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American Morning

Michael Jackson Case

Aired January 15, 2004 - 07:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk now about the Michael Jackson case. The criminal arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow. Attorneys on both sides now battling over a gag order. Court documents were filed by prosecutors supporting the gag order, while the defense opposes it.
Reporter Pat Lalama of the TV show "Celebrity Justice" has been following the case and she is back with us this morning from Los Angeles with the very latest.

Hey, Pat, good morning.

PAT LALAMA, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Good morning.

How are you?

O'BRIEN: I'm well, thank you, and Happy New Year.

Listen, let's get into it right away, because obviously there's a lot to cover now on this case.

LALAMA: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Starting first, though, with the gag order, the prosecution says it's the defense that essentially will not shut up in this case.

Do you think -- first, tell me the biggest complaints. And, second, what kind of a case do they with the judge?

LALAMA: Well, I think they have a good case. I mean it's amazing when you see what's been going on for the last couple of weeks, all these power plays with summits at the Beverly Hills Hotel and lunches down the road at the Ivy, a very famous celebrity haunt where Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife, was dining with advisers.

So clearly people are using the power of the medium and media, I should say, to get the message out and to drip little pieces of information. And I think the prosecution doesn't have that advantage because they can't go out on the steps and yell and scream about this or that.

So I think a gag order probably -- I think they have a good case for a gag order.

O'BRIEN: You've also got some new information on what you say the boy would say if he were on the stand.

What's that information?

LALAMA: Yes, Soledad, we have some very critical information that could potentially be quite damaging to the defense's case. We have learned, through very reliable sources, that the young accuser has claimed, has told authorities that Michael Jackson actually ejaculated in his presence. And that, of course, if he should testify to that or if that should become part of the evidence, could be very damaging to Michael Jackson, clearly.

But also...

O'BRIEN: Let me jump in there, though.

LALAMA: Go ahead.

O'BRIEN: Because outside of the salacious heart of those details, at the same time, does that change the case in the sense that it's still, that's what the witness says, the accuser says. And we assume Michael Jackson's side will say no, it didn't happen. It's still a he said/he said.

LALAMA: Absolutely, Soledad. You nailed it. But you know what? Don't discount the strength of those kinds of cases. Circumstantial cases can be very, very powerful. And it's just going to be a matter of credibility.

And then who knows down the road what DNA evidence may come out to support that. We don't know that at this point.

We do know that this is what the witness, the accuser says, and that prosecution believes.

Now, we also...

O'BRIEN: Let's also talk for a minute, Pat...

LALAMA: OK.

O'BRIEN: ... before we run out of time.

LALAMA: Sorry.

O'BRIEN: The mother now, also, you say, making allegations about her treatment at Neverland.

Elaborate on that for us.

LALAMA: Yes, Soledad, this is very interesting. We've learned that the family actually moved into Neverland in early February and stayed through part of March. Now, the mother has told authorities that when the family was there, she felt very confined. She felt as if she was a prisoner in Neverland.

Now, also, we've learned that Michael Jackson went through some efforts to get the child, the accuser, out of the Los Angeles school that he was attending and he was, he told the family that he would provide tutoring for the child at Neverland, but that it never happened. We were also told that the mother was told by entourage, the Jackson entourage, that there were death threats against her and it had to do with the -- her son's participation in the Martin Bashir documentary.

O'BRIEN: All of this, of course, though...

LALAMA: That didn't make sense to her.

O'BRIEN: And all this completely contradicts what she has said earlier, so it'll be interesting to see just how much credibility she has when this case does eventually go to trial.

Pat Lalama, we're out of time, but nice to chat with you.

Thanks a lot.

LALAMA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 15, 2004 - 07:22   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk now about the Michael Jackson case. The criminal arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow. Attorneys on both sides now battling over a gag order. Court documents were filed by prosecutors supporting the gag order, while the defense opposes it.
Reporter Pat Lalama of the TV show "Celebrity Justice" has been following the case and she is back with us this morning from Los Angeles with the very latest.

Hey, Pat, good morning.

PAT LALAMA, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Good morning.

How are you?

O'BRIEN: I'm well, thank you, and Happy New Year.

Listen, let's get into it right away, because obviously there's a lot to cover now on this case.

LALAMA: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Starting first, though, with the gag order, the prosecution says it's the defense that essentially will not shut up in this case.

Do you think -- first, tell me the biggest complaints. And, second, what kind of a case do they with the judge?

LALAMA: Well, I think they have a good case. I mean it's amazing when you see what's been going on for the last couple of weeks, all these power plays with summits at the Beverly Hills Hotel and lunches down the road at the Ivy, a very famous celebrity haunt where Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife, was dining with advisers.

So clearly people are using the power of the medium and media, I should say, to get the message out and to drip little pieces of information. And I think the prosecution doesn't have that advantage because they can't go out on the steps and yell and scream about this or that.

So I think a gag order probably -- I think they have a good case for a gag order.

O'BRIEN: You've also got some new information on what you say the boy would say if he were on the stand.

What's that information?

LALAMA: Yes, Soledad, we have some very critical information that could potentially be quite damaging to the defense's case. We have learned, through very reliable sources, that the young accuser has claimed, has told authorities that Michael Jackson actually ejaculated in his presence. And that, of course, if he should testify to that or if that should become part of the evidence, could be very damaging to Michael Jackson, clearly.

But also...

O'BRIEN: Let me jump in there, though.

LALAMA: Go ahead.

O'BRIEN: Because outside of the salacious heart of those details, at the same time, does that change the case in the sense that it's still, that's what the witness says, the accuser says. And we assume Michael Jackson's side will say no, it didn't happen. It's still a he said/he said.

LALAMA: Absolutely, Soledad. You nailed it. But you know what? Don't discount the strength of those kinds of cases. Circumstantial cases can be very, very powerful. And it's just going to be a matter of credibility.

And then who knows down the road what DNA evidence may come out to support that. We don't know that at this point.

We do know that this is what the witness, the accuser says, and that prosecution believes.

Now, we also...

O'BRIEN: Let's also talk for a minute, Pat...

LALAMA: OK.

O'BRIEN: ... before we run out of time.

LALAMA: Sorry.

O'BRIEN: The mother now, also, you say, making allegations about her treatment at Neverland.

Elaborate on that for us.

LALAMA: Yes, Soledad, this is very interesting. We've learned that the family actually moved into Neverland in early February and stayed through part of March. Now, the mother has told authorities that when the family was there, she felt very confined. She felt as if she was a prisoner in Neverland.

Now, also, we've learned that Michael Jackson went through some efforts to get the child, the accuser, out of the Los Angeles school that he was attending and he was, he told the family that he would provide tutoring for the child at Neverland, but that it never happened. We were also told that the mother was told by entourage, the Jackson entourage, that there were death threats against her and it had to do with the -- her son's participation in the Martin Bashir documentary.

O'BRIEN: All of this, of course, though...

LALAMA: That didn't make sense to her.

O'BRIEN: And all this completely contradicts what she has said earlier, so it'll be interesting to see just how much credibility she has when this case does eventually go to trial.

Pat Lalama, we're out of time, but nice to chat with you.

Thanks a lot.

LALAMA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com