Vanity Fair Not Fair To La Toya Jackson, Say Valensi Rose Attorneys

Steve F. Moeller

Michael R. Morris

Valensi Rose entertainment lawyers Michael Morris and Steve Moeller have been retained to pursue a claim against Vanity Fair magazine, and its publisher Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc., regarding certain false and libelous statements made about Valensi Rose client La Toya Jackson. The statements involve Ms. Jackson’s  supposed actions immediately following the 2009 death of her brother Michael Jackson.

The statements appear in an article in the November issue of Vanity Fair entitled “Estate of Siege”, which generally deals with certain disputes involving Michael Jackson’s family and the executors of his Estate.

The firm’s lawyers have made a formal demand for retraction of the statements, since the magazine article includes a description of certain purported actions by members of the Jackson family which are untrue, and unsupported by any reliable sources or witnesses. As of the present date, it has not been determined whether a lawsuit will be filed against the magazine. 

Both Michael Morris and Steve Moeller have been extensively involved in representing recording artists, writers, producers, and other talent for more than 20 years. Steve Moeller is an experienced entertainment litigator who has represented numerous clients in lawsuits involving copyright infringement, trademarks, libel, and many other media related disputes.

Contact: Stephen F. Moeller

Contact: Michael R Morris

PRESS RELEASE: Gary Torrell Wins La Toya Jackson Royalty Dispute

Valensi Rose, PLC partner Gary F. Torrell prevailed on behalf of his client La Toya Jackson by successfully opposing a trustee's motion to obtain additional royalties due to the internationally renowned entertainer.

Mr. Torrell said, "This was a very challenging case, to convince a judge in New York that Ms. Jackson's creditors should not obtain additional royalties, even though they had not received any payment. Luckily, the judge agreed with my arguments and issued a well-reasoned opinion in favor of our valued client."

A written trust agreement allowed the trustee to collect Ms. Jackson's royalties for a specified time period, pay the priority claims of the trustee and his lawyers, and then distribute the balance to certain creditors. Because the priority claims exceeded $780,000, they were expected to consume nearly all of the royalties collected during the term of the creditor trust. As a result, the trustee filed a motion seeking to extend the term for an additional five years and thereby obtain additional royalties for the benefit of creditors.

On August 5, 2010, the Honorable James M. Peck issued a published opinion denying the motion. The court agreed with Mr. Torrell's argument that it would be unfair and inequitable to Ms. Jackson to grant the motion, despite no distributions to creditors, because Ms. Jackson had honored the trust agreement and was not responsible for the trustee's high fees, which had consumed the allocated royalties.

The judge also interpreted the trust agreement to not permit an extension of the term to allow creditors to obtain additional royalties otherwise due to Ms. Jackson.

Contact Gary Torrell...