Eddie Greenspan on Michael Jackson

From the Edmonton Sun:

If a jury says not guilty, that means, in law and in fact, the person found not guilty is innocent. Whether or not people have difficulty accepting this proposition, it is a central tenet in a free country...

You don't have to forget his unusual relationship with young boys, but you should remember what an acquittal means. It means that in life and in death, Jackson is an innocent man.

- Edward L. Greenspan

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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Michael Jackson's Estate

Michael Jackson's will is now posted online for all to see. Have look - the will itself is fairly standard fare, but Mr. Jackson's reference to Diana Ross as alternate guardian for his children will be at least a little tantalizing for celebrity justice junkies.

USA Today chimes today in with an analysis of the tangled web of the Jackson estate's assets and liabilities. See: Michael Jackson's Estate: The fallout will be monumental:

Even the valuation of Jackson's most valuable asset — his stake in a music catalog whose publishing rights includes Beatles songs — could be subject to protracted debate. Jackson snapped up the catalog for $47.5 million in a 1985 deal that had provided him millions in annual income, and he pocketed $95 million from selling Sony a 50% stake in 2005.

The catalog continued to bankroll a lifestyle that included maintaining the 2,700-acre Neverland Ranch, expensive art purchases and litigation, including a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement to the family of a boy who had accused him of molestation. Jackson used the catalog as collateral against assorted loans, with $300 million in debt to Barclays Bank alone.

Business Week also catalogues the challenges ahead in administration of the Jackson estate - see: Settling Michael Jackson's Estate May Be a Thriller.

On a related note, B.C. law blogger Stan Rule explores the Jackson estate, and in the process, provides a concise, comparative primer on estate planning in British Columbia. See: Michael Jackson's Estate Plan at Rule of Law.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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The World We Live In

Associated Press, on Iran, international attention spans and the real world - as revealed by the modern news cyle:

As the protests dwindle amid intensifying official pressure, the opposition may suffer from a decline in international attention. The protests and violence dominated Western news broadcasts for nearly two weeks, with the reports substantially bolstered by videos gleaned from Internet sites and by commentary from social networking sites.

Such sites were a key pipeline for the opposition amid the tight restrictions on foreign media in the country.

But along with the diminished action on the streets in Iran, other stories have arisen to siphon away attention — especially the death of pop star Michael Jackson.

Television coverage of Iran's turmoil has fallen since Jackson's death Thursday; on the Twitter micro-blogging site, Iran remained among the most discussed topics, but fell below Jackson and comments about the movie "Transformers 2.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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EMPLOYMENT LAW • CIVIL LITIGATION • WILLS AND ESTATES • FAMILY LAW & DIVORCE

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