Jackson Sues

Michael Jackson filed a lawsuit yesterday against Marcel Avram, a concert promoter.

Jackson and his company, MJ Company, sued Avram and his company for breach of contract. The suit also seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent Avram from proceeding with arbitration.

In November 2002 Jackson testified in a $21M lawsuit, brought against him by Avram. Avram accused Jackson of backing out of two concerts on New Year's Eve 1999.

In March 2003 a Santa Barbara County jury ruled that Jackson must pay Avram $5.3M.

Jackson and Avram seemingly reached a settlement agreement in 2003, that resolved existing and future claims related to the concerts. Any disputes regarding the settlement were to be resolved in Superior Court, as a part of the settlement agreement.

However, Avram has reportedly moved for arbitration scheduled for October 24.

Given Jackson's reportedly perilous financial condition, this is one that he cannot afford to lose.