Michael Jackson’s Estate Sues ABC & Disney Over Documentary

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson’s Estate Sues ABC & Disney

Michael Jackson still can’t seem to rest in peace. After the airing of ABC News’ documentary special The Last Days of Michael Jackson last Friday, Jackson’s estate has decided to move forward in suing the network giant. The estate filed court documents Wednesday in Los Angeles against the network and parent company, Disney.

The estate is alleging the documentary contains over 30 violations, and letters were sent to Disney’s attorneys before program even aired. Those letters went unanswered. The court docs state, the documentary illegally used notable excerpts from songs and music video such as, “Thriller,” “Black or White,” “Billie Jean,” and “Bad.”

The estate also expressed the documentary used clips from a different documentary and feature film, which originally belonged to the estate. ABC representatives have responded and defended they did not violate the estate’s rights, and the documentary was a news show.

The lawsuit outlines the estate is seeking unspecified damages and an authoritative order to halt further use of the estate’s intellectual property. In Disney’s defense, they ceased with the use of an image of Jackson – which was used to promote the documentary, and minimal excerpts were used for news reporting, scrutiny, and research. The lawsuit counters these claims and actions, detailing the documentary,

a mediocre look back at Michael Jackson’s life and entertainment career.

By: CaDarius Booker