[Cerek]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: Really Cerek? I seem to remember before this trial was a glint in the milkman's eye that he was in dire financial straits. And I believe it's the prosecution who are using this financial information, I think Jackson was desribed as "living a billionaires lifestyle on a millionaire's income" - perhaps not the sob story it might initially appear.

Here is an article about Jackson having to mortgage some of his songs to pay off his debts. Jackson to Mortgage Own Songs This article also states that he is "on the precipice of bankruptcy" and lists some of the HUGE loans he has gotten over the last few years. He used his songs and the Beatle's songs he bought in 1985 as security for these loans. According to the figures in the article, the Beatle songs alone are worth $720 million and Jackson's total outstanding debts are $380 million. That's an unbelievable amount of debt for an INDIVIDUAL person, but it is still only a little over half the value of the Beatle songs.

So I don't understand exactly how he is on the precipice of bankruptcy if he has assets that exceed his debts at a 2:1 ratio. It isn't great financial planning on his part, but it seems like he DOES have the means to pay the debts.

And just to add some spice to the discussion, here is an article describing the relationship Jackson had with his current accuser and the boy's family. The mother (especially) probably isn't a saint. In fact, she sounds like a world-class gold digger. The article is fairly even in their treatment of both sides.

Relationship benefitted Jackson and accuser