Former manager demands 15% stake in Jackson earnings

A legal war has erupted over earnings from Michael Jackson’s estate, with a former manager claiming a 15% stake and the singer’s executors seeking to block any payments to the former adviser.

Lawyers for Jackson’s estate and Tohme R Tohme filed duelling cases over the adviser’s claims that along with Jackson’s mother and three children, he is entitled to a sizeable share of the singer’s post-death earnings.

The Jackson estate has earned more than $300m (€228.33m) since his June 2009 death.

Jackson’s estate claims Mr Tohme used undue influence to get the singer to sign several deals that lined his pockets and that he improperly gave away some of the star’s property.

The contracts involved a refinancing of Jackson’s debt related to Neverland Ranch and a producer’s fee that Mr Tohme negotiated for himself for Jackson’s planned comeback concerts in London.