Michael Jackson estate to appeal Quincy Jones’ $9.4m win

Michael Jackson’s estate will appeal a Los Angeles Superior Court decision this week that it owes his legendary record producer Quincy Jones US$9.4 million. 

After two days of deliberation, a jury of 12 decided it was considerably less than the $30 million that Jones wanted when he initiated the lawsuit in 2013. 

But the estate’s lawyers, Howard Weitzman and Zia Modabber, said that Jones should not be given the money. 

In a statement, they said that while the jury had denied two-thirds of the money that Jones demanded, “We still believe that giving him millions of dollars that he has no right to receive under his contracts is wrong." 

They added that the decision would “reinterpret the legal language in, and effectively rewrite, contracts that Mr. Jones lived under for more than three decades.” 

Jones for his part called the payout: “Not only as a victory for myself personally, but for artists’ rights overall.” 

He emphasised that the lawsuit was not an attack on Jackson.  

Jones played a pivotal role in the making of Jackson’s classic albums Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad. 

He made a millions of dollars from the sales of the records. Between 2007 and 2011 alone, the figure was $11 million, according to the estate. 

But Jones’ contention was that he was owed extra money due to the use of those tracks in the documentary concert film This Is It (released after Jackson’s death in 2009) and two Cirque du Soleil shows. 

He also claimed that remixes had been made of some of the tracks to avoid paying him royalties. 

The legal case was centred on two contracts that were signed in 1978 and 1985. 

The jury was told it was important to look at the actions of the parties between the timeframe the contracts were signed, to when Jones initiated the lawsuit in 2013, to interpret what the words of the contract meant at the time.

The jurors had to look at Jones’ belief he should continue to get a share of profits from Jackson’s records after the singer entered a joint venture with Sony in 1991.

Should Jones have received a share of the profits from the movie and shows, or was he just entitled to licensing fees?

This was the difference between the $30 million Jones demanded, and the $392,000 that the estate insisted he was entitled to.

When the contract said he was entitled to a share of proceeds from a “video show”, did that mean a movie, as Jones claimed, or did it just apply to music videos, as the estate insisted.

This Is It grossed $252 million from cinemas worldwide and $62 million from DVD sales, according to The Numbers website.

“You don’t deserve a raise,“ Weitzman said during closing arguments. “You can’t have any more of Michael Jackson’s money.”

Weitzman and Modabber said post-case, “Any amount above and beyond what is called for in his contracts is too much and unfair to Michael’s heirs.

“Although Mr. Jones is portraying this is a victory for artists’ rights, the real artist is Michael Jackson and it is his money Mr. Jones is seeking.”

Quincy Jones’ full statement is below:

“As an artist, maintaining the vision and integrity of one’s creation is of paramount importance.

“I, along with the team I assembled with Michael, took great care and purpose in creating these albums, and it has always given me a great sense of pride and comfort that three decades after they were originally recorded, these songs are still being played in every corner of the world.

“This was never about Michael, it was about protecting the integrity of the work we all did in the recording studio and the legacy of what we created.

“Although this judgement is not the full amount that I was seeking, I am very grateful that the jury decided in our favor in this matter. I view it not only as a victory for myself personally, but for artists’ rights overall.”