Foundation may sue Catherine Jackson’s business partner Howard Mann

The federal judge handling the Michael Jackson Foundation’s lawsuit against Howard Mann, Catherine’s business partner, has ruled that the foundation can file a lawsuit against Howard Mann. The judge also rejected Howard Mann’s request to have the case dismissed. The lawsuit was filed against Howard Mann late last year. Mann runs MichaelJacksonSecretVault.com and the foundation accuses this website of fraud. The website sells Michael Jackson items without the foundation’s permission. Following the bankruptcy of Michael’s parents, part of their assets that had been stored in a warehouse was put up for sale in 2001, and Michael sued the buyer in court in 2004. After the 2005 court case ended and he was acquitted of his charges, he left the United States and did not pursue his lawsuit against the buyer of the Jackson family’s household assets. The judge in that case then ruled that because Michael failed to appear in court, he would not be able to sue the buyer. After Michael’s death in 2009, Howard Mann bought these assets from their previous owner and started his business under the assumption that no one had the right to sue—he even made Michael’s mother a partner in it. But the current judge believes the case is still actionable, and thus the Michael Jackson Foundation can bring Howard Mann to court. Source: eMJey.com / hollywoodreporter.com