Jackson's accuser very ill, says lawyer

A former lawyer for the mother of Michael Jackson’s cancer-stricken accuser said the boy is in very poor health and his family is in seclusion, paying little attention to the high-profile legal fight.

William Dickerman also said yesterday that based on what he knows of the evidence, he believes the Santa Barbara County district attorney’s office has a strong case.

“Is a DA really going to put into gear the machinery of an entire district attorney’s office on a case involving such a renowned person without having a stronger basis than he said-she said?” the Los Angeles-based lawyer said in a telephone interview.

He said there was “plenty of persuasive oral evidence”, including findings of molestation by “a very conservative psychologist who is inclined not to find molestation”. Asked if there was physical evidence, he replied: “It certainly wouldn’t surprise me.”

Mr Dickerman offered several details yesterday about how the allegations against the pop superstar eventually reached prosecutors. However, he declined to answer other questions about the case, saying he was unsure whether he was covered by a gag order ordered on Friday by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville.

He said the family was brought to him last year by Jamie Masada, a comedy club owner who introduced Jackson and the boy late in 2002.

Mr Dickerman said the family was concerned about Jackson-related matters that did not involve molestation, but he declined to describe them. The molestation allegations arose later, he said.

He said he then contacted lawyer Larry Feldman, who represented the boy who accused Jackson of molestation in 1993, and that Mr Feldman later took over the case. The boy who made the allegations in 1993 reportedly received a multimillion dollar settlement from Jackson and refused to cooperate with prosecutors.

“Since he’d essentially written the book on civil action with Michael Jackson he would be the one to give more thorough counsel on Michael Jackson,” Mr Dickerman said.

Mr Dickerman said both he and Mr Feldman stopped representing the family last year, when it became apparent Jackson would be criminally charged.

He said the family does not plan to seek money from Jackson, and described himself as a “family friend”, not a legal representative.

Mr Feldman did not return a call for comment yesterday. But a source close to the family had confirmed that Mr Feldman did meet with the boy and his mother, and had the boy see a psychologist.

The psychologist, who had handled celebrity cases before, went to authorities under a legal requirement to report any claims of child molestation.

Jackson was charged last month with seven counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and two counts of giving the child an “intoxicating agent”, reportedly wine, between February 7 and March 10, 2003. He has pleaded innocent.

Mr Dickerman added to details about the boy’s health from Mr Masada, who said on Thanksgiving that the boy is seriously ill. Mr Dickerman said the boy lost a kidney, his spleen and an adrenal gland in surgery to remove a large tumour.

He declined to say how the boy, his siblings and his mother spend their days. He said he is in touch with the family frequently, and has seen the boy within the last few weeks.

“They’re in hiding,” he said. “They’re very private people.”