charges against him. There was a lot of drama that ensued over this interview. CBS refused to air the special "Michael Jackson's Number Ones" until there was a public denial of the charges by Jackson. This was when an offer was made to CBS to do an interview with Ed Bradley. Dieter Wiesner took the credit for contacting and making the deal with 60 minutes, but an MTV article dated January 4, 2004, states that "lawyer John Branca and...Charles Koppelman negotiated the interview with CBS in exchange for the network putting Jackson's 'Michael Jackson's Number Ones' back on its programming schedule." Roger Friedman's article dated December 31, 2003, states that the Bradley interview emanated from MJ's advisors, John Branca and Charles Koppelman. Part 1 of the 60 minutes video can be seen below. There are several parts to the interview, part 2,part 3 and the transcript. Although it breaks my heart to hear Michael talk about this ordeal, it was imperative that Michael's side of the story was heard. According to several sources, John Branca negotiated this deal with CBS, in late 2003.
So it is safe to believe that Branca was working for Michael Jackson in 2003, only months after he had been fired. In January of 2004, a group of Michael's advisors met at the Beverly Hills Hotel to plan their strategy for their employer and show their support through solidarity. Michael's senior advisor at the time, Charles Koppelman, stated that "it so happened that we were all in the same place, and thought it would be great to sit down together." This same article reported that despite the rumors, "John Branca, one of the singer's business attorneys, stated 'Michael is in charge.'" Below is a picture of that meeting. Branca can been seen at the table, on the left.
In April, 2004, the Los Angeles Times wrote an article which I could only access when I paid for it. However, this article was written when Michael was gearing up for the trial. Many were counting on the downfall of Michael Jackson, as most of us realize now. Yet, the LA Times states that "Jackson's longtime attorney, John Branca says it would be a mistake to count him out. Michael was counted out once before, when the Jackson Five lost popularity and came back bigger than ever, Branca said. Michael speaks to a worldwide audience like no other artist in history."
In October of 2004, the New York Post stated that "the role of Jackson's long time lawyer, John Branca, have been greatly diminished to make way for Brian Oxman and Thomas Messereau." We have to take this statement with a grain of salt. First, the source is the NY Post. Secondly, the statement is ridiculous. John Branca is an entertainment attorney, not a criminal defense lawyer. Branca's specialty is entertainment law and publishing rights. Oxman and Mesereau were brought in for Michael's criminal defense, and therefore did not diminish Branca's role as Michael's entertainment lawyer. However, the Post does maintain that Branca was employed with Michael Jackson as of Oct. 2004.
Logic would tell us that since Branca covers the entertainment legalities of Michael's life, we would not hear a lot about him in early 2005, while the molestation trial was going on. Most of the articles are exploitative in nature regarding Michael Jackson in early 2005. There are few that are objective. A Times Online article maintains that Branca was advising Michael Jackson in early June of 2005 regarding the ATV catalog. The article states that Michael "is being advised in the matter by John Branca, a well-known music industry lawyer, and Charles Koppelman..."
After Michael's acquittal in 2005, he was sued by the scam artists, Prescient. The financial group Prescient claimed that they helped Michael to find a way to refinance his loans and sued him for $48 million; the claim turned out to be false. Newsday, dated July of 2005, stated that "John Branca, a lawyer representing Jackson, could not be reached for comment." In December 2005, while Michael was in Bahrain, refinancing occurred again, and the Daily News reports that John Branca, Michael's attorney, could not be reached for comment.
And so we arrive at the beginning of 2006. At this point, we have established that Branca was fired in early 2003, and rehired in late 2003, and worked for Michael Jackson until the end of 2005. Since it is late and early 2006 is complicated with regard to the Jackson/Branca working relationship, I will continue this tomorrow.
There are a lot of blogs and articles that seem reliable, but they are not. Again, I urge MJ fans to
dig deep before passing judgement on Michael Jackson's business partners and friends.
Posted by Michael Jackson: And Justice for Some at 11:52 PM
http://mjandjustice4some.blogspot.com/2010/07/john-branca-2003-2006.html
In the pic you posted with the article is Carol Davis of Justice System.net. sitting at the table next to Mark Geragos. She works with Geragos as a lawyer & she is the one who gave the list of names that included Branca, Malnik, Kaufman, Koppelman, Trudy Green, Mottola, Ratner on April 4, 2005. They had to have included Branca in this list for a reason. This leads me to believe he was out at this point & was bought out in 2006. MJ had to go to alot of trouble to buy him out.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB111819644592353818-Idje4NolaN4n5upbHuGca2Fm4.html
[FONT="]Mr. Malnik brought in Mr. Koppelman, a storied figure in music publishing who is also vice chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. Mr. Koppelman, 65, came on board about two years ago to advise Mr. Jackson on his publishing holdings and other business matters. In an unusual twist, people close to the singer say the Bank of America loan package included a covenant requiring Mr. Koppelman be retained as a consultant. (Mr. Koppelman was also Mr. Jackson's chief rival in bidding for the ATV catalog 20 years ago.)
According to several people familiar with their thinking, all three of these men favored selling at least a portion of Sony/ATV to salvage Mr. Jackson's finances.
Early this year, a variety of possible deals were served up to the pop singer. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and private-equity firm Blackstone Group expressed interest, according to people close to these discussions. Before acquiring Mr. Jackson's debt portfolio, investment firm Fortress also discussed buying at least some of Mr. Jackson's holdings, say people familiar with the discussions.
Messrs. Branca and Koppelman urged Mr. Jackson to accept the Goldman Sachs deal, people familiar with the matter say, which would have introduced Goldman as a third partner in the Sony/ATV venture. Mr. Jackson would have been left with a stake in his beloved publishing company and no debts.
The list from Carol Davis was on the boards in 2005 of people conspiring against MJ.
links:
[/FONT] http://www.mjj2005.com/kopboard/index.php?showtopic=5048&hl=trudy green&st=0
http://www.mjj2005.com/kopboard/index.php?showtopic=20380&hl=trudy green&st=40
Mjj777 has an awesome blog that includes this from Mottolla on Geraldo right after MJ passed. I had missed it.
http://www.mj-777.com/
"Its amazing to me that he was able to withstand even this long."
More info on the conspiracy from Bonnie Cox given out by Carol Davis:
link:
http://michaelsguardian.blogspot.co...-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50
Was this Michael Jackson's 2006 Raymone Bain Conspiracy?
July 26, 2010 - Was this Michael Jackson's 2006 Raymone Bain Conspiracy?
Previously on this series of blog entries investigating the whereabouts of the Raymone Bain reported conspiracy, I had left off with an August 29th lawsuit filed by previous lawyers of Michael Jackson here. Source
Michael pictured with Raymone Bain
No lawsuit filed against Branca, Mottola, Malnik, Ratner or Green could be found. No complaints naming such other than the Carol Davis entry posted on another blog. However I did find this:
Lawsuit Complaint filed against Michael’s Accountants, Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman and Sloan. This lawsuit filed in December of 2006 by Michael through Venable, LLP, for negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and failure to provide accounting.
This reports that Michael dropped the lawsuit (possible settlement) but the link no longer works so I copied here from where it was posted on a message board:
“Troubled pop star Michael Jackson has now dropped his lawsuit against account firm Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan which he claimed made unauthorized deals. It is not known if Jackson who alleged negligence and breach of trust agreed to a settlement deal. The King of Pop sued the company in December 2006; he said that they were late in paying his taxes as well as entering into contracts without the singer’s permission.
The account firm tried to counter sue Jackson, however this action was dismissed. Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan claimed that Michael Jackson owed them $1 million in unpaid bills. Michael has managed to stay out of the headlines since he was acquitted of the child sex abuse charges in 2005.”
Source - BBC News
Take a look at the list of lawyers owed money, according to Ayscough and he mentions other law suits filed by lawyers against Michael. Some of the names are very interesting. There are a number of lawsuits filed by attorneys against Michael at this time. It is unclear to me that this is the conspiracy that Raymone Bain put out the press release about, as it does not address Michael’s catalog nor his battle with Sony. The complaint also does not mention or petition for involuntary bankruptcy.
Ayscough represented MJ against Marc Schaffel. Schaffel was suing Michael at the same time Michael was facing trial.
In this complaint filed by Brian Ayscough on July 25, 2006, he listed quite a few creditors, in which most are lawyers. How did Mr. Ayscough get this information from the other creditors and why did they feel compelled to share this information? They were, according to the complaint, asked to stay on by Susan Yu and Tom Mesereau, who were also accused of non payment and bad faith.
Here is a list of the cases Ayscough said they either assisted in or provided exclusive services for:
People vs Jackson S.B. Superior Court case#1133603 – duties to obtain orders to seal civil cases from press during court proceedings, sealing records and staying discovery while proceedings in process.
Court of appeals case #B182655 – challenge by news media on sealing records.
Schaffel vs Jackson et. al. S.C. case # SC083501 – Defending Jackson et. al.
Kamand vs. Jackson S.C. case # BC324733 – Defending Jackson
Avram vs Jackson, JAMS case of 50 133 T 00565 04 –
Alfredo Bowman and Dr. Sebi, LLC vs. Jackson S.C. case # BC 322867 –
Hamid Moslehi vs. MJJ Productions D.C. case # CV 04-10264 RSW – IFILM Inc.
Kyman vs. Jackson L.A. S.C. #LC071670 -
Here is a list of the previous lawyers and business representatives listed on the complaint:
Zia Modabber, $400,000
Brian Oxman, $1,250,000
Michael Sydown, over $1,000,000
Michael Abelson – in reference to being asked by him to approve services performed by Oxman. This should have been Abelson’s responsibility to pay A&M for that.
Bob Sanger, $1,200,000
Michael Abelson again, $100,000
Precient Acquisition Group, $48,000,000 NY Dist. Court case #05CV 6298 Judge Castle
Watchel and Masyr, filed motion to be relived in Precient case for non payment of services
Lavely and Singer, $100,000
David LeGrand, Owned money (no amount mentioned)
Other Creditors listed in complaint:
Fortress, $325,000,000 –
Randy Jackson, $1, 650,000
RJ’s assistant Tyuna Zilkie, $50,000
Debbie Rowe sued Michael for L.A. SC case #BD 310276 for $900,000 a year for five years plus legal fees.
Staff of Neverland and state of California for back pay, which was paid but still mentioned in complaint.
CPA Allan I. Whitman of Fox, Bernstein, Whitman, Goldman and Sloan owed for business management services. (mentioned above, Michael dropped case against them).
Now this firm claims that Mesereau and Yu were paid by Michael in September 23 of 2006 but had told Ayscough that they had not been paid yet and asked Ayscough to stay on saying they would be paid later, but were never paid. What sense does this make?
Why isn’t their complaint then against Mesereau and Yu? Why were they holding Michael accountable for the payments of ASSISTANTS of creditors?
And why and how would Randy Jackson be involved with this complaint? Did Randy just volunteer this information to someone who was trying to put the screws to his brother?
How would this law firm get the creditors and amounts of all these different lawyers and business managers if they had not been on a campaign?
Michael’s counter complaint
My friend has not been able to find actual documents for this, but she did send me this article:
Jackson sues former attorneys
This paragraph says:
“Michael Jackson is suing Los Angeles law firm Ayscough & Marar, accusing attorneys of trying to force him into bankruptcy. In papers filed on August 29 but unseen until now, Jackson accuses his former attorneys of conspiring with other lawyers, who represented him in the past, to put him into involuntary bankruptcy.”
This link shows document of proceeding and mentions Michael’s countersuit, filed August 29, 2006 (day after his 48th birthday) and the trial set for June 26, 2007. There is a discussion by legal professionals on the motions presented during this hearing. Anyone with more legal expertise than I can maybe comment on this.
This is written closer to lay terms. Both of these were hearings in reference to Michael not showing up for depositions. According to this link, Michael walked out on one deposition and failed to show on the date set to finish it.
As a result, Michael was ordered to pay the $216,000 to Ayscough and Marar plus interest.
However, this is not the same list of lawyers and business associates that Carol Davis mentioned in a now defunct justicesystem.net a list of the people mentioned in the conspiracy. Those people were:
- John Branca
- Trudy Green
- Howard Kaufman
- Charles Koppelman
- Al Manik
- Tommy Mottola
- Brett Ratner
The only reference I could find to it was here at Kingofpop
“To all the fans around the world, for your information – please know that Michael Jackson’s publishing ATV and MIJAC catalogue is not for sale. However, there is a conspiracy to try and take these publishing companies from him. Suspected are the following: Al Malnick, Tommy Mottola, John Branca, Charles Koppleman, Brett Ratner, Howard Kofeman, Trudy Green. (search U.S. Justice Department)
Pass this information to the fans around the world that love and care for Michael.
Sincerely, a watchful eye.”
Source: Carol Davis / Justice System
There is plenty of information here, but for some reason, I believe this is not what we are looking for. This is a can of worms that seems to open up into the hundreds of lawsuits filed for quick paydays from Michael Jackson.
Tomorrow, I want to do more work on the list Carol Davis gave us.
***To commemorate Michael's birthday this August 29th, fans from all around the world are invited to make a donation to a charity in Michael's honour. In July, we will vote on which charity to contribute to. In August, we will donate to the chosen charity. Vote now! Voting ends July 31. - Non-Profit***
link:
http://michaelsguardian.blogspot.co...-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50
Was this Michael Jackson's 2006 Raymone Bain Conspiracy?
July 26, 2010 - Was this Michael Jackson's 2006 Raymone Bain Conspiracy?
Previously on this series of blog entries investigating the whereabouts of the Raymone Bain reported conspiracy, I had left off with an August 29th lawsuit filed by previous lawyers of Michael Jackson here. Source
Michael pictured with Raymone Bain
No lawsuit filed against Branca, Mottola, Malnik, Ratner or Green could be found. No complaints naming such other than the Carol Davis entry posted on another blog. However I did find this:
Lawsuit Complaint filed against Michael’s Accountants, Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman and Sloan. This lawsuit filed in December of 2006 by Michael through Venable, LLP, for negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and failure to provide accounting.
This reports that Michael dropped the lawsuit (possible settlement) but the link no longer works so I copied here from where it was posted on a message board:
“Troubled pop star Michael Jackson has now dropped his lawsuit against account firm Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan which he claimed made unauthorized deals. It is not known if Jackson who alleged negligence and breach of trust agreed to a settlement deal. The King of Pop sued the company in December 2006; he said that they were late in paying his taxes as well as entering into contracts without the singer’s permission.
The account firm tried to counter sue Jackson, however this action was dismissed. Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan claimed that Michael Jackson owed them $1 million in unpaid bills. Michael has managed to stay out of the headlines since he was acquitted of the child sex abuse charges in 2005.”
Source - BBC News
Take a look at the list of lawyers owed money, according to Ayscough and he mentions other law suits filed by lawyers against Michael. Some of the names are very interesting. There are a number of lawsuits filed by attorneys against Michael at this time. It is unclear to me that this is the conspiracy that Raymone Bain put out the press release about, as it does not address Michael’s catalog nor his battle with Sony. The complaint also does not mention or petition for involuntary bankruptcy.
Ayscough represented MJ against Marc Schaffel. Schaffel was suing Michael at the same time Michael was facing trial.
In this complaint filed by Brian Ayscough on July 25, 2006, he listed quite a few creditors, in which most are lawyers. How did Mr. Ayscough get this information from the other creditors and why did they feel compelled to share this information? They were, according to the complaint, asked to stay on by Susan Yu and Tom Mesereau, who were also accused of non payment and bad faith.
Here is a list of the cases Ayscough said they either assisted in or provided exclusive services for:
People vs Jackson S.B. Superior Court case#1133603 – duties to obtain orders to seal civil cases from press during court proceedings, sealing records and staying discovery while proceedings in process.
Court of appeals case #B182655 – challenge by news media on sealing records.
Schaffel vs Jackson et. al. S.C. case # SC083501 – Defending Jackson et. al.
Kamand vs. Jackson S.C. case # BC324733 – Defending Jackson
Avram vs Jackson, JAMS case of 50 133 T 00565 04 –
Alfredo Bowman and Dr. Sebi, LLC vs. Jackson S.C. case # BC 322867 –
Hamid Moslehi vs. MJJ Productions D.C. case # CV 04-10264 RSW – IFILM Inc.
Kyman vs. Jackson L.A. S.C. #LC071670 -
Here is a list of the previous lawyers and business representatives listed on the complaint:
Zia Modabber, $400,000
Brian Oxman, $1,250,000
Michael Sydown, over $1,000,000
Michael Abelson – in reference to being asked by him to approve services performed by Oxman. This should have been Abelson’s responsibility to pay A&M for that.
Bob Sanger, $1,200,000
Michael Abelson again, $100,000
Precient Acquisition Group, $48,000,000 NY Dist. Court case #05CV 6298 Judge Castle
Watchel and Masyr, filed motion to be relived in Precient case for non payment of services
Lavely and Singer, $100,000
David LeGrand, Owned money (no amount mentioned)
Other Creditors listed in complaint:
Fortress, $325,000,000 –
Randy Jackson, $1, 650,000
RJ’s assistant Tyuna Zilkie, $50,000
Debbie Rowe sued Michael for L.A. SC case #BD 310276 for $900,000 a year for five years plus legal fees.
Staff of Neverland and state of California for back pay, which was paid but still mentioned in complaint.
CPA Allan I. Whitman of Fox, Bernstein, Whitman, Goldman and Sloan owed for business management services. (mentioned above, Michael dropped case against them).
Now this firm claims that Mesereau and Yu were paid by Michael in September 23 of 2006 but had told Ayscough that they had not been paid yet and asked Ayscough to stay on saying they would be paid later, but were never paid. What sense does this make?
Why isn’t their complaint then against Mesereau and Yu? Why were they holding Michael accountable for the payments of ASSISTANTS of creditors?
And why and how would Randy Jackson be involved with this complaint? Did Randy just volunteer this information to someone who was trying to put the screws to his brother?
How would this law firm get the creditors and amounts of all these different lawyers and business managers if they had not been on a campaign?
Michael’s counter complaint
My friend has not been able to find actual documents for this, but she did send me this article:
Jackson sues former attorneys
This paragraph says:
“Michael Jackson is suing Los Angeles law firm Ayscough & Marar, accusing attorneys of trying to force him into bankruptcy. In papers filed on August 29 but unseen until now, Jackson accuses his former attorneys of conspiring with other lawyers, who represented him in the past, to put him into involuntary bankruptcy.”
This link shows document of proceeding and mentions Michael’s countersuit, filed August 29, 2006 (day after his 48th birthday) and the trial set for June 26, 2007. There is a discussion by legal professionals on the motions presented during this hearing. Anyone with more legal expertise than I can maybe comment on this.
This is written closer to lay terms. Both of these were hearings in reference to Michael not showing up for depositions. According to this link, Michael walked out on one deposition and failed to show on the date set to finish it.
As a result, Michael was ordered to pay the $216,000 to Ayscough and Marar plus interest.
However, this is not the same list of lawyers and business associates that Carol Davis mentioned in a now defunct justicesystem.net a list of the people mentioned in the conspiracy. Those people were:
- John Branca
- Trudy Green
- Howard Kaufman
- Charles Koppelman
- Al Manik
- Tommy Mottola
- Brett Ratner
The only reference I could find to it was here at Kingofpop
“To all the fans around the world, for your information – please know that Michael Jackson’s publishing ATV and MIJAC catalogue is not for sale. However, there is a conspiracy to try and take these publishing companies from him. Suspected are the following: Al Malnick, Tommy Mottola, John Branca, Charles Koppleman, Brett Ratner, Howard Kofeman, Trudy Green. (search U.S. Justice Department)
Pass this information to the fans around the world that love and care for Michael.
Sincerely, a watchful eye.”
Source: Carol Davis / Justice System
There is plenty of information here, but for some reason, I believe this is not what we are looking for. This is a can of worms that seems to open up into the hundreds of lawsuits filed for quick paydays from Michael Jackson.
Tomorrow, I want to do more work on the list Carol Davis gave us.
***To commemorate Michael's birthday this August 29th, fans from all around the world are invited to make a donation to a charity in Michael's honour. In July, we will vote on which charity to contribute to. In August, we will donate to the chosen charity. Vote now! Voting ends July 31. - Non-Profit***
Branca Returns, Wiesner Departs
Before I move on to 2006, I would like to mention something that I did not add to the previous blog, Branca, 2003-2006. I want to go back to the beginning of 2003.
Michael claimed in a 2007 lawsuit against Wiesner that he was under the influence of prescription drugs at the time that he handed control of some of his business affairs to Dieter Wiesner in early 2003. See video above.
Wiesner was in control of MJ's financial affairs in January, 2003, while Michael claims he was under the influence of prescription drugs. This was the time period that Branca was fired. Branca was fired in February, 2003 because Michael suspected that Branca was embezzling funds into offshore accounts.
Michael trusted Wiesner when he whispered into Jackson's ear that Branca was embezzling funds from him. However, after Michael's attorney (LeGrand) found that there was no evidence against Branca, Michael rehired him in October of 2003.
Let's not forget that before the upcoming trial between Jackson and Wiesner, Wiesner's attorney Howard King released audio taped conversations in which Jackson was accused of making defamatory remarks against Jews. Wiesner was no friend to Michael Jackson.
In the end, Michael realized that it was not Branca who had been disloyal to his employer, but it was Wiesner. Wiesner et al. could not account for a $965,000 deficit in Michael's bank account.
Now we can move on to 2006, and detail the relationship between Michael and Branca.
http://mjandjustice4some.blogspot.com/2010/07/branca-returns-wiesner-departs.html
Before I move on to 2006, I would like to mention something that I did not add to the previous blog, Branca, 2003-2006. I want to go back to the beginning of 2003.
Michael claimed in a 2007 lawsuit against Wiesner that he was under the influence of prescription drugs at the time that he handed control of some of his business affairs to Dieter Wiesner in early 2003. See video above.
Wiesner was in control of MJ's financial affairs in January, 2003, while Michael claims he was under the influence of prescription drugs. This was the time period that Branca was fired. Branca was fired in February, 2003 because Michael suspected that Branca was embezzling funds into offshore accounts.
Michael trusted Wiesner when he whispered into Jackson's ear that Branca was embezzling funds from him. However, after Michael's attorney (LeGrand) found that there was no evidence against Branca, Michael rehired him in October of 2003.
Let's not forget that before the upcoming trial between Jackson and Wiesner, Wiesner's attorney Howard King released audio taped conversations in which Jackson was accused of making defamatory remarks against Jews. Wiesner was no friend to Michael Jackson.
In the end, Michael realized that it was not Branca who had been disloyal to his employer, but it was Wiesner. Wiesner et al. could not account for a $965,000 deficit in Michael's bank account.
Now we can move on to 2006, and detail the relationship between Michael and Branca.
http://mjandjustice4some.blogspot.com/2010/07/branca-returns-wiesner-departs.html
Bonnie's done some more research on the list provided by Carol Davis:
http://michaelsguardian.blogspot.com/2010/07/branca-mottola-green-malnik-and-ratner.html
July 27, 2020 – Branca, Mottola, Green, Malnik and Ratner
On June 26, we left off with this blog entry, outlining the lawsuits surrounding Michael and the Ayscough and Marar Law firm. Reference
Some really funny things have happened since then. Yesterday, I was away on personal business most of the day. Ironic that things really seem to “pop” on those days and several things came to my attention. But for now we will stay focused on this topic.
There are many blogs out there writing different things about Michael Jackson or the issues surrounding him and his murder. Some blogs popping up rather recently have taken a defense behind the lines of John Branca and Al Malnik of all people with some very convincing resources like the New York Times.
In investigating these links one thing seemed common on the couple of resources that listed John Branca has having been Michael’s attorney between 2003 and 2006. One was a piece written in the New York Times, another a defunct link to the L.A. Times was used as a source, and as another a Roger Friedman, gossip columnist was “relied upon” as a trusted source. In each of the two newspapers I checked out, the NYT link said Branca could not be reached in an Nov. 2003 article, only months after Branca was fired. This was probably because Branca could not speak for Michael, because Branca was not his lawyer at this time. Any blog lauding the “saving” of Michael Jackson by Al Malnik is suspect to MOST sensible Michael Jackson fans. No one from Michael's camp at the time is or can be quoted as Branca still being his manager. Misinformation passed on to other journalists (as usual)appears a a few columns.
This same blog also lists a falsified copy of court testimony in which supposedly attorney LeGrand is questioned by Tom Mesereau about the investigations done into the people surrounding Michael at the 2005 trial, and LeGrand exhonerates Branca while implicating Wiezner and Konitzer. The real court document found at this source says something quite different. Source
Branca and Mottola are mentioned in this one which falls along the lines of what Michael had mentioned in quite a few public statements available on Youtube and also from Michael’s own family members. I would think that Michael and his own brothers would know best who was after Michael to destroy him than some anonymous, Sony-slanted blogger. The court testimony will tell you that Branca most certainly was NOT employed by Michael Jackson during 2004 and 2005.
I thought the campaign trying to discredit both news sources and bloggers and fans alike very interesting and the propaganda seems to be increasing. This could be why: Sony is losing billions. Could it be the death of Michael Jackson wasn’t the winfall they had planned? Source
Other documents I have noticed are either from one gossip columnist (a hired hand?), PDF documents converted from convincingly recreated word documents citing links that no longer can be accessed or don’t exist, and sources linked to John Branca documents.
And for one particular blog to extol the virtues of a mob connected conspirer of Michael’s, all one has to do is read about Al Malnik himself to confirm what kind of person he is. Here is a good background on Malnik and his ilk. Source Take a look at Michael’s face during his stay with Malnik. Some very interesting expressions on Michael’s face, don’t you think? Yes, he looked real happy . . . for a rape victim.
Michael with Al Malnik Gang
Michael in Misery
Another Smiling Face
On this same blog one of these photos appeared:
"Michael's Team???"
Pretty “inside” photo wouldn’t you say? The caption under this picture is “Michael’s Team”. I recognize John Branca sitting obscured on the left side facing and Mark Garagos standing, talking on the phone. There are a whole bunch of people in this room. There is one thing missing in “Michael’s Team” . . . Michael himself. This looks more like a meeting of those conspiring to force Michael into involuntary bankruptcy.
The reason Raymone Bain never mentioned John Branca in any of her press releases is because John Branca was not employed by Michael at that time. There is no press release by Michael of ever hiring John Branca back . . . none. Only one errant NYT article mistakenly trying to contact John Branca for info on Michael during the trial. Another news source calls John Michael’s “previous” lawyer. Source
A good article on John Branca is here ,
A site listing Michael’s lawyers (top ten, notice Peter Lopez, one of the last hired, is on this list). Source where it says further down:
“There is also a $25 million lien against it held by Fortress Investments, created so Jackson could buy out his former attorney, John Branca, from a five percent interest in Sony/ATV Music Publishing.”
This same blog said:
“I want to discuss the refinancing of Michael's loans in 2005, which helps us to understand and transition into 2006. "Jackson, who was then awaiting trial on criminal child molestation charges, authorized his advisors to negotiate a solution that would have erased his debts and provided him with income of about $10 million a year...As part of the agreement, Sony Corp.” . . .
Then said three more paragraphs down:
“Reports state that Branca was making in the vicinity of $20 million from the proceeds of his 5% (some state 2.5%) of the ATV”
Maybe Michael balked at the deal because John was not his attorney, and because Branca’s stated $20 million a year proceeds from only 5% share of that same catalog would obviously pale in comparison to the income Michael made on his 50% share. Does it make sense then for this blogger to try to tell us what a great deal Michael would have had on a paltry ten million a year from selling Sony half his share? I think not. I would link to the blog pontificating on these fallacies but I really do not want to bring any more attention to it. This shows Michael knew what they were trying to do to him, he knew how to make a business decision and he was not fooled by the offer.
This link below shows a search on Michael Jackson firing John Branca in 2003. Absolutely no proof that he was ever hired back. Source
Timeline shows absolutely NO proof Branca was ever hired back. Search through years 2004, 2005 and 2006. Only in 2009, in June, does it show any mention of Michael “meeting” with Branca and this is a decidedly generic source, reporting on what was in the news and on press releases.
This link goes to a Friedman article in Fox News describing the debacle over returning Michael’s passport after the trial so he could leave the country. No mention of Branca, who should have been helping him in all this turmoil, IF he was working for him or cared about him.
Transcripts of Interview with Katherine Jackson on the Today Show with Rita Cosby (the nice lady who tried to misquote Michael after interviewing him briefly after the Al Sharpton Press Conference where Michael blasted Mottola). No mention of Branca and you know, for someone who was supposedly working for Michael from the latter part of 2003 through mid 2006 (leaving of his own accord), just where was he during five months of the biggest and most excruciating trial of Michael’s life? Where were you John? Bet you and Mottola had a hard time picking each other’s jaws up off the bar when those verdicts came down mid-toast.
This Friedman article also makes no mention of Branca while Michael is trying to get his passport back from sexual harasser to the pop stars, Tom Sneddon.
Just take a look at everything in this link. There are many Roger Friedman articles in here over the course of the trial and not one of them mentions John Branca being Michael’s lawyer. Not one.
Source Trial quotes: Quotes from trial. Bain is quoted quite a few times in articles but no mention of John Branca. Bain herself does not even mention John Branca.
Larry King Live Transcripts of Interview with Tom Mesereau. This was interesting for two reasons . . . One Raymone was working with Tom on Michael’s case according to Tom M. and two because he revealed that Sneddon and “wined and dined” Debbie Rowe to “get her to say what they wanted her to say” but Debbie Rowe defended Michael on the stand.
An interesting discussion was sent to me in regard to the conspiracy on this source:
Discussion of John Branca, Trudy Green, Howard Kaufman, Charles Koppelman, Al Manik, Tommy Mottola, and Brett Ratner.
In another Roger Friedman article on Fox News, he comments on the firing of Raymone Bain and Randy Jackson being relieved of financial duties. He also speculates on who would next represent Michael, sarcastically suggesting as one of the possibilities “Bubbles the Chimp”. Source That doesn’t sound like someone who thinks Branca still represents Michael.
This information is for you to decide. Just know that there are people out there PAID to put this misinformation out there. They don’t even have to be convincing. They just have to divide and conquer. The truth is there. Discern documents carefully. Anyone can make a PDF file.
Also consider that those trying to discredit these blogs, namely myself and MJJ-777.com are the ones trying to sell books, not us. I have no monetary connection to Michael and I am not and do not plan or writing a book. My blog is free.
This just goes to show you just how important it is for Sony to save their reputation and win the P.R. war after contributing to Michael’s misery and death. There are billions at stake. Branca and co. have much to hide. So does Judge Melville.
Remember . . . Michael’s own family wanted the executors challenged. They have been legally bullied by the very money those executors control. Judge Melville appointed an attorney who represented Branca against Katherine (Howard Weitzman) and who is being investigated for raping the Cobain estate, as a co-executor for the children against Katherine.
These are the people we were dealing with. Don’t let yourself be moved. They are still just people. They lie and they have a BIG motive to lie.
Keep looking through and you will find the truth.
http://michaelsguardian.blogspot.com/2010/07/branca-mottola-green-malnik-and-ratner.html
July 27, 2020 – Branca, Mottola, Green, Malnik and Ratner
On June 26, we left off with this blog entry, outlining the lawsuits surrounding Michael and the Ayscough and Marar Law firm. Reference
Some really funny things have happened since then. Yesterday, I was away on personal business most of the day. Ironic that things really seem to “pop” on those days and several things came to my attention. But for now we will stay focused on this topic.
There are many blogs out there writing different things about Michael Jackson or the issues surrounding him and his murder. Some blogs popping up rather recently have taken a defense behind the lines of John Branca and Al Malnik of all people with some very convincing resources like the New York Times.
In investigating these links one thing seemed common on the couple of resources that listed John Branca has having been Michael’s attorney between 2003 and 2006. One was a piece written in the New York Times, another a defunct link to the L.A. Times was used as a source, and as another a Roger Friedman, gossip columnist was “relied upon” as a trusted source. In each of the two newspapers I checked out, the NYT link said Branca could not be reached in an Nov. 2003 article, only months after Branca was fired. This was probably because Branca could not speak for Michael, because Branca was not his lawyer at this time. Any blog lauding the “saving” of Michael Jackson by Al Malnik is suspect to MOST sensible Michael Jackson fans. No one from Michael's camp at the time is or can be quoted as Branca still being his manager. Misinformation passed on to other journalists (as usual)appears a a few columns.
This same blog also lists a falsified copy of court testimony in which supposedly attorney LeGrand is questioned by Tom Mesereau about the investigations done into the people surrounding Michael at the 2005 trial, and LeGrand exhonerates Branca while implicating Wiezner and Konitzer. The real court document found at this source says something quite different. Source
Branca and Mottola are mentioned in this one which falls along the lines of what Michael had mentioned in quite a few public statements available on Youtube and also from Michael’s own family members. I would think that Michael and his own brothers would know best who was after Michael to destroy him than some anonymous, Sony-slanted blogger. The court testimony will tell you that Branca most certainly was NOT employed by Michael Jackson during 2004 and 2005.
I thought the campaign trying to discredit both news sources and bloggers and fans alike very interesting and the propaganda seems to be increasing. This could be why: Sony is losing billions. Could it be the death of Michael Jackson wasn’t the winfall they had planned? Source
Other documents I have noticed are either from one gossip columnist (a hired hand?), PDF documents converted from convincingly recreated word documents citing links that no longer can be accessed or don’t exist, and sources linked to John Branca documents.
And for one particular blog to extol the virtues of a mob connected conspirer of Michael’s, all one has to do is read about Al Malnik himself to confirm what kind of person he is. Here is a good background on Malnik and his ilk. Source Take a look at Michael’s face during his stay with Malnik. Some very interesting expressions on Michael’s face, don’t you think? Yes, he looked real happy . . . for a rape victim.
Michael with Al Malnik Gang
Michael in Misery
Another Smiling Face
On this same blog one of these photos appeared:
"Michael's Team???"
Pretty “inside” photo wouldn’t you say? The caption under this picture is “Michael’s Team”. I recognize John Branca sitting obscured on the left side facing and Mark Garagos standing, talking on the phone. There are a whole bunch of people in this room. There is one thing missing in “Michael’s Team” . . . Michael himself. This looks more like a meeting of those conspiring to force Michael into involuntary bankruptcy.
The reason Raymone Bain never mentioned John Branca in any of her press releases is because John Branca was not employed by Michael at that time. There is no press release by Michael of ever hiring John Branca back . . . none. Only one errant NYT article mistakenly trying to contact John Branca for info on Michael during the trial. Another news source calls John Michael’s “previous” lawyer. Source
A good article on John Branca is here ,
A site listing Michael’s lawyers (top ten, notice Peter Lopez, one of the last hired, is on this list). Source where it says further down:
“There is also a $25 million lien against it held by Fortress Investments, created so Jackson could buy out his former attorney, John Branca, from a five percent interest in Sony/ATV Music Publishing.”
This same blog said:
“I want to discuss the refinancing of Michael's loans in 2005, which helps us to understand and transition into 2006. "Jackson, who was then awaiting trial on criminal child molestation charges, authorized his advisors to negotiate a solution that would have erased his debts and provided him with income of about $10 million a year...As part of the agreement, Sony Corp.” . . .
Then said three more paragraphs down:
“Reports state that Branca was making in the vicinity of $20 million from the proceeds of his 5% (some state 2.5%) of the ATV”
Maybe Michael balked at the deal because John was not his attorney, and because Branca’s stated $20 million a year proceeds from only 5% share of that same catalog would obviously pale in comparison to the income Michael made on his 50% share. Does it make sense then for this blogger to try to tell us what a great deal Michael would have had on a paltry ten million a year from selling Sony half his share? I think not. I would link to the blog pontificating on these fallacies but I really do not want to bring any more attention to it. This shows Michael knew what they were trying to do to him, he knew how to make a business decision and he was not fooled by the offer.
This link below shows a search on Michael Jackson firing John Branca in 2003. Absolutely no proof that he was ever hired back. Source
Timeline shows absolutely NO proof Branca was ever hired back. Search through years 2004, 2005 and 2006. Only in 2009, in June, does it show any mention of Michael “meeting” with Branca and this is a decidedly generic source, reporting on what was in the news and on press releases.
This link goes to a Friedman article in Fox News describing the debacle over returning Michael’s passport after the trial so he could leave the country. No mention of Branca, who should have been helping him in all this turmoil, IF he was working for him or cared about him.
Transcripts of Interview with Katherine Jackson on the Today Show with Rita Cosby (the nice lady who tried to misquote Michael after interviewing him briefly after the Al Sharpton Press Conference where Michael blasted Mottola). No mention of Branca and you know, for someone who was supposedly working for Michael from the latter part of 2003 through mid 2006 (leaving of his own accord), just where was he during five months of the biggest and most excruciating trial of Michael’s life? Where were you John? Bet you and Mottola had a hard time picking each other’s jaws up off the bar when those verdicts came down mid-toast.
This Friedman article also makes no mention of Branca while Michael is trying to get his passport back from sexual harasser to the pop stars, Tom Sneddon.
Just take a look at everything in this link. There are many Roger Friedman articles in here over the course of the trial and not one of them mentions John Branca being Michael’s lawyer. Not one.
Source Trial quotes: Quotes from trial. Bain is quoted quite a few times in articles but no mention of John Branca. Bain herself does not even mention John Branca.
Larry King Live Transcripts of Interview with Tom Mesereau. This was interesting for two reasons . . . One Raymone was working with Tom on Michael’s case according to Tom M. and two because he revealed that Sneddon and “wined and dined” Debbie Rowe to “get her to say what they wanted her to say” but Debbie Rowe defended Michael on the stand.
An interesting discussion was sent to me in regard to the conspiracy on this source:
Discussion of John Branca, Trudy Green, Howard Kaufman, Charles Koppelman, Al Manik, Tommy Mottola, and Brett Ratner.
In another Roger Friedman article on Fox News, he comments on the firing of Raymone Bain and Randy Jackson being relieved of financial duties. He also speculates on who would next represent Michael, sarcastically suggesting as one of the possibilities “Bubbles the Chimp”. Source That doesn’t sound like someone who thinks Branca still represents Michael.
This information is for you to decide. Just know that there are people out there PAID to put this misinformation out there. They don’t even have to be convincing. They just have to divide and conquer. The truth is there. Discern documents carefully. Anyone can make a PDF file.
Also consider that those trying to discredit these blogs, namely myself and MJJ-777.com are the ones trying to sell books, not us. I have no monetary connection to Michael and I am not and do not plan or writing a book. My blog is free.
This just goes to show you just how important it is for Sony to save their reputation and win the P.R. war after contributing to Michael’s misery and death. There are billions at stake. Branca and co. have much to hide. So does Judge Melville.
Remember . . . Michael’s own family wanted the executors challenged. They have been legally bullied by the very money those executors control. Judge Melville appointed an attorney who represented Branca against Katherine (Howard Weitzman) and who is being investigated for raping the Cobain estate, as a co-executor for the children against Katherine.
These are the people we were dealing with. Don’t let yourself be moved. They are still just people. They lie and they have a BIG motive to lie.
Keep looking through and you will find the truth.
riviera1992
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^^^^
Awesome work! Never give up.
Sadly, this entangled web of fraudulent money management is so wide and deep, and interconnected to Illuminati masterminds and tentacles, it will go unpunished forever.
BTW, where's does Ron Burkle fit into this scheme?
Just curious because, I was watching one of my favorite show (American Greed) and he was on it. He had given multi million dollars to this guy, Ann Hathaway's famous italian boyfriend and he got swindled of his investment.
Awesome work! Never give up.
Sadly, this entangled web of fraudulent money management is so wide and deep, and interconnected to Illuminati masterminds and tentacles, it will go unpunished forever.
BTW, where's does Ron Burkle fit into this scheme?
Just curious because, I was watching one of my favorite show (American Greed) and he was on it. He had given multi million dollars to this guy, Ann Hathaway's famous italian boyfriend and he got swindled of his investment.
Last edited:
kasume
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