Former Jackson Employee Claims Culkin was Molested

Defense lawyers have continued their attack against the prosecution’s parade of former Neverland employees. Phillip LeMarque testified Friday that he once witnessed the singer with his hand inside actor Macaulay Culkin's shorts. He never reported the incident because “nobody would have ever believed this," and even continued working for Jackson for several months afterwards. LeMarque and his wife were both employed by Jackson for 10 months during 1991. He claimed he was delivering an order of french fries to Neverland’s games arcade when he saw Jackson holding Culkin up to a game console with one hand around his waist and the other inside his shorts. "I was shocked. I almost dropped the french fries," said LeMarque. He told the jury that he immediately turned away and then returned, making a loud entrance. As with other former Neverland employees, LeMarque’s credibility has come under heavy fire from lead defense attorney Thomas Mesereau. Under cross-examination LeMarque admitted telling a tabloid intermediary he wanted $500,000 for his story. Mesereau asked him whether the tabloid intermediary told him the payout would be higher if he claimed Jackson’s hand was inside Culkin’s shorts. "That's what he said," confirmed LeMarque. He said that he eventually turned the offer down when he realized the intermediary “was so sleazy,” saying “it was against our principles.” This comment drew laughs from the press in the courtroom, as LeMarque had established a hardcore pornography website in 1997 called “Virtual Sin.” Jurists, however, were not aware of this as Judge Rodney Melville had determined this was not relevant to the trial. The site has since been closed. Mesereau further questioned LeMarque on why the details of the alleged abuse only appeared in an addendum to his handwritten deposition. "Why did you want an addendum to what you had already written and signed?" questioned Mesereau. "You did it because you wanted to sell a story," suggested Mesereau after the witness claimed he could not remember. "Absolutely false," LeMarque sneered. The “Home Alone” star has repeatedly denied any inappropriate behavior from Jackson. A spokesperson for Culkin said he has no plans to testify. Prosecutors have frequently elicited testimony about the actor. A former maid to Jackson, Adrian McManus, testified this week that she saw Jackson kiss Culkin while touching him inappropriately. She also came under attack from Mesereau who pointed out that she had also sought money from tabloid reporters. She admitted that she and other employees has used a “media broker” to sell stories based on their inside knowledge of Jackson’s sex life with ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley. "You were quoted in a Star story with the headline, `Kinky secrets of Michael and Lisa Marie's bedroom,'" Mesereau said. "I didn't say that," McManus testified, adding, "A lot of times with those tabloids they say other stuff." She acknowledged that she did not in fact know any sex secrets about the couple. McManus told how she had filed a wrongful dismissal suit against the singer, along with other Neverland employees. They lost their case and were ordered to pay him $1.4 million. Source: AP/CNN/MJJForum/eMJey