Jackson sued over Beatles library 'rescue'
A financial company specialising in asset acquisition is suing Michael Jackson, saying it is owed $48m (€39m) in fees for rescuing the singer’s stake in the publishing rights to songs by the Beatles.
Prescient Acquisition Group said in its lawsuit in US District Court in Manhattan that the pop music celebrity enlisted it in November 2004 to provide financial advice and to secure refinancing of a £151m (€219m) debt to Bank of America.
On behalf of Jackson and his company MJ Publishing Trust, Prescient secured £298m (€432m) in financing from Fortress Investment Group LLC, enough for Jackson to pay off the debt and exercise an option to buy the remaining 50% of the Beatles library he did not already own, the lawsuit said.
Prescient said it was entitled to an immediate payment of £13.7m (€19.8m), which is 9% of the financing used to pay off the Bank of America debt and a £1.8m (€2.6m) advance to Jackson and his company.
Prescient accused Jackson of breach of contract, saying that it had done what was expected in a written agreement and that Jackson and his company were not entitled to “retain the benefits of those services in equity and good conscience without paying to Prescient an amount to be determined at trial”.
A lawyer for Jackson did not immediately return a telephone message for comment.
