Everybody Wins, Sort Of, In Michael Jackson Civil Lawsuit Decision

A California civil court jury has awarded $900,000 U.S. to one of Michael Jackson's former advisors and $200,000 to the gloved one for his countersuit.

F. Marc Schaffel originally sued for $3.8 million, but his claims were later reduced to $1.6 million, and his lawyer dropped that to $1.4 million in commissions, unpaid loans and expenses before the outcome was left up to the jury last Thursday.

"Obviously, I'm very happy," Schaffel said outside the courtroom according to an Associated Press report. "We got less than I asked for, but considering all the factors on what we were able to present, I'm pleased."

Jurors arrived at the $900,000 figure by accepting Schaffel's claims that he was owed commissions for work he did on two videos intended to improve Jackson's image following the airing of a documentary that portrayed him in a largely negative light, as well as for some additional expenses.

After much deliberating the jury members also went along with Schaffel's claim that he spent $300,000 of his own money to give to a "Mr. X" during a trip to Brazil that's been shrouded in secrecy.

"We fought a lot over that," said juror Irma Beard.

Jackson's lawyer claimed that Schaffel owed his client $660,000 before the pop star fired him in November 2001 after finding out about his past involvement in producing gay pornography.

Judge Jacqueline Conner plans a separate accounting phase of the trial to examine the claims, which could lead to an adjustment of the awards.

Jackson's name has now appeared in another court document, as his former wife, Debbie Rowe, claims that he hasn't paid her all that he had promised to when they divorced in 1999.

In a lawsuit filed on July 3 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Rowe asked for an immediate payment of $195,000 for attorney fees and $50,000 in living expenses so that she can continue to pursue her child-custody case against him. A court hearing on the matter has been scheduled for July 26.

Rowe is the mother of Jackson's two children, nine-year-old Prince Michael Joseph Jackson and eight-year-old Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. She gave up her parental rights to them in 2001, but asked for their reinstatement two years later after she learned of Jackson's arrest on child molestation charges, which he was later acquitted of.

Rowe claims that Jackson stopped making promised payments to her in October 2003. Their original divorce settlement stipulated that he would pay her $1 million a year for the first three years and $750,000 per annum for six more years after that. Rowe also received a house in Beverly Hills, Calif. and a 1998 Ford Explorer. She agreed to visit the children only once every 45 days.