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I conclude my blog week by writing about the late Michael Jackson who was finally laid to rest on September 3, 2009. Ten long weeks after his death, Michael Jackson’s coffin was placed in a mausoleum in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, which is located outside of Los Angeles.

If reports are to be believed, his body has been placed in the Holly Terrace, which is a large hall at the centre of Forest Lawn's monolithic grounds. Although the fascination of Michael Jackson will continue long after his death, the mausoleum is policed by private guards and is rumoured to be among the highest security resting places in the world.

There have been reports indicating that the price of grave-plots close to Michael Jackson's tomb have gone up $2,000 - $3,000 in value since Michael Jackson joined the neighbourhood.

Some reports have indicated that some private parties have asked for substantially more, with one person rumoured to have asked for $34,000 for a double unit inside of the Michael Jackson mausoleum. Even after death, Michael is still making headlines, this time in the cemetery world.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have an enjoyable weekend!

Rick Bickhram

Rick Bickhram - Click here for more information on Rick Bickhram.

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The sudden death of Michael Jackson has sent a shock-wave of sadness across the globe. I expect it will be some time before you can tune in to various media without seeing coverage on it. 

I find myself drawn in to the discussion, which one of my colleagues also blogged on last week.  His commentary focused on the expected complex administration of Jackson’s estate, given both his sizeable assets and debts. This blog focuses on one aspect of the human element of the tragedy, sparked by Jackson’s Will. 

As noted in a recent New York Times Article, in his Will Diana Ross is appointed as the guardian for Jackson’s children if his mother is no longer willing or able to fulfill that role. 

In Ontario, a custody or guardianship appointment by Will is not determinative of the issue. It only has a temporary effect, in that any appointment for custody or guardianship expires ninety-days after such appointment becomes effective (i.e. ninety-days from the date of death in this case) (see section 61(7) of the Children’s Law Reform Act). 

However, if the appointee applies to the court for custody or guardianship within the ninety-day period, the appointment expires when the application is disposed of.   While each case is usually fact-specific, I would expect that a testator’s wishes set out in his/her Will is a factor a court would give significant weight to when considering such an application.

In Jackson’s case this issue is already a live one, with potentially several people vying for custody and/or guardianship. It will be interesting to see who ends up being the primary caregiver(s) of his young children.

Have a great day,

Natalia Angelini

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Many people, including myself, paused on learning of Michael Jackson’s death.   While I have not searched out his music for several years, his death marks the end of an era. 

Michael Jackson’s music is part of my memory of growing up. I attended his concert in October 1984 at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.

Of course, in my role as an estate litigator, other thoughts also come to mind. Namely, what issues will arise in untangling Michael Jackson’s estate?

Some of these issues are addressed in a New York Times article. One executive describes the singer's estate as a "mess".  There are clearly valuable assets, including a 50 percent share of Sony/ATV Music Publishing which owns the rights to more than 200 Beatles songs; this asset alone may be worth more than $500 million.  Apparently these shares were not owned directly by the pop star, but rather by a trust controlled by his mother.  The shares therefore may not fall to Michael Jackson's  estate but they would be part of his legacy.

The estate has debts too: Neverland cost many millions of dollars to operate annually and in recent years there was a $24.5 million debt against the property. Some commentators estimate Michael Jackson’s overall debt to be $400 million. 

All of these issues – from copyright and real estate assets to Michael Jackson's personal and business loans – will take many months, if not years, to sort out.   

There were recent plans for a 50-concert comeback in London, England. Apparently fans had paid $90 million which will have to reimbursed and the concert preparations included payments for renovations to the venue as well as advance payments to Michael Jackson. 

As the administration of Michael Jackson’s estate unfolds, I suspect there may be more related topics to be covered in our blog.

Of course, for us regular folks, estate issues that we encounter in our own lives will be simple in comparison to the challenges faced by the Jackson family.  But there are some lessons: careful management of one’s affairs and good planning will lessen the load on named executors and estate trustees. 

Enjoy your Monday. 

Jonathan