New York 2006

Chapter 290 Battle for Legacy

Early the next morning, all major mainstream media outlets around the world were full of news about the death of Michael Jackson.

Home in Burbank, Los Angeles.

Luo Ji, Fiona and Braun watched the Fox TV station on TV, and they also became interested in it.Urgent did a more than 20-minute special report on Jackson.

The host said: "Yesterday at 21:26 Eastern Time, the UCLA Medical Center announced the death of Michael Jackson."

"Now, let's review his life."

This special report basically touches on some of the most important moments in Jackson's life.

For example, the first song "Big Boy" he released in the Jackson Brothers Band, the "Off The Wall" album after signing to Epic Records, and the album "Thriller" that made him a global hit.

Braun looked at the scene on TV and said with some regret to Luo Ji: "Now Jackson's "Thriller" has completely overshadowed your second album "18". I just watched it on the Internet. Whether it is Apple Both iTunes and Amazon put Jackson's records at the top of the list."

"Yeah." Luo Ji nodded casually.

Braun said with some sadness: "Jackson's death will definitely continue to cause a global sensation, and the next media will probably be all about him. Logic, your good situation may be interrupted. Alas, his death was really unlucky. when."

Fiona said unhappily: "How about respecting the deceased."

"My bad," Braun said quickly.

Luo Ji looked at Braun. Although he immediately admitted his mistake, there was no sincerity on his face.It seems that his agent, like most Jews, does not like this black superstar very much.

Luo Ji said nothing and turned back to watch the special report on TV.

Fox's 20-minute program came to an end very quickly. Unexpectedly, this media, which had often attacked Jackson in the past, did not mention the child molestation case at all in its report. The report was very positive.

The Fox hostess began to finish: "I believe Jackson must have gone to heaven, let us miss him."

Fiona made a gesture of vomiting: "Fox is so hypocritical. Only after Jackson died did he say good things about him."

Braun said: "The media is like this. Once a person dies, everything is over."

Fiona has a very upright temperament, and she scolded directly: "I still feel too disgusting."

Luo Ji changed a few more channels, all of which contained news of Jackson's death. The reports were all positive, and the tone was to miss him.In the past, Jackson did not have such a good reputation in the American media.

After Luo Ji read the news, he looked at the two of them with some confusion: "Why didn't the news mention how Jackson died?"

"I don't know." Fiona shook her head.

"It is estimated that the autopsy will take some time." Braun then said: "But I asked in the industry this morning. Some people said that he died due to fatigue from rehearsals and tours, some said that he breathed in, and some said that he died from a fall. There are all kinds of information, but there is no accurate news.”

"Okay." Luo Ji then said, "Jackson has passed away now, so who will take custody of his children?"

"do not know!"

"I don't know!"

Luo Ji looked at Fiona: "Please ask who is taking care of his three children now. If it's convenient, make an appointment for me to visit them."

Braun immediately said: "This is indeed a good opportunity to ride on the popularity."

Luo Ji glared at him unhappily: "If you don't know how to speak, don't speak!"

Fiona also glared at Braun, and then said to Luo Ji, "I'll go right away."

After saying that, she walked outside.Luo Ji and Braun were the only two people left in the living room.

Luo Ji looked directly at him: "I know you are thinking about my interests, and I also know that you don't like Jackson, but can you restrain yourself a little bit?"

"My fault." Braun immediately raised his hands in surrender, but he changed the topic and said: "Logic, you are also a Christian believer, but Jackson is on the other side. Don't be fooled by his popularity as a global superstar. ”

Luo Ji looked at him calmly and said, "I know, but he has passed away and everything has passed. There is no point in talking about it anymore."

"Yeah." Braun said no more.

The two fell into silence, and Luo Ji sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

To be honest, Michael Jackson's death had a big impact on him.

This was not because Luo Ji admired him. Luo Ji, who was born in 1990, had his own idol.

The reason he was shocked was because not long ago he saw Jackson alive and kicking, but he died so suddenly.

Moreover, Luo Ji and Jackson's identities are actually quite similar. They are both from ethnic minorities. Both are singers. Both are world-renowned superstars. They have also made achievements in business. This made Luo Ji feel even more deeply. The rabbit dies and the fox is sad. .

"Logic, what's wrong with you?" Braun asked.

Luo Ji broke away from his thoughts: "It's okay. I'm fine today too. You can go and rest."

"Okay." Braun nodded and left the room.

Luo Ji stood up and went for a walk on the lawn outside. Unconsciously, his thoughts drifted into the distance.

…………

Time flies, 20 days passed in the blink of an eye, and the time came to July 2009, 7.

During this period, two major events occurred.

One was the unexpected resignation of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who some say may be preparing to run for president.

Another thing is the inheritance battle that took place after Michael Jackson's death.

Jackson's net worth before his death was 2.466 million yuan, assets were 5.776 million yuan, and liabilities were 3.31 million yuan.Major assets include Neverland Ranch, investments from Logic Private Equity and his 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

This news comes from asset documents submitted to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service by John Branca, the executor of Jackson's will.

Luo Ji clearly didn't believe that Jackson only had this small amount of assets. The 50% stake in Sony/ATV owned by Jackson was worth more than $8 million.

However, these people may report to less places to avoid inheritance tax!
All in all, that's what Jackson's legacy is.He put all these assets into a family trust fund.

Jackson's "will" is written like this.

From this trust fund, his three children will receive 40% of his estate, and Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, will also receive 40% of his estate.The remaining 20% ​​was donated to charity.The child was now a minor, so custody was given to his mother, Katherine.

Jackson's ex-wife, father and other siblings were not included in the will.

The executor chosen by Jackson was not Jackson's mother, Katherine, but attorney John Branca and two others, who had administrative rights over the estate.

It is normal in the United States not to choose a family member as the executor of an estate.

Many celebrities' estate executors choose professionals to handle it, because family members are sometimes too unreliable and spend the money they get.Especially black people.

This "will" looks normal at first glance, but there is a big problem.

The will does not stipulate the annual salary of the executor at all, which means that they can give themselves a very high annual salary.

Moreover, the "will" was not proposed at all. When the children grow up and reach a certain age, they can manage the inheritance by themselves.In other words, the estate administrator will always be Jackson's appointed lawyer Blanca and two others.

Even if these three people die, the administrator of Jackson's estate will be appointed by these three people.

This was so abnormal. Luo Ji knew how much Jackson loved his children.Moreover, for a superstar with so much wealth, this will is too simple and too abnormal.

Of course, Jackson's mother is not stupid. She directly questioned the problem with this "will" in the media.

As a result, the two parties went to court directly, and the lawsuit became an uproar for a while, and everyone started to take advantage of it!Both sides disagreed in the media.

Jackson's mother, as well as some of Jackson's siblings, broke the news in the media.It is said that Jackson said in private that he suspected that Branca had teamed up with Sony to "steal" his wealth. He also said that Jackson hated Branca and McClain very much.So it is simply impossible to appoint them as executors of the estate.

Blanca, the executor of the estate, told the media that the reason why Jackson's mother fought with him for inheritance management rights was because she wanted to monopolize Jackson's wealth and then distribute the money to her other children.

In short, both sides are right, and both sides have supporters.

Luo Ji, Fiona, manager Braun and lawyer Jamie, the four of them sat on the sofa and read the special report on Jackson's estate.

Luo Ji asked: "Jamie, who do you think will win the inheritance battle?" Jamie said without hesitation: "It will obviously be Blanca and the three of them. Jackson's mother can't prove at all that the "will" is If it's a forged one, they can't come up with a new will. The United States recognizes a personal will."

Luo Ji nodded in agreement based on his limited legal knowledge.

Fiona said directly: "But Jackson's will is too simple. What if Blanca and the others embezzle Jackson's wealth?"

Jamie said: "This is very common in the United States. Under the mediation of the judge, the two parties should have a supplementary agreement that will impose some restrictions on Blanca and the others. When the children grow older, they should be able to inherit some wealth. "

Luo Ji frowned. It was not easy for the three executors of Blanca's estate to embezzle wealth. Moreover, these three elites were able to do so without anyone noticing.

For example, selling assets to interested parties at low prices and then obtaining benefits.For example, selling Jackson's personal image to make a profit for himself.

However, it would not work to hand over all the management of the estate to Jackson's mother.

Jackson did say in the media that he trusted his mother, Catherine, but Catherine was 79 years old and she had many children.

It would be normal if these children controlled Katherine just like Britney's father controlled Britney, and then embezzled the money of the Jackson children.

Family ties are already very weak in the United States, especially among black people.With so much wealth involved, anything can happen.

The drama of wealthy families competing for property is rarely seen in the United States. There have been many vicious incidents before just because of money.

At this moment, a piece of news appeared on TV, and the result was just as lawyer Jamie expected.

The hostess said: "Today, the judge officially ruled that Michael Jackson's will is valid. The management of Jackson's estate will be controlled by Blanca and the three of them. Jackson's mother has been excluded from the rank of estate administrator. Jackson's three children Permanent custody will be given to his mother, Catherine."

"However, the two parties reached a supplementary agreement regarding Jackson's will. However, the content has not been released to the public and is kept confidential."

Jamie suddenly said: "Logic, it seems that I am no longer needed in Jackson's inheritance battle."

"Uh-huh."

Jamie then said: "What are you going to do with the 2000 million that Jackson previously invested in your private equity fund?"

Luo Ji said casually, "We'll talk about it later when they come to me."

"Ok."

The two-week legal battle over Jackson's estate ended in this way, with Fiona, Jamie and Braun having a heated discussion.

Luo Ji was not in high spirits. He said goodbye to a few people and silently came to the study alone. He turned on his computer and watched a video of Jackson rehearsing for this year's concert.

In the video, after singing and dancing intensely, his forehead is covered with sweat. It seems that as he gets older, his physical strength is not as good as before.

However, he has a big smile on his face and his eyes are full of light. It seems that he is full of expectations for the concert in July.

However, fans around the world will never see him perform again.

Ding!
Luo Ji received an email on his computer. He opened it and saw that it was from Xu Youyu.

"Just now, people from the Jackson Estate Management Committee said that they want to withdraw Jackson's investment in our private equity fund. Jackson's matter is more sensitive now, should we agree?"

Luo Ji thought for a while and replied: "Ask them to provide the documents. If the documents are complete, we will agree to it. This is none of our business."

Xu Youyu replied: "Okay."

dong dong dong!There was a knock on the door.

Luo Ji said, "Come in."

Fiona said: "Jackson's mother said that the three children have become much more emotionally stable recently. You can go to Bel Air to see the children."

…………

Two hours later!
Luo Ji and Jackson's three children walked together on the lawn outside the villa. They interacted for about 10 minutes, but there were no smiles on their faces.

Paris Jackson, in particular, looked glum.Still haven't gotten over the sadness of his father's death.

Fiona came over to remind: "It's almost time."

Luo Ji nodded. There were quite a lot of people coming to visit Jackson's children today, so they still had to leave some time for others to communicate.

He looked at the children and said, "If you have any problems that cannot be solved in the future, you can come to me and I will help you."

Paris had a polite smile on his face: "Thank you, Logic."

Luo Ji said seriously: "You're welcome. When I wanted to cover Elvis Presley's songs, your father helped me. So, you can trust me!"

After listening, Paris nodded seriously to Luo Ji.

Today, Jackson's villa was full of people, including Jackson's brothers and sisters, as well as many other celebrities who came to express their condolences.

As soon as Luo Ji walked in, everyone's eyes immediately focused on him.

Jackson's sister LaToya immediately came up to her with a flattering smile on her face: "Hello, Logic."

This woman was the most beautiful woman in the Jackson family, but Luo Ji didn't like her. She even stabbed Jackson in the back during the child molestation case.

Unexpectedly, Jackson was dead, so she immediately got involved to see if she could get a piece of the pie.

Luo Ji pretended not to notice her and walked straight to Jackson's mother, Catherine, and said, "Thank you, Catherine, for inviting me over today!"

Catherine said: "Jackson also mentioned you to me before he was alive. He said you were a very outstanding young man."

"Thank you." Luo Ji then said politely: "I see that you are quite busy today, so I won't disturb you. I'll take my leave first. If you need any help, you can contact Fiona."

"Okay." After Catherine finished speaking, she pulled Luo Ji aside mysteriously and whispered, "Did Jackson invest 2000 million meters in your private equity fund before?"

"Yes." Luo Ji nodded and continued, "Today, your son's estate management committee also proposed to my private equity fund that it wants to withdraw funds."

Catherine's pupils shrank and she was a little shocked. She then said: "Logic, I hope you don't let the three estate administrators take the money out, but put it with you."

Luo Ji was a little confused: "They are the administrators of your son's estate and have the right to take it out. And you are not dealing with inheritance issues today. Have you reconciled?"

"It's just a temporary settlement."

Luo Ji said bluntly: "Why don't you want them to take it out?"

Catherine hesitated for a moment, then whispered into Luo Ji's ear: "My son was murdered. The coroner in Los Angeles has found that he was poisoned with drugs. The suspect now targeted is my son's personal doctor." . Because the matter is serious, they have not announced it to the public for the time being, and are now reviewing it."

"Yeah." Luo Ji said he was listening.

Catherine looked around and then said: "So I think these three estate administrators may be the masterminds behind the scenes, and perhaps there are others who assassinated my son for his wealth. The doctor had no motive for committing the crime."

Luo Ji opened his eyes wide, unable to believe that such a thing was happening next to him.

Catherine then said, "So, Logic, can you help us?"

It took Luo Ji a long time to digest the news. His agitated mood slowly calmed down and he regained his senses.

It was obvious that he could avoid having to wade through this muddy water.

Catherine held Luo Ji's hand. This woman in her 70s had a face full of pleading: "Logic, help us, for the sake of Jackson's three children."

Luo Ji thought of what Michael Jackson had said to him before, I am getting a little old and I always want to leave something for my children.

At that time, Jackson's eyes were full of tenderness. They were those of a father who loved his children selflessly.

Luo Ji immediately thought of his two children. After all, they couldn't escape his heart. He said, "Okay, I promise you."

"Thank you!" Jackson's mother's face was full of gratitude, and she held Luo Ji's hand and shook it.

Luo Ji continued: "But the matter still needs to be resolved. My private equity fund cannot be delayed indefinitely."

Catherine, who is in her 70s, had a determined look on her face: "Don't worry, I will start to solve it."

(End of this chapter)