Forget about the Ritchie divorce though, the exciting case in the High Court at the moment is surely the Sheikh v Jacko dispute. That case should get interested next week because Jackson will now appear in person.
As previously reported, Jacko's people had said that their client was too ill, certainly to travel to London to testify, and possibly too sick to testify at all (ie not even by video link). Laywers for Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa said they were dubious of Jackson's illness claims, while the judge hearing the case said he'd wait until the results of medical tests were available to decide whether he would insist Jacko take to the witness stand. In the end the singer's lawyer announced his client would now attend court have being given the okay by his doctors.
As previously reported, Bahrain-based Abdulla, who supported Jackson in the months after the singer's acquittal on those child abuse charges, set up a business with Jacko, which planned to release a new album and autobiography and stage a Jackson-based play. But despite lots of plans being made, and Abdulla financing Jackson's life while they were being made, the business relationship fell apart having produced nothing. Not even the promised charity single in aid of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Abdulla claims Jackson reneged on contractual obligations when he walked away from the joint venture, and that the singer is still to repay loans made to him. Jackson says no legitimate contract was ever signed, and that the payments were gifts.
As also previously reported, Jackson's people have being trying to play down the singer's business skills, in a bid to show that any chat between the plaintiff and defendant about possible joint venture companies couldn't have been binding, because Jacko wouldn't be in a position to make such commitments without business advice.
The Sheikh himself took to the witness stand yesterday. He admitted that Jackson was an "emotionally vulnerable" person, but added: "I regarded him in the same way as other businessmen. He is a person who is very switched on, a fantastic businessman and fantastic intellectual". On the money he gave Jackson, Abdulla told the court the loans "were sent to help Michael, and many times he confirmed to me he would pay me back".