Michael Jackson’s 92-year-old Mom Katherine Hit With Subpoena by LaToya's Ex in Fight Over Late Pop Star’s Property
April 25 2023, Published 11:38 a.m. ET
LaToya Jackson’s ex-fiancé Jeffree Phillips has fired off a subpoena to Katherine Jackson demanding she sits for a deposition as part of the court battle where he stands accused of stealing Michael’s personal property, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Phillips and his legal team are asking the court to compel Katherine to appear for a depo.
As we previously reported, last year, Michael’s estate dragged Phillips to court accusing him of stealing over $1 million worth of the singer’s property. The executors of the estate, John Branca and John McClain, said Phillips and LaToya showed up to Michael’s home after he was rushed to the hospital on June 25, 2009.
The executors said the items taken included handwritten notes, 5 hard drives, 3 silver Mac laptops, two iPods, cassette tapes, and a large black bag with a skull on it. They believe the hard drives could potentially contain unreleased music.
Phillips, who dated LaToya from 1995 to 2015, denied the accusations and claimed Katherine had instructed him to remove the property for storage.
He said, “I have never lied about having the Carolwood Items or otherwise concealed the fact that I kept the Carolwood Items in storage. Jackson's family members knew I had these items.”
Phillips added, “had the Estate simply asked for the property and not resorted to the premeditated set-up and bullying tactics, I would have called La Toya to inform her that the Estate was requesting the items, and the two of us would have then called her mother. If Ms. Jackson instructed me to give the property back to the Estate, I would have done so.”
Earlier this year, Phillips filed an emergency motion to postpone a hearing to allow him time to depose Katherine. Her team swiftly objected claiming it would upset her.
Her lawyers said, “It is troubling (to say the least) that Phillips, who claims to have been very close to Mrs. Jackson and the Jackson family, is seeking to have his attorneys interrogate the elderly Mrs. Jackson over her objections about what we understand is the most painful weeks and months of her long life.”
Michael’s nephew Taj told the court Katherine was still affected by her son’s death.
He said, “The reason I have not spoken to my Grandmother about the subject is simple. My Grandmother was and is still very affected by the death of my Uncle, her child. This was by far the saddest event that I saw her experience in her life. Understandably, she finds it very difficult to talk about my Uncle’s last few years and also about the very sad weeks and months following his sudden and unexpected death.”
The judge denied Phillips’ emergency motion. However, now, he’s back in court pushing for Katherine to sit and be grilled immediately.
Phillips said he fired off a subpoena, but Katherine blew it off. “Mrs. Jackson’s testimony is critical to the statute of limitations and bailment issues at the core of this action,” he said.
He added, “While Mr. Phillips is sympathetic to Mrs. Jackson’s position that she does not want to sit for deposition in a case involving the death of her son, Petitioners involved her in this case, and Mr. Phillips must accordingly take every opportunity to conduct discovery to aid in his defense of this matter.”
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Phillips said he offered to allow Katherine to be deposed remotely. Katherine has yet to respond.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, the estate and Katherine are in the middle of their own battle over a secret deal proposed by the executors.
