After an emergency court hearing in Los Angeles, Katherine Jackson was removed as legal guardian of Michael Jackson’s three children and temporary custody was granted to Trent Jackson, Tito’s 34-year-old son.
The children—Paris, Prince and Blanket—reportedly are fine with the arrangement. The $86,000 monthly allowance for Katherine to raise the kids, as stipulated in Michael’s will, will now go to Trent, also known as T.J.
“The kids love T.J. and trust him. This is good news,” said a source that E! News described as “extremely close” to the family. “It is not about taking [guardianship] away from Katherine. They are trying to protect the kids from the other family…T.J. didn’t step in to remove her. He stepped in because she is not there. He is extremely tight for his grandmother.”
This latest twist in the Jackson family saga makes the entire case even sadder—and makes the various family members look like greedy mercenaries out for money, with no concern for the well-being of the kids.
Music legend Diana Ross has even been notified of the proceedings, since Michael stipulated in his will that Diana should be the guardian of the children if his mother Katherine couldn’t do it. If Ross wants custody of the kids, she could become involved in this increasingly ugly drama. According to E! News, Debbie Rowe, biological mother to Paris and Prince, also was notified of the change in guardianship.
From afar, it appears as if Michael’s siblings moved Katherine to Arizona so that they could try to take custody of the children—and they didn’t let the children talk to their grandmother for more than a week. While they were trying to remove the kids, the siblings were also trying to claim that Michael’s will was a fraud. Randy Jackson said that Michael was in New York with him on the day that he was supposedly in L.A. having his will notarized.
“We feel that there is criminal misconduct on their part and that our brother, Michael, was not what they said he was when the day that the will was signed and in fact he did not sign that will,” Randy said. “What it proves that the will is fake and he cannot be in two places at one time.”
Katherine’s attorney, Perry Saunders, said that he adamantly opposes Katherine being permanently removed as guardian. “When she gets back [home to L.A.],” Saunders said, he will file papers to get her reinstated.
Sources say Katherine called her grandchildren around 3 a.m. yesterday morning, sounding “very sedated” and “said she wanted to come home [to L.A.] three times.”
But adding an element of spy espionage, T.J.’s lawyer told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff that his client believed Katherine might have been talking in some kind of code because others were listening.
T.J. plans to file papers to be named permanent guardian of the three kids. As temporary guardian, T.J. must give consent for anyone at the house to be hired or fired. Per today’s order of Judge Beckloff, the children cannot be removed from California.
According to another source, Janet Jackson was by her mother’s side and kept her apprised of all the family turmoil and that Katherine was “devastated by the judge’s ruling.”
“The idea that Katherine is sedated and being held prisoner by her own children is preposterous,” the source said. “She will fight for the truth to be heard.”
Judge Berkloff said T.J.’s temporary guardianship is “not a power move” and the court is “not saying Katherine has done anything wrong.”
Meanwhile T.J.’s fathe, Tito, said he was no longer interested in fighting the will with his siblings and said he would have his signature removed from the complaint.
And of course this installment in the craziness wouldn’t be complete without a tweet from Paris: “Everyones taking control of me, it seems that the worlds got a role for me .. im so confused will u show to me you’ll be there for me” she tweeted on Wednesday.
