A veterinarian in California is suing Michael Jackson over alleged unpaid bills. Martin Dinnes, who owns Dinnes Memorial Veterinary Hospital, says the singer owes him $91,602. Dinnes helped Jacko to acquire pets for his Neverland ranch menagerie, which includes giraffes, elephants, orang-utans and flamingos, and Dinnes has continued to care for the animals since Jackson relocated to Bahrain.
A court hearing for the case has been set for 2 May in Santa Maria, where Jackson's child molestation trial took place last year. His lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, said he was unable to comment as he had not yet seen the complaint. Jackson, of course, has not returned to the ranch, or his animals, since his acquittal in the aforementioned trial.
Mr Dinnes' lawyer Brenton Horner said that his client "filed the lawsuit with great reluctance", and added: "He has a lot of admiration for Michael. This is just a business matter."