Jackson 'too sick' to attend Bahrain lawsuit case

Pop legend Michael Jackson might be too sick to travel to London to testify in a suit claiming he owes the son of the king of Bahrain $7 million, his attorney has said.

Jackon is seeking to give his testimony by video link from the United States.

"It would be unwise for him to travel, given what's he's got now," lawyer Robert Englehart said, declining to elaborate "for the obvious reasons."

Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the second son of the king of Bahrain, claims that Jackson reneged on a contract for an album, an autobiography and a stage play, after accepting millions from the sheikh.

Al-Khalifa's lawyer, Bankim Thanki, said the medical evidence presented by Jackson's legal team was "very unsatisfactory".

The judge in the current case, Nigel Sweeney, said he would decide the question of Jackson's travel on Thursday to allow time for medical experts on both legal teams to talk.

Al Khalifa was in court Tuesday for the second day of arguments and testimony - the case is expected to run until the end of November.

Al Khalifa felt betrayed when the pop star pulled out of the deal, Thanki said.

After Jackson left Bahrain, his publicist later called Al-Khalifa to say Jackson no longer wanted any part of the contract. Thanki said.

"It's fair to say my client felt a considerable sense of betrayal by someone he thought was a close friend," Thanki said.

They hoped to make millions from Jackson's autobiography, intended to be "a frank and personal account" of the singer's life, Thanki said.

In the meanwhile, Al-Khalifa gave Jackson millions of dollars to help shore up his finances and subsidise Jackson's lifestyle in the small Gulf state, he added.

Thanki said Al Khalifa considered the money an advance on the profits Jackson would reap from their pop music project, but Englehart said the money was a gift.

Englehart argued that Jackson wasn't bound by the deal he struck because the contract was technically signed on behalf of 2 Seas Records, a venture which never got off the ground.

The case continues.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM