Michael Jackson's 2002 Will: Is It Valid?



As the past two weeks' have unfolded, it is my personal opinion that the contention in the Jackson family is based on the validity of Michael Jackson's 2002 will.  Because the Michael Jackson fan base is so dedicated to the truth with regard to Michael himself as well as his beneficiaries, most would like to view both sides of the coin before determining whether the will is valid or not.  If you would like to read a copy of the will, click here.  If you would like to read my 2010 blog with a timeline of events in court, including documents, click here. 

For those questioning the will, their primary concerns are:

 QUESTION: How can the Will be valid if the signature says Los Angeles, but Michael was in New York City on the day the Will was signed?

  ANSWER:  Generally, if a Will is signed in another state than the one in which he/she is living, the Will is valid under the laws of the state in which it was signed.  In this case, it means as long as Michael's Will was signed under the laws of the state of New York as the Jackson's claim, then it is valid.

 QUESTION: So, if it was signed it NYC as the Jackson's claim, then what are the New York State law requirements for a valid Will?

ANSWER:  The laws regarding Will validity in the state of New York City are as follows:

1.  The testator (person making the Will) must be over the age of 18. 

2.  The Will must be in writing.  This does not mean literal handwritten Wills.  It means that the Will cannot be verbal.  For reference, handwritten Wills are labeled holographic.

3.  The Will must be signed at the end by the testator (Michael Jackson).

4.  The Will must be signed by at least two witnesses. 

As you can see from the copy of the Will, Michael was over 18, the Will is in writing, the Will is signed by Michael, and the Will was signed by THREE witnesses. Even if the argument that the Jackson's claim, Michael was in NYC on the day the Will was signed, the Will meets all of New York state Will validity laws.  Therefore, this argument is invalid. 

In addition, Joe Jackson has already contested the Estate executors, and lost, TWICE.  Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who oversees the court proceedings for the Michael Jackson Estate found that Joe Jackson had no standing to challenge who would be the executors of the Estate, because he was not named as a beneficiary.  "If someone who got nothing under the will could challenge the appointment then that would allow anyone with an opinion and enough money to hire a lawyer the ability to tie up the probate."  The 2nd District Court of Appeals upheld Beckloff's decision in November, 2010. 
The quote above regarding a person getting nothing under the Will is quite interesting, isn't it? 

Randy Jackson: One Side of the Coin

I thought it was important that a timeline of Randy Jackson was brought up and discussed. The information on this particular blog merely questions the actions of Randy. We of course, all know that Randy joined the Jackson brothers when Jermaine left the group. We will begin in 1980, when Randy Jackson was involved in a car accident. Although the cover of Jet above states that Randy Jackson walks again, the two reports I read state that Jackson broke his ankle and that he had to be freed from the car with the jaws of life. Here are the two links: http://tinyurl.com/2f33b5r and: http://tinyurl.com/23g4knu

I did find an excerpt of Randy's interview with Jet, that stated that because his leg had been crushed so badly in the car accident, doctors said that the leg most likely would have to be amputated. After three surgeries though, Randy recovered and was well enough to tour with his brothers. Link: http://tinyurl.com/2644yxh

The rumor around the internet was that Randy had metal plates put in his head and that he was really never the same, but I could not find an article to attest to that.

Randy was arrested in 1988 for driving without a license and a warrant for a failure to appear on a minor traffic offense. Jackson posted $262 and was released. http://tinyurl.com/2elxzsf

After the Jacksons went their own ways, Randy formed the band Randy and the Gypsys. They put out an album in 1989, and above is the cover. Here is a link to an interview that a L.A. Time reporter did with Randy right after the album was released. The reporter stated that Randy had mostly one word answers to his questions and that Randy felt that his leg injury still hampered him at that time. Link: http://tinyurl.com/2eybbqy

In 1991, Randy was arrested for a misdemeanor battery charge with Eliza Jackson, his wife. Eliza alleged that Randy had hit both her and her daughter, Steveanna. Randy pled guilty to one count of battery, was placed on two years' probation and ordered to attend domestic violence classes, however Randy did not comply with the d.v. class requirement. Eliza called the police again, because she said the violence had not stopped and Randy was arrested again. Link: http://tinyurl.com/24kt5lh

This time, Randy was ordered to Pine Grove Hospital to take his domestic violence classes. http://tinyurl.com/29kzjwu
Pine Grove Hospital is a psychiatric facility.


In 1996, Randy Jackson filed for bankruptcy. However, he pled guilty to bankruptcy fraud in 2001 because he failed to report a 1995 Chevrolet Suburban that he owned. He was fined $21,100. Link: http://tinyurl.com/24ft4cx (Scroll down to see article)

In 1997, Randy was named to the Board of Directors of Modern Records. Randy bought out the majority share of stock from Paul Fishkin. http://tinyurl.com/2926852 There are reports that Modern Records, under Randy Jackson, leaked information that stated that the Jacksons would sign with the label, but were vague regarding Michael's signature. Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito were hired as consultants in 1998. http://tinyurl.com/28mjf3t By 1999, Randy was in trouble again with bankruptcy court. "According to reports, Jackson failed to turn in nearly 12 million shares of Modern Record, Inc., a company he runs with members of the Jackson family." http://tinyurl.com/2ao7jdn
By the year 2000, Modern Records sued Randy for mismanagement of funds. Modern alleged Randy "failed to pay quarterly employee withholding taxes and health insurance premiums. The suit also alleges that Randy misspent promotions money - most notably on apartments for him and a girlfriend, and to pay off the charges the couple ran up on their credit cards. And the suit says, he failed to disclose that he previously filed for bankruptcy." The new Board of Directors ousted Randy, but it took a lawsuit for Randy to finally recognize that his stint at Modern Records was over. http://tinyurl.com/27kcqfg

In 2001, both Randy and Jermaine were quoted as saying that they would not participate in the 30th Anniversary Special at Madison Square Gardens. They cited the reasons were that there was no charity marked for some of the proceeds, despite the fact that the tickets were going for as high as $5000. They also felt that the payment of $1200 for each of the performers, including Jermaine and Randy, was too low. http://tinyurl.com/29qb5qj (We now know, of course, that both brothers participated in the MSG performance. There is also an interesting skirmish that occurs between Randy and Michael during the ABC song of the 30th anniversary. Check it out on youtube.
By 2004, Randy was helping to manage Michael's finances. Michael was in the horrific position of defending himself against false child molestation charges and needed someone to trust implicity while he was busy in court.

Feb. 2004 ~ Al Malnik and Charles Koppelman back a $70 million loan payment that is due to Bank of America. This puts MJ at ease until December of 2005. Prior to that, Randy announced to both Malnik and Koppelman that he had found an investment group that would back the entire amount of $270 million to Bank of America. However, at the last minute, Randy announced that the deal had fallen through. Michael was smart enough to go with Malnik and Koppelman or he may have defaulted on his Bank of America loan. http://tinyurl.com/lfd7gu

August 2004 ~ Randy, who has taken over the daily operations for Michael, stops the payments to people who have contracts with Michael. Randy stops the payments to both Dieter Wiesner and Mark Schaffel. (Hey I could care less whether Wiesner or Schaffel were paid, but the point is, that Michael had contracts with them to pay, and when Randy stopped the payments, Michael was forced into yet, more lawsuits which cost more money.) Schaffel sued Michael for $4 million later that year. http://tinyurl.com/yd2mntv


March 2005 ~ Michael's Neverland operating accounts have run dry. The funds are mysteriously missing. Michael's accountant calls Joe to report this. Rumors fly that since Randy has taken over operations, he has bought himself a penthouse in Miami and has had one of Michael's Bentley's removed from Neverland and placed in the Miami penthouse. Rumors also fly that Michael is furious over the missing money and that Randy is making deals behind Michael's back.


April 2005 ~ Michael has fired Randy and things are very tense between them. Michael also finds out that there are missing funds with regard to the Neverland payroll. A storage unit had not been paid. Michael fixes his finances at the last minute, but he is furious with Randy.


May 2005 ~ The site http://www.mjjsource.com/, a site that Randy and his "team" (including girlfriend Taunya Zilkie) set up and charged a $50 fee per member, disappears for 12 days. Wonder how many people joined that site only to lose their money? And, the key question is, where did that money go? The site returns, but fans are suspicious.


June 2005 ~ Judge Melville gives a gag order to the court. Tom Messereau issues one statement which is supposed to be a blanket statement representative of Michael Jackson. Messereau states that noone but the Mezz is authorized to make any statement regarding Michael Jackson. However, Randy, on http://www.mjjsource.com/, makes a misleading statement causing confusion for fans and grief for Messereau. This is five days before Michael is to be acquitted of all charges.

Roger Friedman writes, "You see, we are playing Neverland: The Board Game. This is a game where grown people continue to jockey for position, even though at any moment the whole enterprise could be exploded by a guilty verdict.

It's a game in which a scheming younger brother plays a bad game of chess, trying to manipulate the pieces while his older brother, the family cash cow, remains in isolation and pain as his future is debated by 12 strangers."

Lastly, when Michael died at 100 North Carolwood Drive, there were many reports that Randy was there on 6/24 and 6/25. There were reports that Randy was standing in the driveway waiting for the ambulance to come. There were reports that Randy was actually with Michael when he collapsed. Those stories have now disappeared from the internet. Here is one of the articles I could find, this one states that Randy was in the ambulance with Michael: http://tinyurl.com/nata2s.
This one states that Randy told Brian Oxman Michael collapsed in his home: http://tinyurl.com/2awvvcc
Yes, we can attribute this to tabloid journalism or the frenzy that occurred after Michael Jackson's death.

Someone once said that the greatest predictor of future behavior is how someone has behaved in the past. I have to wonder if Randy Jackson actually did have Michael's best interests at heart. Judging on his past behavior, I would think others would be wondering the same thing.