Michael Jackson's estate is being sued over a shutdown on the tribute film, Messages to Michael, by Sharad Chandra Patel. In the suit, Patel claims that he is being denied his legal rights to the footage that he needs to make the film by the estate executors John Branca and John McClain. He is being represented by known Hollywood lawyer Larry Stein and the estate is being represented by Howard Weitzman.
His son, Raju, had reportedly gained rights to unreleased music and personal effects to create the movie before his death in 2005. Patel has been trying to obtain these rights for a total of six years since the legendary singer died.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Patel wrote in the suit, "Michael wanted to create a film tribute to the dedicated fans who stood by him during difficult times when many others turned their backs on Michael," he stated in the lawsuit. "Michael trusted his good friend and filmmaker, Raju, to make the film a reality."
Patel further asserts that Branca and McClain have "disregarded the terms of the agreement, as well as Michael's wishes for his fans, because they are simply motivated by the biggest payday."
One of Patel's assertions in the suit is that the contract that his son had with Jackson through their Neverland Entertainment production company granted him a 50-50 split of the profits. But the estate voided the pre-existing contract and created This Is It with Sony, using exclusive footage of Jackson. He alleges in the suit that the estate chose not to honor their contract so that they could received 90 percent of the film's earnings as opposed to 50.
Patel had initially brought a suit against the estate in 2010 and it was just denied in early September (Sept. 3). The Hollywood Reporter reached out to the Jackson estate for commentary but has yet to receive a response.
In a strange twist, the Jackson estate recently approved a free download of his iconic Thriller album on Google Play in late November. The free handout was only available for a week, from November 20th - November 27th.
