Proceedings in the Jackson/Schaffel case have begun, and Michael Jackson, appearing in a videotaped testimony, has said that he believed he had paid Schaffel what he owed him. As previously reported, Schaffel, Jackson's former business associate, is suing the pop star for $3.8million, claiming, amongst other things, that he was never paid for work on a charity single which was never released, as well as two TV documentaries designed to portray the singer in a better light, made in the wake of that dope Martin Bashir's hatchet piece 'Living With Michael Jackson'. Jackson, is of course, countersuing.
The video shown at the California courthouse this week showed Jackson saying: "I'm sure he got money," and when asked how he could be sure of this, said: "because he always seemed to be happy." Schaffel's lawyer, Howard King responded "Money doesn't buy happiness", adding that Jackson frequently claimed that he could not remember details of his own finances and that he plans to call a number of Jackson's other former associates to testify to his financial incompetence. Which seems almost unnecessary
Previously, King had defended his client against accusations from the Jackson camp that the pop singer had cut ties with him after finding out that Schaffel had no record industry expertise and was a producer of gay pornography, explaining that the video-producer's career included "legal adult entertainment... In 2000 he was done with that and he began to work with Mr. Jackson."
Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Mundell, says Schaffel owed his client hundreds of thousands of dollars, and transfers of money, made apparently to Jackson by Schaffel, were actually made by other people; and that Schaffel has no record or receipts of the transactions, despite his alleged usually meticulous record keeping. Mundell says: "The evidence will show Mr Schaffel should have left well enough alone. He could have gotten away with a chunk of money from Michael Jackson... but he sued for several million dollars."