New Troubles For Jackson?
Jury selection is slated to continue Monday in Michael Jackson's molestation trial.
And "Celebrity Justice" says Jackson's custody battle with ex-wife Debbie Rowe could spill over into the molestation trial, with potentially serious implications for Jackson's defense.
The show's executive producer, Harvey Levin, tells The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen that "Celebrity Justice" has obtained revealing court documents from the custody case.
Prosecutors have subpoenaed Rowe as a possible witness in the molestation case, and Levin reports that, based on what's in the documents, her testimony could be quite damaging.
"Celebrity Justice" says Jackson is fighting to keep a series of "explosive" documents secret. The show also reports that a confidentiality agreement Jackson wants kept under wraps "could be damaging to the superstar."
Levin says the program has "obtained court documents that claim the confidentiality agreement prohibits Rowe from talking publicly about a variety of things, including Jackson's purported drug use and sexual behavior."
"This (custody battle) is really a dog fight," Levin told Chen. "(Rowe) gave up these children, or at least she thought she did, and said, 'Look, they're your kids. I want to visit them occasionally.' And this got ugly.
"Debbie Rowe last October was cut off. She was getting yearly stipends. Jackson wouldn't give her stipends anymore and said she broke the confidentiality agreement. At that point, she refiled for custody of these kids, and the judge said she could do that because the custody proceedings where she terminated her rights were flawed.
"So Debbie Rowe is going full-board to get these kids, and she may have a case. She's saying, 'Look, I didn't know about a second allegation (of sex abuse). I didn't know Jackson was saying he would share his bed with kids.' And this is being taken seriously now, and Debbie Rowe has a lot of information."
Levin says the confidentiality agreement "is really important. (It's) 18 pages long and, among other things, it says Debbie Rowe cannot talk about the sexual habits or the drug use of Michael Jackson. Those are key phrases.
"And Debbie Rowe has, you know, done some interviews. Jackson thinks she's violated (the agreement), and she says she hasn't.
"Debbie Rowe, we know, knows a lot about Michael Jackson's prescription drugs. Before she was his wife, she was his nurse, because she worked for a doctor who prescribed drugs for Jackson, and she knows an awful lot. And prosecutors want her on the stand, and it really could have an impact on the case."
Levin says Rowe's confidentiality agreement wouldn't apply if she's called to the stand in the molestation trial: "She could be compelled (to testify). It's one thing to say you can't volunteer it to an entertainment show, but she can be compelled to talk about it and she has been subpoenaed."
Asked by Chen if the confidentiality agreement could make it look as if Jackson is trying to hide something, Levin observed, "They are fighting desperately, desperately, to keep this secret. ...I think it's going to look really bad for Michael Jackson. Really bad."