The jury in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial arrived at a verdict after seven days of deliberations: Not guilty.
Read the story Jury Acquits Jackson on All Charges (Post, June 14)
Jackson, 46, was accused of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor in 2003, plying him with wine and conspiring to hold his family captive to get them to rebut a damaging TV documentary about the singer.
Attorney Gloria Allred was online Tuesday, June 14, at 11:30 a.m. ET to discuss the verdict in the Michael Jackson child molestation case.
A transcript follows.
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Lothian, Md.: Thanks for the chat. While I didn't follow this case in minute detail, I'm not at all surprised at the verdict. The entire case seemed to me to be very weak. The mother was clearly a kook. What do you think led them to pursue the case? And can the alleged victim sue Jackson civilly for damages?
Gloria Allred: I think the prosecution brought the case because they felt that they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt. As to the civil case, the child could still bring a civil case against Mr. Jackson even though there was an acquittal in the criminal case. O.J. Simpson was acquitted in the criminal case that was brought against him but after that a civil case was filed against him by the estates of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. And the civil jury found that Mr. Simpson was libel for the killing of Nicole and Ron and they awarded punitive damages against Mr. Simpson. Similarly, here the child could still sue Mr. Jackson because there is a different burden of proof in a civil case. A criminal case must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt but in civil case, less proof is required. There the burden is simply to prove the case by a preponderance of the evidence or to win punitive damages with clear and convincing evidence.
Michael Jackson did not testify under oath in the criminal case because he asserted his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination but he could not assert that in a civil case brought by the child. He would have to take the witness stand and testify under oath and he might not be believed by a civil jury. That is what happened to O.J. Simpson; he took the stand in the civil case and he was not believed by the civil jury.
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Woodbridge, Va.: In your opinion, would the same evidence and testimony presented in the Jackson case warrant a conviction in a non-celebrity trial?
Gloria Allred: I think that celebrity was a factor in this case and on the same evidence but with a non-celebrity defendant the result might have been different.
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Sterling, Va.: Hello Ms. Allred. Debbie Rowe was a key witness in the trial who could have done great damage to Michael Jackson's chances of acquittal but ended up providing favorable testimony for his defense. Is she still pursuing full custody of their children?
Gloria Allred: I was in the courtroom when Debbie Rowe testified and she appeared to me to want to curry favor with Mr. Jackson. At one point she had allowed her parental rights to the two children she had with Mr. Jackson to be terminated. Then later it was reported that Mr. Jackson stopped making payments to her because he had alleged that she had breached a confidentiality and had given an interview. Subsequent to that she appears to have asked that her parental rights be restored. It was reported that she was seeking visitation with the children. It appears that that matter is still in litigation but we don't know what the ultimate outcome will be. But she has a tough battle ahead unless Mr. Jackson agrees that she can visit the children.
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Detroit, Mich.: How much did this trial cost the taxpayers of Santa Barbara county? Also, what is the track record of the prosecutors who were involved in this case? It seems that given the cost, a prosecution in a case like this should only occur if the prosecutors are certain that the evidence heavily weighs toward an eventual conviction.
Gloria Allred: I'm not sure how much the trial cost. I'm sure that Santa Barbara County will reveal the entire cost.
Monday morning quarterbacking is always easy. Mr. Sneddon has been a prosecutor for more than 30 years. Ron Zonen who also prosecuted this case was thought by most commentators to have been an outstanding lawyer and prosecutor in this case. They would not have filed it unless they thought that they could prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They did not prevail does not mean that they were wrong to have brought the case.
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Washington, D.C.: The prosecution put on several witnesses, including the boy, his family, former Jackson employees, etc. How likely is it that all these people conspired to send an innocent man to prison simply for money or revenge?
Gloria Allred: I think there was no evidentiary support for that theory nor was it even proffered by the defense.
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Reston, Va.: After watching the jury's news conference, I am beginning to think that the jury's utter disgust for the "victim's" mother played a major part when deciding the verdict. What is your opinion on this?
Gloria Allred: I definitely think that that was a major factor. I was there in the courtroom when she testified. In many ways she was a runaway witness. She was either not prepared by an attorney to testify or she was not prepared well enough. However, she was not the alleged victim of the child molestation. The child was. However, the defense's strategy was to suggest that if you can't believe the mother then you can't believe her child. I think that's sad because it was a successful trial tactic.
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Gloria Allured: The defense tried to suggest that the mother had planted the idea in the child to lie about the alleged child molestation. But the video of the child being interviewed by law enforcement showed that the child didn't want the mother to know that he had alleged that Michael Jackson had engaged in sexually inappropriate conduct with him.
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Hanover, N.B.: A news show aired last night that attempted to get the head foreman of the jury to give his thoughts on what really is going on with M.D. having young boys in bed. The foreman replied that he had his own personal beliefs regarding that, and didn't like it, but based on the evidence, they couldn't convict. The news anchor insisted that jurors should go with their gut and regardless of the testimony, should have convicted him.
I believe the juror is correct. The jury can only convict on what is presented and NOT on their feelings. Isn't that right?
Gloria Allred: Juries generally convict on their feelings about the evidence. It's really hard to separate the two.
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Bowie, Md.: The race card was discussed on various black radio station programs and on TV by black panelists. Many accusations were made that if it was a white man instead of a black man, then it wouldn't even have made it to trial. What do those people have to say about M.J. being acquitted on all charges by a predominantly white jury? Have you heard these detractors recant their divisive accusations?
Gloria Allred: No.
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Gloria Allred: I thought the racism charge was particularly ludicrous since Michael Jackson appears to many to want to look like a white man or a white woman.
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Washington, D.C.: Do you feel in your heart that M.J. was innocent?
Gloria Allred: I feel that there was sufficient evidence by which they could have found guilt beyond a reasonable doubt on the child molestation charge if they had chosen to do so.
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Knoxville, Tenn.: Ms. Allred, in your opinion, is this verdict not a triumph for the cherished American court system's credo, 'innocent until proven guilty'? If not, why not?
Gloria Allred: I think it's a sad day for the justice system.
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Washington, D.C.: What is your impression of the jury. I am impressed by how serious they took this case and how thoughtful they were in obeying the judge's instructions. I am also impressed by the unity after rendering the verdict.
Gloria Allred: I'm sure at this point the prosecution is wishing that they had selected a different jury although they would never admit publicly.
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Gloria Allred: I was surprised that they put certain people on the jury that they did.
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Gloria Allred: Looking at the future, I'm concerned about whether or not Mr. Jackson, an adult male in his forties, will continue to invite into his bed young boys between the ages of 10 and 13. One might think he might have learned his lesson because he had to undergo a criminal prosecution but even after the reported settlement with the '93 child, Mr. Jackson continued to sleep in bed with young boys.
Can he or will he stop having them in his bedroom and behind locked doors? His attorney says he won't do it anymore because he feels vulnerable but I don't know if Mr. Jackson can or will stop himself from being with young boys.
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