By Roger Friedman

Michael Jackson made an appearance in Washington, D.C., last week. The Washington Post couldn’t figure out what was going on, but I can tell you all about it.

Jackson was in the law offices of Venable LLP to give a deposition in the $30 million lawsuit brought by his former manager, Dieter Wiesner. He was accompanied by two burly bodyguards and an attorney, William Mundell, of California. Wiesner and his partner Ronald Konitzer, you may recall, were referred to as “the Germans” in Jackson’s child molestation case by Janet Arvizo.

Anyway, Michael had missed two opportunities for this deposition in Los Angeles. Because he is now stationed in Northern Virginia, home of his manager-publicist, Raymone Bain, and has no other place to live at the moment, Jackson agreed to — shall we say — this “capital punishment.” He had to pay for everyone to come in from Los Angeles, first class, and stay in D.C.

Of course, Jackson’s done this before. He had to fly lawyers to London twice when he refused to be deposed in the Marc Schaffel lawsuit in Los Angeles. Shaffel and Wiesner each have the same attorney: Howard King.

In D.C., Michael appeared bright and confident, dispelling the recent stories we have published of him being drugged or isolated.

“He was in very good shape,” an observer said. “He seemed very lucid.”

In fact, he was so chirpy that sources say he was an excellent witness for Wiesner.

“He said he didn’t know why they weren’t still in business together,” a source said. “He said he liked all of Dieter’s ideas.”

After the deposition was over, Jackson and Wiesner spent a few minutes together in a private conversation. No one knows exactly what was said, but Jackson apparently blamed his falling out with “the Germans” on Leonard Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam and son-in-law of Louis Farrakhan.

“He just kept saying over and over again he didn’t know what happened,” a source said.

Of course, Jackson replaced Wiesner and Konitzer with the Nation of Islam in December 2003, a month after his arrest. Jackson never spoke to “the Germans” again and let the Nation force out the rest of his advisers.

As for why the depositions had to take place in Washington, Mundell wrote in an early motion to the court: “Mr. Jackson is not just relaxing in the Washington, DC area. He is busy working on several important projects.”

Source: FOX News

Category: General News