A clash between the Michael Jackson Foundation and his mother

In a letter that could serve as the prelude to a legal lawsuit, the foundation has asked Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, to cut ties with her business partner, Howard Mann. They have also warned Mann to stop using Michael’s name to promote the unveiling ceremony of the music-box collection discovered from the Jacksons—otherwise the foundation will take action in another way. Katherine herself will also be present at this ceremony tonight in Beverly Hills. The letter is important because it’s the first time the foundation’s top three figures—John Branca, John McClain, and Howard Weitzman—have taken joint action against someone connected to Katherine Jackson. Howard Mann bought a storage unit containing the Jackson family’s items after Joe Jackson stopped paying for its upkeep. Mann says he discovered 273 master tracks from Michael and his brothers’ group. Last month, he mistakenly released an old song on his joint website with Katherine, presenting it as an unreleased Michael track, and said the song was offered by Mrs. Jackson. Mann later admitted that this claim was false. Weitzman, the foundation’s lawyer, had previously said that Howard Mann is using his relationship with Mrs. Jackson to violate the copyright rules for Michael Jackson’s songs, and that this is to the detriment of Michael’s three children. The foundation threatened that if this continues, it will take legal action against Mann. Source: eMJey / TMZ