Michael Jackson Facing New Lawsuit

Michael Jackson's 50 sold-out shows at London, England's O2 Arena beginning this summer might not happen because an American promoter says the singer's manager signed a contract with them that prevents him from doing other performances.

AllGood Entertainment Inc. says Frank DeLeo, Jackson's manager, signed a deal last November that stipulated Jackson would perform as part of a Jackson 5 reunion show in Texas on July 3, 2010 and wouldn't do any other shows until then, according to the U.K.'s The Guardian newspaper.

The company is now threatening to sue Jackson for breach of contract.

Jackson's 50 shows are supposed to start in July and run through next February. The dates, booked by AEG Live in March and the performer's first since 2001, are expected to net him 50 million British pounds (about $89 million Canadian).

AllGood Entertainment managing partner Patrick Allocco told Reuters he sent Jackson's lawyers and AEG Live a cease and desist order in March and attempted negotiations with them.

"Frank DeLeo refuses to honour our agreement and that's why we're filing a lawsuit by week's end," Allocco said.

"As of right now, we've gotten zero cooperation from anyone. Frank DeLeo is standing in our way. AEG has been constantly frustrating our ability to get this show."

Jackson was rumoured to be reuniting with the Jackson 5 last year after his brother Jermaine said the whole family would be involved in a tour and would record a new album this year. Jackson denied the claim the next day.

If AllGood sues Jackson, it will be the third lawsuit filed against him this month. Raymone Bain, Jackson's former publicist who represented him during his 2005 child molestation trial (in which he was acquitted) filed a $44-million U.S. (about $51.12 million Canadian) breach of contract lawsuit against Jackson because she says he never paid her.

Ola Ray, who appeared as Jackson's girlfriend in his "Thriller" video, also filed a suit against him last week for unpaid royalties.

Jackson was sued by "Thriller" director John Landis for unpaid royalties in January. Jackson is also rumoured to have settled a breach of contract lawsuit that Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, one of the king of Bahrain's sons, filed against him last year.