Catherine Jackson: I didn’t know about my grandkids

Catherine Jackson explained the reason for her ten-day absence to the court in papers submitted yesterday. According to Catherine, during the ten days she stayed at a hotel in Arizona, her contact with others was being prevented. She also said she had no knowledge that her grandkids had reported her missing to the police.

Catherine said that at first she was supposed to travel by road to New Mexico to attend her sons’ concert, but one day before that, a doctor came to her home and lied, claiming he had been sent by Catherine’s special doctor. The doctor told Catherine it would be better to forget the road trip and travel by plane. Catherine obeyed the doctor because she believed he had been sent by her special physician. She packed her bags, but when she got off the plane, she found herself in Tucson, Arizona, and was then taken to a hot-water hotel in Phoenix, where she was told that the doctor had prescribed rest for her.

According to Catherine’s lawyer, her children took her to the hot-water hotel because her blood pressure was high.

Catherine said that at the hotel, her iPad and phone were taken away. There was a phone in her room, but it wasn’t possible to make calls to the outside world using it. The television in her room also showed no picture.

“My phone was taken from me. One of the people with me asked if I could call others using the iPad. When I said yes, the iPad was also taken from me. There was a phone in my room, but I couldn’t dial numbers on it. The television in the room had no picture.”

Catherine said she had repeatedly requested that they repair the television in her room, but nothing came of it.

Catherine’s children had lied to her, telling her that she was not the only one without access to a phone and that other rooms had the same conditions. But in reality, all the hotel rooms had communication facilities.

After a few days, she happened to hear the television and realized that news of her being missing had spread in the media.

“One day I woke up to the sound of the television. Even though there was no picture, I heard the announcer talking about my being missing.”

She says she was unaware that Prince, Paris, Blanket, and TJ couldn’t reach her. She also didn’t know that her lawyer had come to Tucson to speak with her, but her children didn’t allow her to meet with him.

“When I was away from home, I had no doubt that if anything happened, the people around me—whom I trusted—would report back to me. I had no reason to think they might prevent me from contacting Prince, Paris, and Blanket.”

Catherine said that when she asked about the condition of Michael’s children, she was told that everything was fine. She emphasized that if she had known that Michael’s children were looking for her, she would have returned home as soon as possible.

“I could never have left my grandkids alone for such a long time without knowing about them.”

“I trusted the people who were with me in Arizona, and I thought they were being honest with me.” She did not name any specific person.

Catherine says that one night before she left the hotel, she was “allowed” to speak with her grandkids.

Many of her statements contradict the statement that was read on television one day before her return home. On that day, her children—Rebbie, Jermaine, and Janet—were present beside her, and Catherine read the statement from a piece of paper.

Following these remarks, Catherine filed a request with the court to have her guardianship rights over Michael’s children reinstated. After reviewing the case, Judge Beckloff appointed Catherine again as the permanent guardian of Prince, Paris, and Blanket, and also named TJ Jackson as the assistant guardian on a temporary basis.

Catherine wrote: “I knew that TJ would be taking care of Prince, Paris, and Blanket in my absence, but what I didn’t know was that situations could arise that would require TJ to legally take charge and act on his own. That’s why I welcome the fact that he is now serving as guardian alongside me for Prince, Paris, and Blanket, or that in my absence he acts as their sole legal guardian.”

On August 22, they will return to court so the judge can change TJ’s guardianship order from temporary to permanent.

Based on interviews the court conducted with Michael’s children, Beckloff said:

“It’s clear that the children love Mrs. Jackson very much and that she takes good care of them. They are also fond of TJ and have a very close relationship with him. In my opinion, the children are very well-raised. It’s clear that Catherine Jackson is doing her job well.”

Catherine’s lawyer, Perry Sanders, told the court: “TJ has a great deal of respect for his grandmother, and Mrs. Jackson also respects him. They work well together.”

The day before, Diana Ross—whose name was listed in Michael’s will as the second guardian of his children—had met with the kids. Diana was satisfied with the meeting and announced that she has no objection to TJ’s guardianship.

Catherine also wrote in her declaration that she, along with Prince, Paris, Blanket, and TJ, would be traveling to the city of Gary, and therefore the judge needs to cancel the order prohibiting the children from leaving California that had been issued earlier. That order was issued after efforts by several members of the Jackson family to transfer the children to Arizona, and to protect them, by the judge.

Source: eMJey.com / Chicago Tribune