Rowe Blasts NY Post over Custody Report
Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe is firing back at a NY Post story claiming she's forfeited her parental rights to the deceased pop star's two kids in exchange for $4 million from the Jackson family.
In a letter to the Post Tuesday, Rowe's lawyer demanded a retraction to the story and said the report of an agreement between Rowe and the Jacksons was "unequivocally false."
The Post, citing anonymous family sources, reported earlier Tuesday that Rowe was looking for "one final payday" in exchange for not pursuing custody of Jackson's children. Rowe gave birth to the singer's two oldest - Prince Michael I, 12, and Paris Michael, 11.
Read letter from Debbie Rowe's lawyer to the NY Post
Complete coverage of Jackson's life and death
Katherine Jackson, the singer's mother, was named in Jackson's will as the beneficiary of his estate and guardian of his children. She is petitioning for formal custody rights.
Eric George, Rowe's attorney, said there has been no agreement over custody or visitation between to two camps and called the Post's contrary report a "reckless disregard of the truth."
The Post claims Rowe cashed in on not seeking custody twice before. After Paris' birth, Jackson gave Rowe an $8 million lump sum plus $900,000 annually for five years so he could raise them by himself, according to the report. The paper said Rowe resurfaced in 2001, following accusations of child molestation against the singer, and got $4 million and a $900,000 home from Jackson in return for full custody.
George said Rowe "has not accepted - and will not accept - any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael Jackson personally agreed to several years ago."
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. In a letter to the Post Tuesday, Rowe's lawyer demanded a retraction to the story and said the report of an agreement between Rowe and the Jacksons was "unequivocally false."
The Post, citing anonymous family sources, reported earlier Tuesday that Rowe was looking for "one final payday" in exchange for not pursuing custody of Jackson's children. Rowe gave birth to the singer's two oldest - Prince Michael I, 12, and Paris Michael, 11.
Read letter from Debbie Rowe's lawyer to the NY Post
Complete coverage of Jackson's life and death
Katherine Jackson, the singer's mother, was named in Jackson's will as the beneficiary of his estate and guardian of his children. She is petitioning for formal custody rights.
Eric George, Rowe's attorney, said there has been no agreement over custody or visitation between to two camps and called the Post's contrary report a "reckless disregard of the truth."
The Post claims Rowe cashed in on not seeking custody twice before. After Paris' birth, Jackson gave Rowe an $8 million lump sum plus $900,000 annually for five years so he could raise them by himself, according to the report. The paper said Rowe resurfaced in 2001, following accusations of child molestation against the singer, and got $4 million and a $900,000 home from Jackson in return for full custody.
George said Rowe "has not accepted - and will not accept - any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael Jackson personally agreed to several years ago."
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debbie is a nice person who loved micheal much i think.maybe after divorce she got moeny from Mj, but i dont think that was the deal.
she has several interview tried to protect MJ . she burst into tears when talk about how Mj was mistreated by the media.
pls ,dont believe any text media report, unless it is a video intervieuw.
media lied too much ...toooo much about MJ.
it is time to stop !
~~~~~~~~~~
I thought spousal support ended at the death of either party.
She gave birth to the two oldest children, but her DNA isn't in them.
But then again, niether is any Jackson DNA.
"we are the world"
...
by gravyboat4000 July 14, 2009 5:29 PM EDT
Which pretty much is the potential list of the possible biological parents of the kids.
It all goes to the creepy circumstances of how and why these kids were conceived in the first place.
These poor kids would be better off being placed in a good foster home than left in the hands of the sick individuals that are around them now.
no wonder michael was broke ... looks like many of his problems were created by the quest for money ... and those same problems were mitigated by his free distribution of it to whomever.