Shakeup in Katherine Jackson’s legal team leaves her unrepresented at hearing

Shakeup in Jackson legal team

LOS ANGELES — A shakeup in Katherine Jackson’s legal team left her unrepresented during a hearing to clarify the power two attorneys have over her son’s estate, but it didn’t stop the judge from issuing orders upholding those powers and adding new ones.

The new authority given the administrators by Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff on Thursday included not having to seek permission from the judge to make routine decisions on various administrative matters involving the estate of Michael Jackson.

Katherine Jackson has hired a new attorney, Adam Streisand, to represent her in the probate case, but Beckloff was told he did not attend the Thursday hearing because of a paperwork problem.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson’s mother is replacing the attorneys handling her interests in her son’s multimillion-dollar estate case.

Katherine Jackson’s personnel attorney, L. Londell McMillan, declined to say who would take over the case.

The change was expected to be discussed at a court hearing Thursday.

That hearing was called after attorneys for estate administrators and Katherine Jackson sought clarification of a ruling made by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff.

Beckloff granted co-administrators John Branca and John McClain authority to start handling numerous creditors’ claims and lawsuits filed against Jackson’s estate. Attorneys for both sides disagreed about how Beckloff’s ruling should be worded.

Katherine Jackson is one of the primary beneficiaries of her son’s estate and the legal guardian of his children. Her former attorneys had been considering mounting a challenge to the authority of the men administering the estate.

Burt Levitch, the attorney who argued Katherine Jackson’s positions at most of the hearings held in the case, declined comment.

McMillan praised Levitch’s work, but said the Jackson family was discussing a new approach to resolve lingering issues about the estate. He declined to elaborate.