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LoginPublished: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 10:03 PM
Updated: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 11:19 PM By Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger
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Katherine Jackson vs. Michael Jackson's executors?
Did Katherine Jackson bash one of the executors for Michael Jackson’s estate? According to legal papers obtained by TMZ.com, her son told her he didn’t like or trust John Branca, and that Branca had stolen from him.
Katherine Jackson's signature is on the declaration in a lawsuit between the executors and one of the singer’s charities, Heal the World Foundation, which the executors claimed had used Michael Jackson’s image and likeness improperly.
In the Katherine Jackson document, she says that her son told her "on more than one occasion that he did not like this man and did not trust him, he told me that John had stolen from him.” She also says that the estate should be giving the foundation more money. But Katherine Jackson's lawyer now tells TMZ.com that she "categorically denies" signing the accusatory statement. A Heal the World lawyer says someone from the organization had faxed Katherine Jackson's manager the document and it was returned to him signed, and that Katherine Jackson's caregiver told him he saw her sign it.
Meanwhile, Branca and fellow executor John McClain have issued the following statement:
"We know that certain ludicrous statements were made recently that we won't personally dignify with a response. We will continue to do our best to uphold and further the memory and legacy of Michael with the same passion that we have always held for him. We appreciate all of the support for Michael from his loyal and devoted fans."
Earlier today, a lawyer representing the estate came to Branca’s defense, calling the declaration “a pathetic attempt to hurt the man who single-handedly .?.?.?resurrected Michael’s image and fortune,” TMZ.com reports.
“I would like to think that someone else prepared this for her,” lawyer Howard Weitzman says, “and she just signed what she was asked to.”
Katherine Jackson will have input on the estate’s charitable efforts, but the Jackson family won’t dictate where the money goes, he says.
