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Psychologist testifies of link to lawyer in '93 case
Witness: Civil attorney who sued Jackson years ago weighed filing suit over current allegations
By DAWN HOBBS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A clinical psychologist told jurors on Wednesday that a well-known civil attorney who had sued Michael Jackson over child molestation allegations in 1993 has considered filing suit against him again on behalf of the accuser in the current case.
Stan Katz, the psychologist, testified that Larry Feldman referred the boy to him for an interview in June 2003. After Mr. Katz interviewed the boy's mother, the boy and his siblings, the psychologist reported to Los Angeles officials on June 12, 2003, that Mr. Jackson had allegedly molested the boy four months earlier at Neverland Valley Ranch.
On cross-examination, lead defense lawyer Thomas Mesereau asked whether the psychologist remembered his conversation with a Santa Barbara County sheriff's detective the day after the report was made.
"It was your belief when you talked to him that Mr. Feldman was filing a lawsuit against Mr. Jackson, right?" Mr. Mesereau asked.
"It was my belief that he was thinking about filing a lawsuit," Mr. Katz responded.
Fans and protesters gather Wednesday outside the Santa Maria courthouse where Michael Jackson is being tried on child molestation charges.
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The admission bolstered the defense position that the boy and his family are after Mr. Jackson's money. Mr. Jackson's lawyers have maintained that the allegations of sexual molestation surfaced only after the boy's mother's failed to get a payoff from the entertainer.
Prosecutors have insisted since Mr. Jackson's arrest in November 2003 that the family in this case is not after money.
Mr. Katz was the prosecution's 39th witness since testimony began five weeks ago.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen questioned Mr. Katz for about eight minutes, establishing that the psychologist had interviewed the family and then reported suspected child molestation to authorities.
Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville ruled this week that the prosecution could bring in testimony concerning Mr. Jackson's relationships with five other boys, ages 10 to 13, from more than a decade ago.
However, the boy at the center of the 1993 child molestation has declined to testify. That case fell apart when his family accepted a $20 million settlement from the entertainer in Mr. Feldman's civil suit. The boy then declined to cooperate with authorities in the criminal case.
However, that boy's mother plans to testify at this trial. A former Neverland maid and her son who alleged Mr. Jackson inappropriately touched him on three occasions are also expected to take the stand. But three other boys, now in their early 20s, have indicated they'll cooperate with defense lawyers when they make their case.
On Thursday, jurors learned that Mr. Katz was also involved in the 1993 civil suit with Mr. Feldman. Mr. Katz said he reviewed tapes of an interview between the 1993 accuser and a doctor and reported back to Mr. Feldman.
William Dickerman, a lawyer who said he referred the accuser's family to Mr. Feldman because he knew about his success with the 1993 civil case, took the stand next.
Mr. Dickerman testified that he has an agreement with Mr. Feldman to share fees if the family filed a successful civil lawsuit against Mr. Jackson in this case.
Prosecutors allege Mr. Jackson and his associates held the family captive until they agreed to participate in a video to rebut the British documentary in which Mr. Jackson is seen holding hands with the boy, stating that he shares his bed with children.
A group of musicians who said they had traveled from Iowa attempt to play as the singer's motorcade prepares to leave for the day.
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Jamie Masada, who owns the Laugh Factory comedy club and who organized fundraisers for the boy when he was ill with cancer, testified Tuesday that the mother called him from Neverland claiming she was being held against her will. Mr. Masada admitted he did not call police. Instead he took the boy's mother to see Mr. Dickerman.
The mother, her children and Mr. Masada met four times with Mr. Dickerman -- either at the attorney's office or at the comedy club -- during a period when the family said they were being held hostage at Mr. Jackson's ranch.
The mother retained Mr. Dickerman as her lawyer on March 24, 2003. He testified the mother told him that Mr. Jackson and his associates had taken some of the family's property and refused to return it. Two days later, Mr. Dickerman sent the first in a series of letters to Mr. Jackson's former lawyer, Mark Geragos, telling him he wanted the harassment of the family to stop and their belongings returned.
Mr. Mesereau reviewed each letter with Mr. Dickerman and asked if there was any mention of child molestation, alcohol, false imprisonment or extortion.
Mr. Dickerman answered "No" each time, explaining his job was to get the property back.
Two days after he was retained, Mr. Dickerman began sending letters to television companies involved in the production of the British documentary or airing it in the U.S., demanding that they not show it unless they had obtained consent from the family.
When Mr. Mesereau asked whether these letters were to lay the groundwork for royalty negotiations, Mr. Dickerman insisted it was to "stop the exploitation of the family."
The court is not in session today because of the César Chávez holiday. Mr. Feldman is expected to testify on Friday.
Mr. Sneddon announced at the end of Wednesday's session that he intended to call witnesses from the 1993 case beginning on Monday.
Dawn Hobbs is also a news analyst NBC and MSNBC. You may e-mail her at dhobbs@newspress.com.
CASE FILE
IN COURT: Psychologist Stan Katz testified that children older than 5 rarely fabricate claims of molestation and "it would be extremely rare for a child of 12 or 13 to make a false allegation." Mr. Katz was the first person to report to authorities the allegation that Jackson molested a 13-year-old boy. However, he gave virtually no testimony about the boy's claims. Mr. Katz said he interviewed the accuser, his brother and sister after they went to civil attorney Larry Feldman, who handled another claim against the pop star in the early 1990s.
WHAT'S NEXT: Testimony Friday from a sheriff's investigator about the search of Mr. Jackson's home.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The initial flinging of mashed potatoes was not playful. Throwing mashed potatoes at a sleeping man?" -- Flight attendant Cynthia Bell, describing a food fight she said broke out on a flight when Mr. Jackson's accuser threw potatoes at a napping passenger.
-- ASSOCIATED PRESS
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