LOS ANGELES — A judge on Thursday delayed a guardianship hearing for Michael Jackson’s children at the request of attorneys for the singer’s mother and his ex-wife, Deborah Rowe.

The legal documents filed on behalf of Rowe and Katherine Jackson were not accompanied by any petition for custody by Rowe.

The hearing had been scheduled for Monday. Records show attorneys for both sides asked for the hearing to be delayed until July 13.

Another hearing scheduled for Monday on who will take temporary control of Jackson’s estate will proceed.

KNBC in Los Angeles reported earlier that Rowe intends to seek custody of Jackson’s two oldest children and will seek a restraining order to keep Jackson’s father Joe away from the children.

Calls by The Associated Press to Rowe’s attorney Marta Almli were not immediately returned.

Katherine Jackson currently has temporary guardianship of the children.

Rowe is the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children, son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.

The mother of the singer’s youngest child, son Prince Michael II, 7, has never been revealed.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles officials were holding closed-door talks about a possible event for Michael Jackson on Tuesday at a downtown arena, a person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

The event would take place at the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, said the person who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

It wasn’t immediately clear if a funeral or a public memorial was being discussed for the entertainer — or both.

All talks were preliminary, and no decisions had been made, the person said.

Another site that has also been discussed for a Jackson tribute is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The discussions were held as the federal Drug Enforcement Administration joining the investigation into Jackson’s death, and Jermaine Jackson said he would be “hurt” if toxicology reports showed his younger brother abused prescription drugs.

“In this business, the pressures and things that you go through, you never know what one turns to,” Jermaine Jackson said in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show.

The circumstances surrounding Jackson’s death last week have become a federal issue, with the DEA asked to help police take a look at the pop star’s doctors and possible drug use. Allegations have emerged that the 50-year-old entertainer had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants.

Asked if he would be shocked or surprised if Michael’s drug use was proven, Jermaine Jackson said, “I would be hurt.” He said he had heard about prescription drug use in the 1980s when his brother was hurt in an accident filming a commercial but did not know if drug use was a possibility more recently.

“I don’t know about these things, because I hate anything with drugs,” he said, adding that it hurts the family for people to say things about drug use “because we don’t know.”

Psychic entertainer Uri Geller, a former Jackson confidant, said he tried to keep Jackson from abusing painkillers and other prescription drugs, but others in the singer’s circle kept him supplied.

“When Michael asked for something, he got it. This was the great tragedy,” Geller said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his suburban London home.

Jermaine Jackson said he would like Neverland Ranch to be his brother’s final resting place. A person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP that permits for a burial at Neverland could not be arranged in time.

The Los Angeles Police Department asked the DEA to help in the probe, a law enforcement official in Washington told the AP on condition of anonymity because of the investigation’s sensitivity.

While the investigation into the singer’s death deepened, passionate Michael Jackson fans spent another day in an uneasy limbo, awaiting word from the King of Pop’s camp about where and when a memorial service might be held for their hero — and if they’re even invited.

On the legal front, Jackson’s 7-year-old will was filed Wednesday in a Los Angeles court, giving his entire estate to a family trust and naming his 79-year-old mother Katherine and his three children as beneficiaries. The will also estimates the value of his estate at more than $500 million.

The will doesn’t name father Joe Jackson to any position of authority in administering the estate. Also shut out is Rowe.

The will was dated July 7, 2002. Details of the trust will not be made public.

Jackson owns a 50 percent stake in the massive Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalog, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers.

___

AP writers Michael R. Blood, Noaki Schwartz and Ryan Nakashima in Los Angeles; John Rogers in Los Olivos; Michele Salcedo in Washington; Shawn Pogatchnik in London; and AP Entertainment Writer Erin Carlson in New York contributed to this story.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Oh the fervor over Michael Jackson’s Last Will and Testament…    But actually, it is a pretty big legal issue.  With a will, you can specify how you want your assets to be distributed upon your death, name who you would like to act as guardian for your children, and provide for special burial instructions.  These are pretty important issues to most people.  But, if a will has not been properly prepared, or if there are allegations that someone exerted “undue influence” over you when making your will, the will may be declared invalid by a court.  In that case, state intestacy laws would govern who gets what and how much… and a court would decide who gets your kids. 

In light of this very important legal issue, take a look at the information in LawInfo’s Free Legal Resource Center about Last Wills and Testaments, and other estate planning matters.  Specifically, take a look at this article:  Basic Requirements for a Last Will and Testament in California.  Or, find information about the legal requirements for a valid will in your state by clicking here.

Once you have children, you should put guardianship forms in place in the event something should happen to you as a parent.  Through the appropriate legal forms, you can make your wishes known to the court regarding the custody and care of your children.  Typically, a court prefers to abide by the wishes of the parent, as long as there are no concerns about such potential guardian’s ability to care for the child in accordance with the child’s best interest.  However, guardianship over a minor child can get a bit tricky when one of the parents is somewhat estranged, has given up their custody rights, or there is some other dispute regarding guardianship.  As we’ve all seen in the news, there may be some tricky legal issues involved in the guardianship of Michael Jackson’s children. 

A guardian is person appointed by a court to provide care for a minor child.  In addition to custody over the child, the guardian may or may not be given legal authority to manage the finances and/or assets legally belonging to the child.  Typically, relatives or friends are appointed as a child’s legal guardian when the parent is unable to care for the child any longer.  However, other interested persons may also petition the court for guardianship.

Once a petition for guardianship is filed with the court, an investigation is typically conducted before the court makes its decision.  Many people may be interviewed throughout the process, including the person petitioning for guardianship, the child (or children), and any other person the court determines should be contacted about the case.  The investigator submits a report of his or her investigation to the court and makes a recommendation about what should occur.  Sometimes, the case will even go to a court trial, particularly if there are several interested parties vying for the guardianship.  In all cases, the court must determine that there are sufficient grounds, or proof, that a particular guardianship is in the best interests of the child. 

Guardians are granted legal and physical custody of the child, including the right to make decisions about the child’s education, religion and medical care.  However, guardians’ authority over any financial estate of the child is typically restricted.  For instance, a guardian may be required to obtain a court order to spend estate funds.  Also, guardians are typically not allowed to pay themselves a fee, make any gifts of the estate to others, or borrow money from the child’s estate.  Finally, since guardians of a child’s estate are required to manage the child’s funds in a responsible matter (including keeping records and financial accountings), an attorney is often used by the guardian to help manage the estate. 

For more information about guardianship of a minor child, visit LawInfo’s Free Legal Resource Center.   For assistance with a guardianship, contact an attorney in your area.  You can find a guardianship attorney by clicking here.

Last week’s divorce settlement between Madonna and her film director ex-husband Guy Ritchie has made Ritchie, well, rich. Madonna’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, announced to the Associated Press that Madonna was ordered to give Ritchie between 50 and 60 million pounds ($76-$92 million) as part of their divorce agreement, including the value of the couple’s English country estate.

While Madonna’s split was a costly one, there have been many costly celeb divorces that have come before. Here are the top ten.

10. Michael Douglas’ marriage to Diandra Douglas ended in 2000 after 23 years. When all was said and done, Diandra walked away with $45 million.

9. Phil Collins divorced Swiss-born wife Orianne Cevey, the mother of his two children, after 6 years of marriage. Collins was ordered to pay Cevey $46.76 million.

8. Paul McCartney divorced Heather Mills in 2006, but it took until the fall of 2008 to hammer out the details of their divorce. In the end, Mills walked away with $48.6 million of McCartney’s money.

7. “Titanic” director James Cameron and his actress wife, Linda Hamilton, divorced in 1999 after only two years of marriage. Hamilton received a settlement for $50 million.

6. Madonna’s split with Guy Ritchie places her sixth on the list of most expensive celebrity divorces. Costing Madonna at least $76 million, her rep announced that it was “one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement.”

5. Kevin Coster and Cindy Silva were married for 16 years, but the divorce in 1994 left Silva with $80 million.

4. Harrison Ford and wife Melissa Mathison divorced in 2004 after 21 years of marriage. Mathison walked away with $85 million and a cut of Harrison’s future earnings for the movies he made while they were still married, including two “Star Wars” films and three “Indiana Jones” movies.

3. Steven Spielberg split with first wife Amy Irving in 1989 after 4 years of marriage. Although the couple had a pre-nup, Irving was able to challenge it, and Spielberg ultimately paid out $100 million.

2. Neil Diamond wed Marcia Murphey in 1969, but after 27 years of marriage, Diamond paid Murphey $150 million when the marriage came to an end.

1. According to both USA Today and Forbes, Michael Jordan has made the biggest payout ever in a celebrity divorce to ex-wife Juanita. The basketball legend was ordered to pay $168 million to Juanita for their 18-year marriage, which ended in 2007.

Yes, celebs have mountains of money, but divorce settlements can even hurt those sitting high on the hog. There is a reason prenuptial agreements came into being, and for those celebs who never bothered to get one, it’s likely all the money in the world cannot make up for that regret.

For more information on prenuptial agreements, divorce or alimony, visit LawInfo’s Legal Resource Center for articles, answers to frequently-asked divorce questions, and much more. To speak to a legal professional about the specifics of your case, contact an experienced divorce attorney in your area today.

In the midst of the stress and worry that accompanies a lay-off, a newly unemployed person is bound to question what he or she has coming to them, in the form of financial compensation. Will I get paid for accrued vacation time? The expenses I put on my personal credit card for business? How much am I entitled in unemployment benefits? All of these are legitimate questions that deserve answers.

Jobless claims are now at a 14-year high and are unfortunately expected to rise. If you have been laid off, or if you feel a lay-off may be in your future, here is some information on unemployment rights.

1. Unemployment benefits
Full-time employees who lose their jobs (through no fault of their own) are eligible for unemployment benefits, depending on their length of unemployment and how much they earned. Eligibility requirements vary by state, but in most cases, you must work four out of the last five completed quarters before you file for benefits. The money you receive is based on the money you made over the previous 52 weeks. In most states, you can be paid benefits for up to 26 weeks.

It is important to note that independent contractors and the self-employed are not usually eligible for benefits.

2. Unused sick days, personal days and vacation time
Few laws require employees to be paid sick days, personal days or vacation time and being paid for such is usually a matter of contractual obligations on the part of your employer. If you signed a contract when you were hired that states you are entitled to all of your unused sick time, vacation time, etc., when you leave a company, then you should be reimbursed.

3. Severance pay
There are no federal or state laws that requires employers to pay out severance, unless this was signed into your employee contract.

It is important to note that even if you receive a severance package, you are still entitled to file for unemployment benefits.

4. Unpaid bonuses
If you’ve earned a bonus, you should be paid the bonus. Bonus statements are usually provided annually, or at the start of employment, and spell out the terms and conditions of bonus calculations and payout practices.

5. Expenses owed
If you incurred expenses during a company business trip, or you purchased a work laptop or cell phone on your credit card and have since been laid-off, you are entitled to reimbursement. Business expenses are considered “wages” in many states, and there are penalties for non-payment. If an employer refuses to pay up, laid-off workers can file a claim in small claims court.

For more information on unemployment rights, visit LawInfo’s Legal Resource Center for articles, blogs and answers to unemployment-related frequently asked questions, or contact an experienced Labor and Employment attorney in your area to discuss the specifics of your case.

Due to the financial meltdown felt by millions of Americans across this country, the number of people acting as their own lawyers is on the rise. In the past, less complicated cases such as uncontested divorces or small claims were often filed by parties serving as their own attorney. But in this tough economy, even those tied up in child custody cases, complex lawsuits and complicated bankruptcies are representing themselves as well. “It’s not just that poor people can’t afford lawyers. This is really a middle-class phenomenon,” said Sue Talia, a judge from Danville, California.

The result of this legal trend is causing court systems to clog with filings from people unfamiliar with the legal process. Sadly, some of these pro se litigants, as they are being called, are making mistakes with expensive and permanent consequences. “Courts are absolutely inundated with people who do not understand the procedures,” said Talia. “It is a disaster for high-volume courts, because an inordinate amount of their clerks’ time is spent trying to make sure that the procedures are correctly followed.”

Luckily, there is self-help Web sites (such as LawInfo) and desks at court offices that offer standard legal forms for such things as simple divorces. The American Bar Association is encouraging all states to set up such self-help desks and adopt standardized forms to help cut legal costs. Also, volunteer lawyers are available in some states to give legal advice to those who cannot afford legal counsel. Further, a majority of states promote a growing legal trend known as “unbundling,” in which an attorney handles just part of a contract, lawsuit or other litigation for a small fee, rather than taking on an entire case.

Despite these tough economic times, however, there are situations where hiring a lawyer is not only imperative for your case, but critical to your fundamental freedom, such as fighting a criminal charge. Matters like this leave no room for penny-pinching. For more information, contact a qualified attorney in your area today for an initial (and usually free) consultation to discuss the specifics of your case.

For richer or poorer; till death do us part. Because of such a poor economy, many couples across the nation are sticking to these vows, even when they don’t want to. Divorce lawyers say more unhappy couples nationwide are not filing for divorce because the cost of splitting up in a time of rising unemployment, plummeting house sales and a grim financial future comes at too high of a price.
“The stress of economic uncertainty often worsens already shaky unions, but it also can make couples more financially dependent on each other,” said Pamela Smock, a researcher at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Just the cost of divorce alone is keeping troubled couples out of court. For a contested proceeding that goes to court, a couple with one child can expect a divorce to cost anywhere from $53,000 to $188,000, according to calculations by the Web site Divorce360, which factored in attorneys’ fees, real-estate costs for buying or renting separate properties, etc.

“What the judicial officers are telling us is that people who do come in are saying they can’t afford the cost of splitting up and going into two households — they can barely pay for the one,” said Scott L. Rubin, a marital and family lawyer in Miami who is chairman of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar. “The housing market is down, it’s hard to sell, and when you can sell, you’re selling it at a depressed price, so a lot of people are deciding … ‘It’s not worth it to do it (at) this time. Let’s stay together. Let’s try to work through our problems and hope that the economy will spring back.”

However, regardless of the economy or personal finances, there are times when the only solution to a failing marriage is divorce, no matter the cost. If you believe you are in this situation, or for more information on divorce, contact a qualified Family Law attorney in your area today to discuss the specifics of your case.

A British wife is divorcing her husband after discovering his online avatar was having sex with virtual women in the fantasy world of Second Life, media reported Friday. Second Life allows players to create online lives in which their virtual alter ego, or avatar, can set up businesses, buy property, socialize, and develop relationships in an online virtual world. The couple themselves met in an online chat-room in 2003 and wed in real life and in a fantasy tropical setting in Second Life.

Amy Taylor, 28, said her three-year marriage to David Pollard, 40, came to an end when she caught his online avatar, named Dave Barmy, having sex with other Second Life virtual women.

“He confessed he’d been talking to this woman player in America for one or two weeks and said our marriage was over and he didn’t love me any more,” said Taylor, who filed for divorce the next day. “My lawyer wasn’t at all surprised — she said it was her second divorce case involving Second Life that week.”

Infidelity is loosely defined as any violation of the boundaries or mutually-abiding rules of an intimate relationship, such as the relationship between a husband and wife. What constitutes an act of infidelity varies and depends on the type of relationship that exists between the couple; e.g. a monogamous relationship versus an “open” relationship where sexual or intimate activities with others outside of the relationship is accepted. However, even within an open relationship, infidelity can occur if one partner acts outside of the permitted boundaries of the relationship.

Infidelity is one of the leading causes of divorce. Traditionally, infidelity based on a sexual act has been of a physical one, but with online virtual relationships now coming in to play, virtual infidelity charges may be on the rise. For more information about infidelity or divorce, visit LawInfo’s legal resource center or contact a Family Law attorney in your area today.

Deciding to file for bankruptcy is a difficult decision. Although some bankruptcy claimants are deemed as credit abusers and/or considered financially irresponsible, many individuals and businesses can succumb to financial difficulty and face irreparable economic crisis. Bankruptcy is designed as a legal option to help resolve such a crisis, and act as a financial life preserver for those drowning in debt. The most common reasons for filing for bankruptcy are unemployment, large medical expenses, overextended credit and other large unexpected expenses.

LawInfo has expanded its free online national directory to include experienced and qualified bankruptcy attorneys. These attorneys are a part of LawInfo’s signature service, the Lead Counsel Program, which provides pre-screened bankruptcy lawyers through a simple, 2-click accessible attorney directory. The Lead Counsel Program has resulted in the enhanced screening of attorneys’ credentials and has become a symbol of quality assurance for consumers searching for legal representation.

In addition to providing access to qualified, Lead Counsel bankruptcy and foreclosure attorneys throughout the nation, LawInfo’s legal resource center (LRC) can also help the public locate qualified legal experts nationwide– including bail bondsmen, expert witnesses, private investigators, court reporters, process servers, paralegals and litigation funders. Further, LawInfo has created the largest interactive legal forum with over 1200 message boards as a resource for the Internet community. The boards provide an opportunity to research information and share commentary on a multitude of legal topics.

LawInfo has also expanded its free online legal resource center to include a comprehensive legal blog–incorporating interactive polls, providing access to volumes of legal archives and keeping a live feed on breaking legal news that is updated around the clock. LawInfo has produced online videos that take the mystery out of the legal process by breaking down complex legal problems into clear, easy-to-understand solutions. These “How-to” videos provide information on a variety of legal topics in all major areas of law, including bankruptcy, foreclosure, family law, estate planning, criminal law, business, and labor and employment.

For over a decade, LawInfo’s mission has been to assist the public in locating qualified attorneys and legal services. LawInfo provides marketing packages for attorneys and legal professionals crafted by a team of specialists that integrates web design, content development and internet marketing with targeted traffic-generation tactics. LawInfo is staffed by experienced legal industry professionals and their corporate offices are located in San Marcos, California, just thirty minutes north of San Diego.

Are you facing a legal issue?  Have you been sued, or are you wondering about foreclosure?  Did you just have a medical procedure that didn’t turn out as you expected?  Is bankruptcy looming?  What about your family life – are you and your spouse considering divorce?  Do you need to update your will?  Has someone you love been arrested for a DUI? 

These are examples of only some of the most common legal issues.  The fact is we actually deal with the law more than most people think.  More importantly, when we face a legal issue, many of us might not know where to turn for answers.  The legal system can certainly be overwhelming – especially because the consequences are often so grave. 

Since 1994, LawInfo has been providing the public with quality legal resources they can count on.  The idea for the company even came out of the founder’s own legal needs!  How do you find the right attorney?  How do you know the attorneys you contact are in good standing with the state bar association?  What if you want to learn about a legal issue before you talk to a lawyer?  Well, these are the reasons LawInfo was established!  LawInfo has a whole library of information about the most common legal issues including answers to frequently asked questions, articles, legal guides, legal forms, and other information – ALL FREE TO THE PUBLIC!  The really great thing is this – you can also easily find an attorney who will understand your legal needs.  It’s all designed to help the public – help someone find answers they need and find an attorney who can help them. 

Learn more about LawInfo’s Free Legal Resource Center and Find the Right Attorney in your area today!