An auction house hired to sell off the contents of pop singer Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch is vowing to continue with it despite being hit with a lawsuit to cancel the auction.
Julien’s Auctions, which is showcasing the lots at a preview in Newbridge Silverware Co Kildare, claimed the King of Pop’s manager had approved everything over the last eight months.
Hundreds of exhibits from Jackson’s Neverland ranch including the singer’s famous crystal encrusted gloves, a Rolls-Royce and fedoras from the Billie Jean video are all up for grabs.
Darren Julien, chief executive at the auction house, insisted the show would go on.
“We are an auction house and that is all that we do,” he said. “We are not a mover or storage facility. We are still proceeding with the exhibitions and auction.”
Jackson’s company MJJ Productions, launched a legal action in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday against Julien’s Auctions as the singer prepared to unveil his comeback tour in the UK.
The lawsuit claims founder Mr Julien promised to send Jackson an inventory of sale items but that the singer has not given permission to move all his belongings.
An exhibition showcasing lots from the planned sale has been set up in Newbridge Silverware, Co Kildare and will run for two weeks ahead of next month’s sale.
More than 2,000 items of memorabilia from Jackson’s life and career will be sold during a four-day auction in Beverly Hills.
The LA lawsuit claims many of the items taken by the auctioneers are “priceless and irreplaceable” and describes the attempt to sell them as “malicious, fraudulent, extreme, outrageous and without any legal justification whatsoever”.
Mr Julien said: “As you can understand, this is all news to us. We have been accommodating any requests made by Michael Jackson for the past eight months. His manager, Dr Tohme, has approved everything that we have done."
“If it is true and he is stating that there are items he does not want sold, why would he have ever given us the items in the first place?”
Julien’s Auctions are planning to speak to Jackson and his manager later today.
PA