Source: UsWeeklyMagazine.com
After nine days of separation, Katherine Jackson is back home with her grandkids. Early this morning, Paris Jackson tweeted: “grandma’s here! #thankyougod. <33” and Marlon Jackson tweeted: “my mom is home she look and sound great. ”
“Grandma” returned home just hours after Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff named her grandson Tito Joe (TJ) Jackson as the temporary guardian over Michael Jackson’s kids. That ruling gave the 34-year-old the ability to control the California home where the children live and to take on other supervision duties.
Michael’s Will named Diana Ross as a backup guardian if Katherine Jackson were unable to serve, but she reportedly supports the arrangement naming T.J. temporary guardian.
When the judge granted temporary guardianship, he noted that TJ Jackson would have to petition to become the permanent guardian within 48 hours and added that such a petition might not be heard if Katherine Jackson re-emerges.
And, as if on cue, the 82-year-old matriarch re-emerged.
Last night, Katherine Jackson spoke out on television for the first time in a week.
The Associated Press reports:
Katherine Jackson told ABC News that the court ruling was “based on a bunch of lies.”
“I am devastated that while I’ve been away, that my children, my grandchildren, have been taken away from me, and I’m coming home to see about that, also,” she said reading from a prepared statement.
She denied the suggestion made in court and in court filings to support TJ Jackson’s appointment that she was being held against her will.
“I am here today to let everybody know that I am fine and I am here with my children, and my children would never do a thing to me like that, holding me against my will,” she said while her children Randy, Janet and Rebbie were seated next to her. “It’s very stupid for people to think that.”
Contrary to that prepared statement, Prince Jackson, MJ’s oldest son took to Twitter (of course) to tell his side of the story.
I would first like to start off this tweet by thanking the fans that have always stood by me and my family, my dad really appreciated your support and I still treasure it to this day. As I am sure everyone is well aware of the events that have been going on. I have been holding off on backing up my sister and her tweets avidly because I was waiting for the time to reveal my side. As long as I can remember my dad had repeatedly warned me of certain people and their ways. Although I am happy my grandma was returned, after speaking with her I realized how misguided and how badly she was lied to. I’m really angry and hurt. The following image is of a group chat I had started to several family members. This group text message I had started was replied to but they didn’t know that I could see the responses. For this whole time, they denied us contact to our grandmother. “If you continue with your lies I will continue with the truth”
-Michael Jackson Jr.
He also posted a screenshot of a group text message he sent to family members inquiring about his grandmother:
Source: Prince Jackson Twitter
It appears there is more to Janet’s text message, but he didn’t show that part. CNN says the text exchange came three hours after Janet Jackson was seen on security camera video apparently attempting to take Paris Jackson’s cell phone away in the driveway of Katherine Jackson’s home.
According to the Associated Press:
The judge said there was no evidence that Katherine Jackson had done anything wrong but instead it appeared she was being prevented from fulfilling her role as guardian through the “intentional acts of third parties.” He didn’t elaborate but made the decision after reading court filings in which TJ Jackson expressed concern that Katherine Jackson was being prevented from returning.
He cited a Monday incident in which Janet, Randy and Jermaine Jackson arrived at the children’s home and told them they could speak with their grandmother but had to leave with them.
“This was odd and disturbing to me and (the children) and heightened our concern that our grandmother was being prohibited from returning home,” TJ Jackson wrote in a sworn statement. The incident turned into a confrontation between two male adults at the house and sheriff’s officials say it remains an ongoing battery investigation.
Beckloff (the judge) listened as attorneys described Katherine Jackson’s demeanor as unusual on phone calls placed to the children hours before the hearing.
TJ Jackson’s attorney Charles Shultz also revealed in court filings that the children were forced to miss school Wednesday because of concerns about their security.
Beckloff ruled the Jackson children could not leave California without court approval.
Katherine Jackson’s attorney Perry Sanders Jr. said after the hearing that he spoke with his client as she was driving back to Los Angeles from Tucson, Ariz., where she had been since July 15.
“She sounded absolutely fine, lucid and her normal self,” he said.
Sanders plans to ask the court to reinstate Katherine Jackson as guardian of the children when she is back in Los Angeles. He was looking forward to meeting with her in person on Thursday.
The public battle was revealed early Sunday after a relative reported Katherine Jackson missing, but she was later located safely with other family members in Arizona.
Jermaine Jackson tweeted that his mother was following doctor’s orders to cut off communications with MJ’s children, who range in age from 10 to 15. He didn’t provide further details.
Beckloff, who also oversees financial issues affecting Jackson’s estate, was initially reluctant to appoint a temporary guardian but changed his mind after hearing from several attorneys who expressed concern about the family’s problems.
He made the ruling after hearing TJ Jackson’s description of a “strange” conversation he had with Katherine Jackson on Tuesday evening.
“I’ve never heard my grandmother talk like that,” he said reluctantly. “In every way. The sound in her voice. The pauses.”
He said some of her speech sounded slurred and she used words that made him wonder if she was speaking in code.
Her son Marlon echoed those concerns on Twitter, complaining that siblings Janet, Randy and Jermaine were keeping her from him.
The children’s guardian ad litem, Margaret Lodise, said she spoke with the children and the two oldest, Prince and Paris, supported the appointment of a temporary guardian. Lodise did not ask the youngest son, 10-year-old Blanket, for his views.
Lodise is responsible for overseeing the children’s interests in the estate of their father.
Schultz said TJ Jackson didn’t want to replace Katherine Jackson as permanent guardian. Sanders said he would fight any move to have her permanently replaced.
He said he met with Randy and Janet Jackson in Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday, but he was not allowed to see his client. He said he still hoped the recent events were a misunderstanding, but he described them as “chaos.”
Chaos is a pretty apt description of this entire situation, but MJ’s estate has made $475 million dollars since he died plus past and future earnings, so it’s not surprising Michael Jackson’s siblings would lose their minds in pursuit of that pay day. What makes this situation seem like more than money is Janet’s involvement. She clearly is making her own money, so what reason would she have to be going after Michael Jackson’s? It’s not clear why she would be party to orchestrating Katherine Jackson’s abandonment of her guardianship duties.
One thing that isn’t surprising at all is Prince Jackson saying that his father warned him about certain people. Michael Jackson was rarely associated with his family during his later years and he didn’t name them in his Will. He was pretty eccentric himself, but he was sane enough to know how his siblings could be. It’s just sad that he isn’t here to shield his children from this drama. Hopefully their guardian, whether TJ, Katherine or even Diana, can keep the kids from being irreversibly damaged in all of this mess.
On his birthday today, Joe Jackson must be very proud of the kids he raised.
What do you think of this latest development? Do you think TJ should be the permanent guardian? Do you think all of this is about the money?
Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink
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