Michael Jackson’s untimely death brought shock and sadness to everyone. Beneath the layer of several plastic surgeries was a talented entertainer who had once removed the barriers of racial discrimination through his songs.

People knew Jackson for his world-famous, trademark dance moves and chart-topping songs. He was inarguably one of the most popular recording artists of all time.

However, people knew little or nothing about his career as a businessman. All this time, Jackson had ventured into several businesses to expand his empire and dealings.

When Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the songs “The Girl is Mine” and “Say Say Say”, McCartney introduced him to the business of music catalogs.

Subsequently, he began his business career of buying, selling and distributing publishing rights to music from numerous artists.

In 2006, Jackson began experiencing financial problems. Consequently, the main house on the Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure. Also during that time, he faced one major financial concern regarding a $270 million loan secured against his music publishing holdings. To help him out of the loan, he agreed to Sony’s backed refinancing deal.

The financial crisis caused Jackson’s net worth to drop. However, private-equity firm Colony Capital’s Tom Barrack was determined to set Jackson’s comeback and made dealings with him. Barrack said that the economic downturn made Jackson even more attractive for investment.

The value of Neverland and related assets was made the collateral for the money Colony had put up for Jackson. Should Jackson regain his financial footing, future deals with Barrack were expected.

However, Barrack could only hope for what could have been a promising partnership between them. Jackson’s death certainly put a toll, if not a total stop to all their plans.

Except on obligations personal to Jackson, Barrack could negotiate with Jackson’s surviving family for all others. Both parties just need to employ the services of an experienced and skilled business lawyer to iron out problems that would come their way.

Imagine the following scenario:  You have just experienced an unprecedented event in the growth of your business.  You’ve reached a level of success that you have not achieved in years.  But then suddenly, there’s a snag.  A contract you signed almost a year before creates a business conflict which places your business in a less than advantageous position, causing you to lose not only short term revenue, but a long time customer.

This is exactly what has happened to the Denver Nuggets, the Pepsi Center and the owner of both entities, Stan Kroenke, in the last week.  Read the rest of this entry »

Due to the proliferation of over the top advertising hype and unflattering media portrayals of claims being faked for comedic effect, most people don’t really understand what a personal injury case is really all about.  With this in mind, here are 5 common misconceptions that people have about personal injury cases:

Misconception #1 - Your lawsuit will involve you fighting directly against the other party: Read the rest of this entry »

According to  this article in the New York Times, an attorney in New York filed a discrimination claim against Columbia University accusing the University of discriminating against males.  The suit alleges that by offering women’s studies programs without a corresponding “men’s studies” program, the University is violating the Equal Protection provisions of the U.S. Constitution.   The U.S. District Court in New York dismissed the suit on April 23, 2007,  noting that the suit was baseless and frivolous.

As ridiculous as this claim is, it underlines one of the considerations that a potential litigant should consider before filing a discrimination or harassment lawsuit.   Read the rest of this entry »

The seminal graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons centers around an unlikely grouping of retired superheroes fighting to stave off a disaster of epic proportions. Recently, the attempt by Warner Brothers to release a movie based on the graphic novel has generated a legal controversy which could be a disaster of epic proportions for Warner Brothers, unless an even more unlikely group of heroes, a group of corporate lawyers, can save the day. Read the rest of this entry »

One common problem I encounter regularly as a part of the business litigation practice here at Mesriani Law Group is the fact that my client failed to put an agreement in writing. Many small businesses tend to act on a handshake basis, working from an oral agreement. Unfortunately, if an agreement is only oral, there is no real evidence it exists.

I find that many of my small business clients will tell me that they didn’t get the agreement in writing because they trusted the other side and the other side “gave their word.” Read the rest of this entry »

According to the Los Angeles Times, the recent verdict Mattel, Inc. received over rival MGA Entertainment, Inc. may have been tainted by racism among the jurors.  The case entailed Mattel, the owners of the Barbie franchise, suing MGA over its Bratz line of dolls, which Mattel claims were created by someone who was under contract to Mattel at the time.

The racism issue was raised by a juror reporting to the judge that another juror made multiple racial comments about MGA’s Isaac Larian, who is Persian.  Read the rest of this entry »

Although a top flight personal injury attorney like Mesriani Law Group will handle the majority of your automobile accident case, as a personal injury plaintiff, there are certain steps you can take to help your attorney get the best recovery possible for your injuries.  Here are a few suggestions:

1.     Don’t Try to Hide “Bad” Information:   This is a common mistake that personal injury plaintiffs make.  They don’t tell their attorneys about previous accidents or injuries, thinking they can hide them from their attorneys and the insurance company.  Read the rest of this entry »

Though many people are aware that they have the right to recovery for discrimination and harassment by an employer, most people are not that familiar with the nuts and bolts of such claims.  As a result, there are a number of misconceptions regarding to the way an employment claim works.   Read the rest of this entry »

Although much of the preparation and presentation of a Social Security Case involves legal analysis and preparation, a smart social security claimant can take several steps to help his or her attorneys in preparing a winning claim.  Read the rest of this entry »