Michael Jackson Shuts Down Neverland House

One time moonwalker Michael Jackson has decided to close the house on his Neverland Ranch in California.

He's also laid off a handful of employees, but his spokesperson wants to make it clear that the Ranch remains open, despite the fact that it seems like Jackson has completely forgotten about his theme park estate.

"It is public knowledge that Mr. Jackson currently resides in the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain," Jackson's spokesperson Raymone K. Bain said in a statement late Thursday. "He therefore decided to close his house and reduce his work force."

This move comes after authorities contacted Jackson because at least 30 of his employees had complained they had not been paid since Dec. 19 and were owed $306,000 U.S. in back wages. The gloved one agreed to pay the workers and also ended up paying approximately $100,000 in penalties to avoid a lawsuit by the California Department Of Industrial Relations (DIR).

Though the 2,600-acre Neverland is slowly turning into a ghost town, Bain stated firmly that the rest of the ranch will remain in operation on a limited basis and that reports saying otherwise are inaccurate.

Last week, animal rights activists kicked up a stink when California officials put forth a stop-work order for the ranch after workers reported that their compensation insurance had been allowed to lapse. Some of those workers were caretakers for the animals on the Ranch — which at various times has included elephants and a giraffe according to CNN.com.

According to officials, employees were allowed to continue working at the Ranch in light of the order if they were placed on the payroll of a third party that had workers compensation coverage. A local veterinarian has added them to his payroll, according to the DIR, and security at the Ranch is now being taken care of by Jacko's family.