Katherine Jackson: What Does “No Contest” Mean?
Just like Popsquire predicted, the lawyers in the Michael Jackson probate case are not cooperating.
[Bauer Griffin Online]
Sure, the lawyers emerged from the July 6 court hearing insisting that all parties would get along, but it didn’t last very long. On Friday, Katherine Jackson’s attorneys filed papers asking the court for permission to contest MJ’s appointment of John Branca and John McClain as the estate’s trustees.
Here’s the glitch. According to legal papers, Michael’s trust included a “no-contest clause,” which means that anyone who challenges the terms of the trust will disinherit their share of his estate.
So, how can Katherine do this?
It’s common practice in probate court to file a “probe.” This permits a beneficiary to apply to a court for a determination on whether a particular motion, petition, or other act by the beneficiary would be a contest within the terms of a no contest clause. In this case, Katherine wants to know if she can contest who is in charge of the estate, not who gets what from the estate.
The hearing on this issue is set for August 3, the same date that the court is scheduled to entertain a hearing on the custody of MJ’s kids.
Popsquire will keep you posted.
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