Jackson's Ex-Wife

CBS News Correspondent Michael Jackson's ex-wife Deborah Rowe is pursuing her bid to regain custody of the couples' two children. , according to court documents.

Jackson attorney Thomas Hall said in the Superior Court filing Wednesday that he is preparing an appeal of a recent decision by a retired judge regarding the matter. Hall plans to file documents from the case and asks that they be sealed because they contain information about Jackson's assets and liabilities.

The lawyer says that while the issue is separate from Jackson's criminal case in Santa Barbara County, that matter has "exponentially increased the press attention on the parties and their lives."

Rowe's attorney Iris Finsilver, who participated by speakerphone in a hearing Wednesday, opposed the request.

"Her motives must be that she wants those children back and away from Michael Jackson because she's concerned about the damage that might come to them as a result of these criminal charges," CBS News Legal Analyst Trent Copeland said.

Judge Robert Schnider continued the case until Feb. 2.

Rowe and Jackson were married in 1996 in Sydney, Australia, after they announced that Rowe, who worked as a nurse for Jackson's plastic surgeon, was carrying the pop star's child.

The marriage ended in 1999 after Rowe filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their two children, Paris, who is 5 or 6, and Prince Michael, who is 8, reportedly live with Jackson.

Rowe gave up all parental rights in 2001.

CBS News Correspondent Vince Gonzales reports court papers reveal that part of Rowe's reason for giving up the children was "the difficulty of life lived in a fishbowl of public attention."

Rowe applied for custody of the children two years later, after which both sides agreed to have retired Superior Court Judge Stephen Lachs preside over the case.

Lachs denied custody but also voided the order terminating Rowe's parental rights. Rowe then filed applications, including one seeking "settlement" terms with Jackson. All were all denied by Lachs, according to court documents.