MJEOL

Melville Defies Appeals Court, Denies Bail Reduction Again – MJEOL Bullet #189 Update#2 First, the judge in the Michael Jackson “case” allows prosecutors to violate the gag order without any repercussions. Now he’s thumbed his nose at the Appeals Court by continuing to deny the reduction of Jackson’s unconstitutional $3M bail.

In his August 31 ruling, Judge Rodney Melville uses further speculation about everything from the 1993 “case”, to Jackson’s alleged “similar ties” to places all over the world.

Some observers say this is completely ridiculous and should require a higher court to step in again to finally resolve this issue. The Court of Appeals has already remanded the bail reduction ruling back to Melville’s court and requested him to show why he still hasn’t reduced Jackson’s bail in accordance with the law.

Where is Melville getting his reasoning? If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have thought I was reading a motion from the prosecution.

Part3: Fireworks as Kent takes on Crier, Dimond a No-show –MJEOL Bullet #188 Mysteriously, Crier Live wasn’t shown today (Aug 30). But there were fireworks in part 3 of tabloid reporter Diane Dimond’s report, which aired August 27, trying to destroy Marc Schaffel and link his past with Michael Jackson. Again, there was more questionable information from Us Weekly’s Ian Drew, whose involvement was discussed in MJEOL Bullet #187. Drew claims Schaffel was a kingpin of sorts in Jackson’s organization. Sources say nothing could be farther from the truth.

As a way to convict Jackson of some imagined behavior, Schaffel was used to create a story where there is none. Catherine Crier also seemed to run so fast from it that you’d think Dimond’s report was the plague.

In this part, we got more from scorned wanna-be-insider Ian Drew. In the report, Dimond claims Drew has interviewed Jackson numerous times. Drew, who used to work for the tabloid The Globe, took it upon himself to level a number of unconfirmed, unfounded and questionable claims against Jackson’s associates. He also brings Jackson attorney Mark Geragos into the fray; at one point, claiming that Geragos was in contact with Schaffel during the time when an alleged “conspiracy” was on-going.

Part 2: Dimond Goes Into Destroy-Mode w/Alleged Co-conspirators – MJEOL Bullet #187 Continuing the tirade against Marc Schaffel, tabloid reporter Diane Dimond aired part two of a three part series into desperately and ridiculously trying to link Schaffel’s sordid past with Michael Jackson. The ‘guilty by association’ garbage seems to have been designed specifically to use the people around Jackson to destroy his credibility. Needless to say, it failed miserably. On a side note, we also get a glimpse into why Us Weekly magazine can’t seem to write a fair and accurate Jackson report to save its figurative life.

Dimond furthered her whatever-sticks story yesterday (Aug 26) on Schaffel, possibly because he’s seen as the easiest target and most subject to blackmail of all the 5 prosecution-alleged “co-conspirators”. She also revealed, according to her “sources” (so take it with a grain of salt), that law enforcement may actually be using a disgusting theory which has Schaffel “finding young men” for Jackson.

Without so much as an ounce of evidence, proof, or information relating to that theory, it is apparently what they’re trying to claim. No I’m not kidding. As ill-conceived and unhinged as it sounds, that’s allegedly what her sources are using her to pump out into the public. Some observers have said that it’s quite clear they want to make their case, instead of searching for the truth.

Part1: Dimond Goes into Destroy-Mode with Alleged Co-Conspirators – MJEOL Bullet #186 Appearing on Crier Live August 25 2004, tabloid reporter Diane Dimond has gone into full ‘destroy alleged co-conspirators’ mode. Her latest jury pool poisoning report for Court TV tries to destroy Marc Schaffel and connect his sordid past with Michael Jackson. But she also crossed the line by trying to use his past to insinuate that Schaffel’s “talents” as a former gay porn producer is the reason why he’s has a connection to Jackson. And she does so without one scintilla of information/evidence/testimony from anyone who even makes that claim.

Sources say that Schaffel had long since left his porn past by the time ex-Jackson employees brought him in to work on a project with Jackson. However, in the first of a three part series, Dimond “investigates” the background of Schaffel and tries to use that to suggest all sorts of things about Jackson.

The people allegedly named in the prosecution’s asinine conspiracy charge is supposed to be the subject of her defamatory Jackson reporting; a conspiracy charge, by the way, which itself was shot down by the accuser’s stepfather’s testimony in court last week proclaiming the family went freely to and returned from Jackson’s Neverland Ranch as late as April 2003.

The venomous report aired today (Aug 25 2004) was full of information—none about Jackson–and aired just in the nick of time too. This looks to be a good sign for the defense because prosecutors wouldn’t call out their big dog to run interference in this way if they were getting cooperation from the prosecution-alleged “co-conspirators”.

Prosecutors off the Hook for NV Raid? Not So Fast – MJEOL Bullet #185 UPDATE2 Initial reports had us fuming over the “decision” made by Judge Rodney Meillve in the Jackson “case”. However, other information is filtering in which provides a wider scope of just what happened in court today.

The AP is reporting that Judge Melville in the Michael Jackson “case” has let prosecutors off the hook for violating the gag order. This is inexplicable to a number of courtroom observers because it’s quite clear Tom Sneddon was on a discussion panel discussing the Jackson “case”. Other reports also state that Melville has made a “tentative” ruling about some of the so-called “evidence”/property taken from Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. While other reports from correspondents in Santa Maria say that the judge’s ruling was a win for Jackson’s side because the judge did decided that the majority of property taken was off-limits to prosecutors.

Melville has “tentatively” sided with the defense and has ruled to keep most of the information taken from Jackson’s Neverland Ranch off-limits to prosecutors; some 70 items will not be usable by prosecutors. For a minute there, we thought he had taken the denials of the parties involved over the actual evidence presented by Jackson’s attorneys in court. And we all know cops never lie, don’t we? *rolling eyes*

Initial reports said that Melville will allow some information in but had “concerns” about other information that could be covered by attorney-client privilege that was taken from Jackson’s home. That information, apparently, was deemed off-limits to prosecutors.

Some of the alleged “evidence” that the defense and prosecutors were arguing over includes a financial magazine, The Robb Report, with Muhammad Al Fayed’s number on it, and a videotape of the accuser’s family exonerating Jackson. Not exactly what one would call a “smoking gun” against the defense.

Stepfather Asked for Money from Jackson & 2 Reporters – MJEOL Bullet #184 Some prosecution sympathizers have attempted to say the admission by the accuser’s stepfather under oath–that he asked for money–can be interpreted in two ways. This is not only a ridiculous interpretation of what the stepfather said, but it’s also indicative of them grasping at straws to explain away this latest incredibly damaging revelation.

The stepfather testified that the family was asked by Michael Jackson associates if they wanted to be in a rebuttal video telling their side of the story after the Bashir “documentary”. Sources inside the courtroom say the stepfather then testified he asked that person over the phone what Jackson was offering to the family in exchange for their participation.  He was the first one to solicit money.  He was also brokering deals from two other sources: two British reporters from whom he also tried to solicit money.