Jackson sued over jet charter

A travel agent is suing Michael Jackson, claiming the pop star failed to pay her $18,000 (€14,200) for the infamous charter jet flight that brought him from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara to surrender to authorities on child molestation charges.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles adds to the litigation swirling around the flight.

Jackson’s defence team is suing the jet’s owner, alleging that cameras were covertly installed on the aircraft, and that Jackson and his lawyer were secretly videotaped during the flight.

Cynthia Montgomery, who has handled Jackson’s travel arrangements for three years, said in her lawsuit that she paid for charter air travel in advance and expected to be reimbursed by Jackson.

The lawsuit seeks $50,000 (€39,400) in damages stemming from the alleged failure to pay for use of the jet, which was chartered from XtraJet of suburban Santa Monica.

Montgomery’s lawyer, Robert Moore, said he had been trying to negotiate payment with Jackson’s lawyers without success.

He said Montgomery had to pay for the plane up front because “XtraJet would not deliver the jet without payment”.

The November 20 flight from Nevada to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport created earlier controversy when it was discovered that someone had secretly videotaped Jackson and Mark Geragos during the flight.

In a lawsuit filed in November against XtraJet, Geragos claimed that the charter company covertly installed two cameras in the plane’s cabin. Jackson’s lawyers won a temporary restraining order against XtraJet, barring any release of the tapes.