Former publicist to sue Jackson

A former publicist for Michael Jackson says she is suing the singer for $44m (£29m) for his alleged failure to pay her for her services.

BBC / May 7, 2009

Raymone Bain said Mr Jackson had agreed to give her a share of profits from deals she arranged and that she was "disappointed" he had not done so. Ms Bain acted as Mr Jackson's publicist during his 2005 trial for child abuse. There has been no comment from the singer, who is reported to have been in financial difficulties for some years. 

Ms Bain, a trained lawyer, regularly briefed the media on Mr Jackson's state of mind during his lengthy trial, at which he was found not guilty of child molestation. She was later made general manager of the Michael Jackson Company, which handles the singer's business affairs.
In the lawsuit, filed in Washington DC, Ms Bain said Mr Jackson had agreed to pay her 10% of any business deals arranged with her assistance, but had not done so. 

The deals included the 25th anniversary relaunch of his successful Thriller album and a series of concerts in London scheduled for this July.Ms Bain said it was with "deep regret" that she was launching the legal action against someone she "greatly admired and respected". 

"Unfortunately, Mr Jackson has elected not to honour the financial obligations of our contractual relationship, despite my numerous attempts to amicably resolve this matter," she said. 

"I am sincerely disappointed in Mr Jackson's failure to honour his obligations." 

Ms Bain said she expected the the lawsuit would result in "hypothetical theories, accusations and rumours" about the relationship between her and Mr Jackson, but that the truth would emerge in court. She added that despite the legal action, she had no regrets about working with Mr Jackson. "Michael Jackson, in my opinion, is the 'King of Pop'," she said. 

Mr Jackson has faced several law suits in the past few years from former friends, employees and associates claiming he owed them money. Last year, he lost ownership of his sprawling Neverland ranch after failing to pay his staff or to cover arrears and insurance costs for the property.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk