Session Fifty - Statements by Mark Geragos, Michael Jackson’s former attorney

Mark Geragos, Michael Jackson’s former attorney, appeared in court today to testify.

In 2003, after the television broadcast of the documentary “Living with Michael Jackson,” he took over Michael’s representation. At that time, Geragos was also involved in another case, and Michael—according to his own account—needed a lawyer who would not have another case on his agenda besides his. Therefore, after one year, Geragos left Michael’s team and was replaced by Thomas Mesero.

Today, Geragos defended his former client from the witness stand and said that Michael was innocent.

He said that Michael had assured him that he had not committed any improper act against his young complainant.

Geragos stated in court:

“What he kept saying was that he hadn’t done anything, and nothing improper or sexual had happened.”

Geragos spoke about his first meeting with Michael:

“There I saw a dignified, well-mannered man who had pure, innocent love for children. I didn’t see anyone commit a crime or something nasty. I saw someone who was a good target for other people’s attacks.”

Geragos added that he had developed a bad impression of the current complainant’s family.

He continued that based on his own investigation into the complainant’s family, he considered them a threat to Michael and concluded that Michael should cut off his relationship with that family.

He said that he investigated this family both personally and through his special investigator, Bradley Miller, and the issues he discovered about their private life deeply upset him.

“Michael shouldn’t have had any contact with them. It was a disaster in the making.”

Geragos said that he had asked Konitzer, one of Michael’s employees, to end their relationship with the complainant’s family.

Geragos said that he had asked his investigator to provide him with a complete report on the complainant’s family’s performance and even their meetings with other people. He also said that he had been told to prepare a recorded statement from the complainant’s family, because changing such evidence is difficult.

He said that when he learned that the complainant’s mother had asked her son to call Michael “Dad” during an interview in February 2003, his concern had increased.

Geragos added that Michael was also not pleased with this.

Mark Geragos admitted that the purpose of his investigation into this family had been to find out whether they had a history of court complaints or not. He continued that after learning about their lawsuit against J.C. Penney, he had been upset. The family had withdrawn their complaint in exchange for receiving $150,000.

Geragos added that he had warned Michael that his 13-year-old young friend would bring up fabricated sexual abuse allegations in order to obtain money.

When Thomas Mesero asked him whether he had been involved in the alleged conspiracy against the complainant’s family and their imprisonment in Norlend, Geragos answered:

“Of course not. I was trying to prevent a crime against my client. I thought they intended to extort him.”

Geragos stated that Michael had told him that sometimes he slept in his bed with the children, but he considered it completely innocent and pure.

Prosecutor Ron Zonen asked Geragos about this:

“So you didn’t tell Michael that sleeping with boys is not right?”

Geragos replied:

“What do you mean by sleeping with boys—doing a sexual act?”

Near the end of today’s session, the prosecutor and the defense attorney discussed summoning another of Michael’s employees in Norlend.

This employee, named Angel Vivanco, said that once the complainant’s sister had told him that “the mother and her mother’s boyfriend (who later married her) have a big plan for Michael in their minds.”

According to Vivanco, the complainant’s sister referred to her mother as a “psychotic mother” and said that “her brain doesn’t work properly.”

Vivanco also admitted that he had had a sexual relationship with the complainant’s sister, who at the time was 16 years old and living in Norlend.

Source: FOX News / Santa Maria Times / National News / AP /