Jackson: It's going well
2005-04-16 08:32
California - Michael Jackson's lawyer Friday on savaged the credibility of his child sex accuser's mother, making her admit she lied under oath and suggesting she wanted to cash in on the star's wealth.
In one of the most explosive showdowns of the seven-week-old trial, attorney Thomas Mesereau launched an intense attack on the 37-year-old woman he has branded a rapacious money-grubber and "professional plaintiff."
In an exchange so fiery that trial Judge Rodney Melville warned the two to tone down their rhetoric, Mesereau accused the woman of acting and suggested that her claims against Jackson were "in her mind."
Moving to undermine claims that Jackson and his aides kidnapped her family and implicitly threatened their lives, Mesereau forced her to concede she lied in a deposition she made when suing a department store in 2000.
"You lied under oath to increase the amount of money you could get ... correct?" Mesereau asked, referring to her claim she was sexually assaulted when she and her children were detained on suspicion of shoplifting.
Web of lies
The woman had claimed she was never abused by her now ex-husband, whom she later reported to authorities for beating her and abusing their three children.
"How many lies do you think you told in the JCPenney case?" Mesereau asked.
In evasive responses, she reluctantly conceded she lied about anything to do with her then-husband until his subsequent arrest.
Jackson's team claims the woman is a con artist with a history of coaching her children to lie under oath to win financial settlements, including the $152 000 dollars they won from the JCPenney store.
The pop icon, 46, is accused of molesting the woman's son, then 13, plying him with alcohol and conspiring to kidnap him and his family and hold them prisoner at his Neverland Ranch and a Los Angeles-area hotel two years ago.
Legal analysts said Mesereau, who listened quietly to the testimony of the crucial prosecution witness for two days, seriously damaged her credibility.
"The more she talks, the worse its gets for the prosecution," said trial watcher Michael Cardoza.
In a surprise revelation, she also conceded she was once investigated for allegedly abusing her own child - the alleged victim in the case.
In one of many unsolicited outbursts, she claimed to have wised up to the singer and his ways through bitter experience: "Now I know that Neverland is all about booze, pornography and sex with boys."
Analyst Cardoza said the entire case, including the molestation charges, could hinge on whether the jury believes the woman and her son.
"If they believe the mother put the son up to it, then this case is over," he said.
The slender singer, dressed in a black suit, red vest and gold armband, sat stock still throughout the courtroom duel.
"It's going well," said Jackson, who has pleaded innocent to the 10 charges that could see him jailed for up to 20 years if convicted.