702 Mio Forderung von Steuerbehörde an den Estate

Zitat von missing

Also - ohne mich damit wirklich auszukennen, kommen mir die Angaben vom Estate schon eher etwas niedrig vor...

Eine gewisse Unterbewertung würde ich auch sehen, aber die IRS hat eine inflationäre Überbewertung vorgenommen und Michael zum Todeszeitpunkt zum Miiliadär gemacht.

Edit:

Wir haben hier 2 Threade. Kann die bitte ein Mod zusammenführen. z.B, Blaue Blume oder Marion

steuernachzahlung für michaels erben

Zitat von missing

, aber man kann doch wirklich nicht davon reden, dass Michaels "Wirkung" auch zu seinen Lebzeiten wirklich verblasst wäre.

In der Fanwelt definitiv nicht, aber in der Geschäftswelt sah es scheinbar anders aus. Der Prozess hatte seine Wirkung hinterlassen. Viele haben sich von ihm abgewandt. Wie geschrieben, wäre es anders gewesen, wäre er bestimmt nicht solch einen Vertrag eingegangen, wo er mit seinem gesamten Hab und Gut gebürgt hätte.

Ivy @Ivy_4MJ · 14. Okt.

MJ Estate and IRS are to continue settlement discussions. Second status report due March 2015.

MJ Estate und IRS setzen ihre Settlement-Diskussionen fort. 2. Status-Bericht bis März 2015

https://www.ustaxcourt.gov/Ust…ewer.aspx?IndexID=6532095

This case was on the Court's November 17, 2014 trial calendar for LosAngeles, California. Although a very large deficiency is at stake, it raises mostlyvaluation questions. The parties have again reported that they are cooperating ininformal discovery and trying to settle as many issues as possible at IRS Appeals.They reasonably ask to report again in the summer, and it isORDERED that on or before July 2, 2015 the parties shall file a status reportdescribing their progress in settling the case or narrowing the issues to be tried.

Die Parteien haben erneut berichtet, dass sie kooperieren in ininformellen Ermittluungen und weiterhin versuchen sich in so vielen Dingen wie möglich zu einigen. Der nächste Statusreport zum Fortschritt der Einigungen ist für den Sommer bis 2. Juli angesetzt.

Zitat von geli2709

Das sie kooperieren, um irgendwo und irgendwann zu einer Einigung zu kommen, ist selbstverständlich

Selbstverständlich ist es ja nicht, denn anderfalls hätten wir ja schon einen Prozesstermin.

Mit der Findung von vielen Einigungen hat es offensichtlich nicht geklappt.


Ein Prozesstermin ist nun für Februar 2017 angesetzt. Ein Zeitraum von 3 Wochen ab 6. Februar 2017 ist angesetzt.

Trial is set for next year - 2017

ORDER

This case was on the Court's November 17, 2014 trial calendar for Los
Angeles, California, and raises mostly valuation questions. The Court
spoke with the parties on January 6, 2016 and all agreed that it
requires a special session and pretrial order. After discussing trial
dates for early next year with the parties, it is ORDERED that this case
is calendared for a 3-week trial at a special session of the Court
starting at 10:00 a.m., on Monday, February 6, 2017, Room 1174,
Edward R. Roybal Center & Federal Building, 255 E. Temple Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90012. This order is the official notice to the parties
of that trial.

It is also ORDERED that the parties shall file on or before February 26,
2016, a joint status report proposing a pretrial order that shall
include dates for at least the
following events:

I. Deadlines for informal and formal discovery.
II. Identification of each witness expected to be called by name,
address, qualifications of the witness, and a brief summary of the
expected testimony of each such witness.
III. Deadline for filing discovery motions.
IV. Deadline for exchange and lodging with the Court of any expertwitness reports.
V. Deadline for filing any motions concerning stipulations of fact.
VI. Deadline for submitting any dispositive motions.
VII. Deadline for submitting any other pretrial motions (e.g. motions in
limine to exclude evidence or to shift the burden of proof).
VIII. Identification and exchange of any exhibits that each party may
offer into evidence as part of his case in chief (excluding only
exhibits to be used solely for impeachment).
IX. Lodging of stipulations of fact with Court.
X. Submission oftrial memoranda with Court.

(Signed) Mark V. Holmes
Judge
Dated: Washington, D.C.
February 2, 2016

Der Prozess startet übrigens nächste Woche und ich muss sagen mir ist ein bischen Angst und Bange was da rauskommen wird. Es übrigens kein Jury-Prozess, sondern ein Richter wird der das Urteil und die Entscheidungen fällen.

Im Vorfeld vom Richter auch wieder mal eine Entscheidung gegen den Estate. Er lässt einen Experten zu, der über darüber spricht wie viel mehr wert Rechte zu Image, Besitz, Musikrechten ist wenn ein Käufer sie als Gesamtpacket erwerben kann (es geht ja immer um den Todeszeitpunkt), als wenn jedes Packet als Einzelwert bewertet wird.

Michael Jackson Tax Judge Allows Trial Testimony About Intellectual Property Mashups http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr...mashups-971892

Es geht ja hier nicht unbedingt um die Arbeiten des Estates in der Vergangenheit, sondern um die Wertbemessung von Michaels Besitz/Marktwert zum Todeszeitpunkt. Mit diese Bewertung hatten die Verwalter eine Expertenfirma beauftragt.
Es wird auch nicht der Estate/Veralter gerade stehen, sondern hier geht es ganz konkret um das Erbe der Kinder und wie viel davon übrig bleibt je nach Höhe der IRS-Nachzahlung. Der Estate hätte Michaels Besitz und sein Image ja zum Todeszeitpunkt auf hunderte Millionen bis Milliarde setzen können, die Steuer hätten nicht sie gezahlt, sondern sie hätten das gleich den anderen Schulden hinzufügen können.

Letztlich wird dies auch in gewisser als Musterprozess gesehen für die zukünftige Ausrichtung anderes Estates von Berühmtheiten.

Paris Anwalt hatte in einem anderen Artikel schon angemerkt, dass auf der Grund der IRS-Forderung und der ausstehenden Klärung es ist derzeit nicht möglich ist an persönlichen Besitz des Vaters (auch Erinnerungsstücke) zu kommen, da dieser ja auch einen Wert haben und daher gelagert bleiben müssen bis die IRS-Forderung geklärt ist.

Branca war gestern als erster im Zeugenstand. Es wird erwartet das der Prozess 3 Wochen dauert.

John Branca Takes the Stand in Michael Jackson Tax Trial
http://www.billboard.com/artic…michael-jackson-tax-trial

"When I tell these stories, I actually tell them with affection,” says Branca of the late King of Pop.
"Wen ich diese Stories erzähle, erzähle ich sie mit Betroffenheit" sagt Branca über die verstorbenen King of Pop.

Prominent music attorney John Branca took the stand Monday on the first day of trial in a potentially billion-dollar tax fight between Michael Jackson's estate and the IRS.

Branca, who represented the King of Pop off and on for nearly three decades, took the stand after lunch, and spent nearly four hours being examined by Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman.
Branca, der den King of Pop mit Auszeiten über 3 Jahrzehnte vertrat nahm den Stand nach der Mittagspause und verbrachte fast 4 Stunden damit vom Estate Anwalt Weitzmann befragt zu werden.

Trial is expected to last three weeks, as attorneys for the estate and the government each work to convince a judge that their value of Jackson's likeness at the time of his death is the correct one. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest musical talents who ever lived — but the court will have to decide if accusations of child molestation, rumors of drug use and a lack of tours and album releases in the last few years of his life were enough to lower the value of his brand.

The mood in the courtroom was starkly different than that of others in the same downtown L.A. federal courthouse. U.S. Tax Court Judge Mark Holmes, the attorneys and the witness, Branca, routinely cracked jokes amid a very serious conversation about Jackson's financial woes.
Die Stimmung im Gerichtssaal war sehr unterschiedlich zu denen von anderen Prozessen dieses Steuergerichtes. Richter Mark Holmes, die Anwälte und der Zeuge Branca machten immer wieder Scherze und hatten eine ernste Unterhaltung über Jacksons finanzielle Situation

Branca told the court Jackson was about $400 million in debt when he died, leaving estate attorneys scrambling to avoid foreclosures on his properties and music assets. (The parties also disagree about how much Jackson's beneficial interest in the Sony-ATV and MIJAC music catalogs were worth.)
Branca sagte dem Gericht, dass Jackson Schulden von 400 Mio. Dollar hatte als er starb und Estate-Anwälte strampeln ließ um Pfändung von seinen Besitztümern und Musikrechten zu vermeiden.

The more relaxed atmosphere gave Branca license to be more expositional with his answers to Weitzman's questions, which would have likely been cut off by a judge in a standard civil law courtroom.

“I’m going to tear up," Branca said. "Michael was a genius. He was a great guy. When I tell these stories, I actually tell them with affection.”
"Ich bin zu Tränen berührt "sagt Branca. "Michael war ein Genie, er war ein großartiger Kerl, Wenn ich diese Stories erzähle tue ich dies mit Betroffenheit"

Among countless deals for the singer, Branca helped renegotiate Jackson's recording deal to reflect his status as a solo artists and inked a sponsorship deal with Pepsi for his family's 1984 Victory tour. “Michael made me write into the contract that he would never be seen holding a Pepsi can and he would never be onscreen for more than three seconds,” said Branca.
Unter zahlreichen Deals für den Sänger half Branca Jacksons Plattendeals zu verhandeln um seinen Status als Solakünstler zu reflektieren und verlinkte einen Sponsordeal mit Pepsi mit der 1984 Victory Familientour. "Michael ließ mich in den Vertrag schreiben, dass er niemals eine Pepsi-Dose halten wird und er würde nie mehr als 3 Sekunden auf dem Bidlschirm sein" sagt Branca

A decade later, the work wasn't so easy. By the time Jackson was preparing for his international HIStory tour in the late '90s the first sexual molestation allegations against him had surfaced and no sponsors were interested.
Ein Jahrzehnt später war die Arbeit nicht mehr so leicht. Zu dieser Zeit hat sich Jackson für die History Tour in den späten 90er vorbereitet, die ersten Missbrauchsvorwürfe gegen ihn waren bekannt und Sponsoren waren nicht intressiert.

"Were there any offers for the use of Michaels name and likeness during that period?" asked Weitzman. "Nothing credible that I recall," said Branca.
"Gab es Angebot für diese Zeit um Michaels Name und Likeness in dieser Periode zu nutzen? fragte Weitzmann. "Nicht seriöses an das ich mich erinnere" sagt Branca

Proving Jackson's reputation had been tarnished by allegations against him and tabloid fodder is key in the estate's efforts to support their valuation of his likeness rights at the time he died.
Die angeschlagene Reputation durch die Anschuldigen und die Tabloid-Presse ist Schlüssel in den Bemühungen des Estates ihre Schätzung zu den Likeness-Rechten von Jackson zum Todeszeitpunkt darzulegen.

After several years of not working together, Branca met with Jackson just more than a week before the singer's death and brought with him a list of potential ideas. That list included a "Thriller" film, play and haunted house attraction, as well as album and DVD re-releases — but none of his ideas involved licensing Jackson's name or likeness.
Nach einigen Jahren wo sie nicht miteinander arbeiteten traf Branca sich mit Jackson gut eine Woche vor Jacksons Tod und ging mit ihm eine Liste potenzieller Ideen durch. Die Lise hat einen Thriller-Fim, Album und DVD-Veröffentlichungen umfasst- aber keine der Ideen involvierte die Lizensierung von Jacksons Name oder Likeness.

Weitzman asks if musicians make a lot of money in general merchandising, which he described as licensing an artist's name and image for mugs, T-shirts and other tchotchkes. "No," said Branca. "That income for most musicians is dwarfed compared to the money they make from recordings, their songs and especially the tours. Putting out a record is not a name and likeness right."
Weizmann fragt ob Musiker viel Geld machen im generellen mit Merchandising was er benennt den Namen/Image eines Künstler für Mugs zu verkaufen ... T-Shirts und ähnlichem. "Nein, sagt Branca. Dieses Einkommen ist für meisten Musiker geringfügig verglichen mit dem Geld was sie machen mit Platten, ihren Songs und besonders den Touren. Eine Platte herauszubringen hat nichts mit Names- und Likeness-Rechten zu tun."

That's also important — because since Jackson's death, the estate has used unreleased rehearsal footage to make This is It, which is one of the biggest grossing concert films ever, and launched a lucrative Las Vegas show in partnership with Cirque du Soleil. Branca said neither of those qualify as likeness deals.
Das ist wichtig, da Jacksons Estate seit seinem Tod unveröffentlichte Musik, Probeaufnahme für TII veröffentlicht hat, der zum meist verkauften/besuchten Konzertfilm jemals wurde, sie eröffneten eine lukrative Las Vegas Show in Partnerschaft mit Cirque. Branca sagt, keiner dieser Deals ist ein Likeness-Deal.

After two failed clothing line licensing attempts during the course of his living career, the one likeness deal that shows potential after his death is with a teen clothing company called Supreme. Branca explained to Holmes that kids are "crazy" for the company's shirts and the deal is an effort to rebrand Jackson's image with a younger audience.
Nach 2 fehlgeschlagenen Versuchen in der Zeit seiner Karriere eine Kleiderlinie zu veröffentlichen ist der einzige Likeness-Deal nach seinem Tod der Potenzial hat verbunden mit Teenie-Kleidung, genannt Supreme. Branca erklärt Holmes das Kids verrückt nach den T-Shirts der Firma sind und der Deal ist eine Bemühung Jacksons Marke mit einem jüngeren Publikum zu verbinden.

"We make no money from it, but maybe someday we’ll get new fans," he said.
"Wir machen kein Geld damit, aber vielleicht eines Tages erhalten wir neue Fans", sagt er

The IRS' attorneys declined to cross-examine Branca, in favor of calling him back to testify when they present their case.
Die IRS-Anwälte verneinten die Cross-Vernehmung von Branca und favorisieren es ihn zur Aussage zurückzuholen, wenn sie ihren Fall präsentieren.

Before letting Branca leave the stand, the judge took the opportunity to ask him to explain one of Jackson's lyrics. "You’re familiar with 'Thriller,'" said Holmes. "What exactly does 'the funk of 40,000 years' mean?"
Bevor Branca den Stand verließ fragte ihn der Richter ob er einige von Jacksons Lyriks erklären kann. "Sie sind familiär mit Thriller" sagt Holmes "Was genau bedeutet "The funk of 40000 year?

"Karma," answered Branca.
Karma antwortet Branca

Einer der Gründe warum ich den Prozess wirklich nicht herbeigesehnt habe und auf eine Vorabeinigung gehofft hatte ist, dass Michaels schlimme schlimme finanzielle Situation vom Estate dargelegt werden muss um sich gegen die Forderung der IRS zu Wehr zu setzen und gegen sie zu klagen,
Hier noch ein paar ganz konkrete Aussagen vom Banker Dunn im Vorpost erwähnt, der vorgestern im Zeugenstand war und von Michael in 2007 angestellt wurde

Michael Jackson was on verge of bankruptcy before death, banker testifies in court

Banker David Dunn said he was hired in 2007 to help pull Jackson back from the brink of bankruptcy after his 2005 child molestation trial prompted at least one lender, Bank of America, to bolt.

Michael Jackson’s finances were off-the-wall complicated and near collapse before his 2009 death, a banker testified Tuesday in a megabucks tax trial pitting the singer’s estate against the IRS.

“He was on the edge,” banker David Dunn testified in U.S. Tax Court in Los Angeles. “He was desperately trying to figure out what he could do to address his financial crisis.”

Experts said the long-awaited trial could lead to a whopping $1 billion tax bill for the King of Pop’s estate if the judge finds it undervalued assets, as alleged by Uncle Sam.

Dunn testified he was hired in 2007 to help pull Jackson back from the brink of bankruptcy after his 2005 child molestation trial prompted at least one lender, Bank of America, to bolt.

He described efforts to restructure Jackson’s towering debt – and how the Thriller singer often undermined him at the last minute by signing unfavorable side deals that lured him in with upfront cash.
Er beschrieb seine Bemühungen um Jacksons Schulden in den Griff zu kriegen und wie Michael ihn oft untergrab indem er unvorteilhafte last_Minutes-Deals unterschrieb, die ihn zur Vorauszahlung zwangen.

Dunn said Jackson remained in a “very precarious situation” in early 2008 with more than $300 million in debt, out-of-control spending habits and his lavish Neverland Ranch near foreclosure.
Dunn sagte das Jackson in einer sehr prikären Situation in den frühen 2008er war mit mehr als 300 Mio. Schulden aus außer Kontrolle-Ausgaben und seine Neverland Ranch vor der Zwangsversteigerung.

“We talked about his sadness in knowing he was never going to live in Neverland again,” Dunn said. “It was the culmination of the molestation allegations, the culmination of recognizing the financial situation he was in.”
"Wir sprachen über seine Traurigkeit in dem Wissen das er niemals mehr auf Neverland leben wird, sagt Dunn. Es war die Folge der Missbrauchsvorwürfe, die Folge der Erkennung der finanziellen Situation in der er ist."

The banker said he spoke with Jackson at least once a month by phone.

“He talked about his young career and being at his peak. He was struggling with how to make a living and still be with his children, who were of paramount importance,” Dunn, who works at Shot Tower Capital, said.
"Er sprach über seine Anfangszeit der Karierre und auf dem Höhepunkt zu sein. Er kämpfte damit ein Leben zu bestreiten und mit seinen Kindern zu sein, die von vorrangiger Wichtigkeit für ihn waren."

The Baltimore banker recalled Jackson once interrupting “a fairly intense discussion of his personal finances” to retrieve his youngest child, who was feeling sick. He said Jackson plopped the boy on the table and comforted him with a bag of candy corn.
Der Baltimore Banker erinnert sich das Jackson ihn einmal unterbrach "Eine wirklich intensive Diskussion über seine persönl. Finanzen" um sein jüngstes Kind zu beruhigen das krank war. Er sagte Jackson hob den Jungen auf den Tisch und machte das er sich wohl fühlt mit einer Tasche mit Süßigkeiten."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson even sat Jackson down for a “lecture” in Las Vegas at one point, Dunn said.
Selbst Rev. Jesse Jackson saß mit Jackson für Lektion zusammen an einem Punkt.

“He just said, ‘Michael, this is you, you’ve got a bucket, and this tap here is your cash flow. …We’ve got to put a bottom on your bucket, you have to stop spending,’” Dunn recalled.
"Er sagte nur. Michael das bist Du, Das ist Dein Budget und dieser Teil ist Dein Cash-Flow... Wir machen einen Stöpsel auf Dein Budget und Du musst aufhören auszugeben., sagte Dunn

“(Jackson) borrowed a lot of money, he knew he had financial issues…but the last thing he wanted to do was tour. He was looking for other things to generate income to avoid doing what he wound up agreeing to do,” Dunn said.
"Jackson lieh eine Menge Geld, er wusste er hatte Finanzschwierigkeiten, aber das letzte was er wollte war zu touren. Er schaute nach anderen Dingen um Einkommen zu generieren, wozu er zustimmte es zu machen" sagte Dunn.

Dunn said he resigned in May 2009 because it was hard to tell “which way was up, which way was down," and Jackson hadn't paid him in two years, despite owing him some $300,000.
Dunn sagte er kündigte im Mai 2009 weil es schwer zu sagen war "welcher ist aufwärts, welcher Weg geht nach unten" und Jackson hatte ihn nicht gezahlt seit 2 Jahren und schuldete ihm 300000 Dollar.

Jackson had agreed to his “This Is It” comeback tour and was surrounding himself with some new people who made Dunn “uncomfortable.”
Jackson sagte der TII-Tour zu und umgab sich wiedermals mit dubiosen Leuten, die Dunn sich unwohl fühlen machten.

This included Arfak Hussain, a British fraudster who “made two bottles of $100,000 perfume and sold them both to Michael," Dunn testified
Diese umfassten Arfak Hussain, ein brit. Unternehmer " der 2 Flaschen Parfume für 100000 Dollar an Michael verkaufte." sagte Dunn.

Jackson died June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles from an overdose of the surgery-strength anesthetic propofol, which he was using off-label as a sleep aid during preparation for "This Is It.”

After Jackson's death, interest in his music spiked, Dunn said. The new revenue allowed his estate to refinance his complex web of debt and generate new income with the “This Is It” concert movie and a lucrative Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas.

Jackson’s longtime attorney John Branca was in court for a second day Tuesday after taking the witness stand Monday.

The tax fight started in 2013 after the IRS claimed the estate undervalued assets including the worth of Jackson’s likeness and image when he died.

If the IRS wins, the estate could be on the hook for unpaid taxes, interest and penalties in the range of $700 million to $1 billion, experts said.

Jackson’s estate maintains the singer was so tarnished by his child molestation trial and media coverage of his eccentric personal life that his image was virtually worthless when he died.

The IRS insists it had a value topping $400 million.

“It is important to keep in mind that the value of Jackson’s right of publicity must be determined as it stood on the date of Jackson’s death and not at a later date,” estate expert Laura Zwicker, a partner at Greenberg Glusker in Los Angeles, told the Daily News on Tuesday.

“The IRS will try to use the earning potential shown following Jackson’s death as evidence of the intrinsic value on Jackson’s date of death and Jackson’s estate will try to argue that all of the earnings were a result of the efforts of Jackson’s representatives following his death and those earnings have no relevance to the value as of his date of death,” Zwicker said.

Und gestern war ein Greenberg-Anwalt Chieffo und auch Matt Forger im Zeugenstand.

Greenberg Atty Explains Michael Jackson Estate’s IP Moves
https://www.law360.com/article…jackson-estate-s-ip-moves

Law360, Los Angeles (February 8, 2017, 11:12 PM EST) -- Michael Jackson’s estate Wednesday called Greenberg Traurig LLP’s entertainment practice co-chair to testify about the estate's efforts to protect and expand Jackson's intellectual property rights after his death, in the trial to determine if the estate owes the IRS hundreds of millions of dollars for undervaluing its assets.

During the third day of the three-week trial before U.S. Tax Judge Mark Holmes in Los Angeles, the estate called to the stand Vincent Chieffo, the co-chair of Greenberg’s national media and entertainment practice, to testify about the work he had done helping the estate protect its trademarks, copyrights and publicity rights. The value of those publicity rights, also known as name and likeness rights, have been hotly contested in the estate’s dispute with the Internal Revenue Service, with the two sides being nearly $160 million apart in their respective valuations of the rights at the time of Jackson’s death in 2009.

Under direct examination by Robert Horwitz of Hochman Salkin Rettig Toscher & Perez PC, representing the estate, Chieffo testified about how he was brought in as part of the legal team assembled in the days after Jackson's death, and that after attorney John Branca and Jackson's childhood friend John McClain were named co-executors, Chieffo and his colleagues began a multipronged effort to protect and expand the estate's intellectual property rights.
Chieffo und Kollegen wurden vom Estate angestellt um in vielfältigen Bemühungen die intellektuellen Besitzrechte zu schützen und zu expandieren.

Chieffo said that when Jackson died, he had only two active registered trademarks in the U.S., having let other marks lapse or abandoning them, and so the estate not only had to begin sending cease-and-desist letters and filing lawsuits against entities that were now selling rip-off merchandise or claiming a right to use Jackson's name and likeness, but also had to file dozens of new trademarks to actually be able to capitalize on the King of Pop's image.
Chieffo sagte als Jackson starb hat er nur 2 aktive regestrierte Trademarks in den USA,, ..und so hat der Estate nicht nur begonnen Klageandrohungsbriefe zu schreiben und Klagen gegen Firmen einzureichen, die nun begannen Merchandise unter Jacksons Image und Namen zu verkaufen, sondern sie hatten auch Dutzende von neuen Trademarks zu beantragen um fähig zu sein über das Image von Michael Jackson zu verfügen,

“[The estate's legal team was] growing and expanding the business of the estate from what it was when Michael died, so as to create what’s called secondary meaning… and create more value in the estate than was there when Michael died,” he said.
"Das Rechtsteam vom Estate wuchs und erweiterte sein Buisiness in den Zeiten nachdem Michael starb um eine was genannte wird sekundäre Bedeutung zu erschaffen und mehr Wert im Estate zu schaffen als es zu Zeiten war als Michael starb."

Things got heated shortly before the conclusion of Chieffo’s direct testimony, however, when Chieffo was testifying about a cease-and-desist letter he had sent to an attorney, Laurence Nimmer, who had made and was selling an unauthorized Michael Jackson documentary comprised of footage he obtained while working for criminal defense attorneys that represented Jackson in a 2005 trial on child molestation charges.
Es wird auch ein Klageandrohungsbrief gegen Nimmer erwähnt, der unautorisiert eine Michael Jackson Doku erstellte und verkaufte mit Material das er erhielt als er für einen Anwalt arbeitete in Jacksons 2005-Prozess.

IRS attorney Donna Herbert objected to the estate introducing into evidence an email sent by Nimmer, purportedly in response to Chieffo’s cease-and-desist letter, to attorney Paul Gordon Hoffman — who is representing the estate in the tax trial — and to Nimmer’s brother, noted copyright expert David Nimmer.

“Mr. Nimmer isn’t in the courtroom,” she said. “‘We could call Mr. Hoffman but then he’d have to recuse himself.”

The estate’s attorney Steven Toscher of Hochman Salkin Rettig Toscher & Perez asked Herbert if she meant from the instant proceeding, and when she responded in the affirmative, he leaped to his feet in protest.

“And we could call Ms. Herbert and she could be excluded; let’s get on with it,” he said. “This is ridiculous.”

Judge Holmes ruled that the email would not be admitted into evidence, and the direct examination was concluded.

Jackson’s estate had petitioned the tax court in July 2013, challenging a lengthy notice of deficiency the IRS mailed to the estate that month. The notice contested the estate’s reported valuation of a litany of items, including a 2001 Bentley Arnage and rights to the master recordings of the Jackson 5.

According to the notice, the IRS adjusted the value of the estate from $7 million to $1.32 billion. As a result, the agency demanded $702 million, including $505.1 million in deficiencies and $196.9 million in accuracy-related penalties.

The most notable discrepancy between the valuations of the parties as highlighted in the notice included the right to Jackson’s image and likeness. The IRS originally pegged that asset at $434.3 million, whereas the estate had claimed the right was worth only $2,105.

In the run-up to the trial, the IRS continued adjusting its proposed value of the estate, increasing the assessed value of Jackson's Mijac music catalog — which held the singer's own songwriting copyrights — by tens of millions of dollars, but revising its proposed value of Jackson's name and likeness upon his death to $161 million.

During Monday's opening statements, Avram Salkin of Hochman Salkin Rettig Toscher & Perez PC, representing the estate, said that at the time of Jackson's death, his estate was burdened with over $400 million in debt and that the name and likeness rights were only worth $3 million. Salkin also said that the IRS had overvalued the Mijac catalog by roughly $90 million and Jackson's half-share of music publishing company Sony/ATV by $200 million. Jackson's estate sold that share to Sony for $750 million last year.

On Wednesday, before calling Chieffo, the estate called to the stand Matt Forger, a sound engineer who worked with Jackson during his life, and then had helped the estate go through unreleased material after the singer’s death to determine what songs might be viable for later commercial release.
Bevor Chiffo in den Zeugenstand gerufen wurde sagte Sound-Ingeneur Matt Forger aus der mit Michael zusammengearbeitet hat und später dem Estate half durch unveröffentlichtes Material zu gehen um zu bestimmen welches Material für die Veröffentlichung geeignet ist.

The IRS has contended in the trial that the estate undervalued significantly the value of the unreleased material, while the estate has countered that these songs were unreleased for a reason, and could not have been expected to be smash hits.

Forger testified that IRS expert Wes Anson’s assessement that the estate had eight to 10 albums worth of unreleased material at its disposal at the time of Jackson’s death was predicated on assuming all of the unreleased masters were in shape to be released, when many were “recordings of fragments of songs.”
Forger sagte aus, dass der IRS Experte Wes Anson sagt, das der Estate 10 Albums mit unveröffentlichtem Material habe und annehme das diese unveröffentlichten Masters im Zustand sind veröffentlicht zu werden, wenn in Fakt die "Aufnahmen Fragmente von Songs" sind.

IRS attorney Jordan Musen cross-examined Forger, asking him to confirm that the estate was in possession of songs that Jackson had completed before his death, and that simply hadn't been included on the albums they were originally recorded for.

IRS Anwalt Jordan Musen fragte Forger im Kreuzverhör ob der Estate im Besitz sei von Songs, die er vor seinem Tod kompletiert hat und die nur nicht auf Albums kamen für die sie im Original aufgenommen worden sind.

“They were not included because Michael did not feel they were of the quality of the ones that were included,” Forger responded.
"Sie wurden nicht aufgenommen weil Michael nicht fühlte, dass sie von der Qualität sind sie einzubeziehen" sagte Forger.