Lawyers for mother and ex-wife of late pop superstar Michael Jackson will have another week to negotiate a deal on his three children's custody after a court hearing was postponed for second time, according to the court's public information office.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff Friday rescheduled the guardianship hearing for July 20 at the request of lawyers representing Katherine Jackson and Deborah Rowe. The hearing, initially scheduled for July 6, was earlier rescheduled for July 13.
The lawyers of both sides and the judge will take part in a conference call on July 17, probably to discuss an out of court settlement on the children's custody.
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Prince Michael Jackson I (L), Paris Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II, the children of the late pop star Michael Jackson, walk off stage during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2009. [Xinhua/Reuters] |
Friday's postponement means another week of waiting to see whether Rowe, who married to Jackson from 1996 to 1999 and is mother of two of his three children, will finally make a bid for custody.
A will signed by the singer in 2001 keeps Rowe out of his estate. The will orders that 40 percent of his estate, with assets at about US$500 million but also with significant debts, goes to his three children, aged from 7 to 12.
Judge Beckloff appointed Jackson's mother Katherine as temporary guardian of his three children on June 29, four days after the Pop of King unexpectedly died at a Los Angeles hospital.
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Michael Jackson's daughter Paris cries as she speaks at the memorial service for music legend Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California July 7, 2009. [Xinhua/Reuters] |
Rowe, who gave up her parental rights through an agreement when she divorced from Jackson, gained visitation rights after the agreement was legally overturned and she reached another settlement with Jackson in 2006.
Soon after Jackson's death, Rowe said she was considering whether to fight to obtain custody of the two older children.
When the hearing does take place, the judge is also scheduled to address whether Jackson's mother should additionally be appointed temporary guardian of the three children's estate.
(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2009)
