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Cashing in on the Michael Jackson Trial

Trial Update
April 3, 2005

Who's cashing in on Michael Jackson's legal troubles? Just about everyone, it seems.

Lawyers flying into Santa Maria to comment on tv for free, hoping for fame and a boost to their law practice. Lawyers with offices near the courthouse selling parking spaces and phone lines to the media. The court charging the media excessive access fees. Cops writing extra traffic tickets. Has-been actors. Even the witnesses against him.

Inside the courtroom, the spirit of self-promotion is thriving. From the witness stand on Tuesday, Stan Katz, the psychologist to whom the singer's accuser made his initial outcry, mentioned that his book, "The Co-Dependency Conspiracy," was available on Amazon.com. Comedy club owner Jamie Masada, who tended to the accuser throughout the child's cancer bout, told jurors how they could tune in to watch a documentary on his club. On Friday, prosecutors asked Feldman whether he was known as "one of the most successful plaintiff's lawyers around."

"Say it again -- for the press," Feldman replied.

The jurors are big notetakers. Are they hoping for a book deal when it's over? 90 days after the verdict, California jurors are free to sell their souls.

From yesterday's New York Times:

Anne Bremner has taken unpaid time off from her Seattle law practice to sit in the courtroom and offer television commentary on the Michael Jackson trial. The visibility the case has given her, she said, has meant millions of dollars of new business for her firm.

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    Re: Cashing in on the Michael Jackson Trial (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 08:50:37 PM EST
    More money in a not guilty verdict than a guilty verdict I suspect. I would almost think that when a jury returns NG there is more of a desire to learn why they returned it than when they return a G, but perhaps that is just me being jaded. - k

    Re: Cashing in on the Michael Jackson Trial (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 04:32:47 PM EST
    off topic comment deleted.

    Re: Cashing in on the Michael Jackson Trial (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 04:33:19 PM EST
    So? Big deal....Anytime you have sensational events, the circuses appear. Look at the water bottle gougers at Woodstock. It's all simple cause and effect. [remainder deleted, attempt to change topic of thread. Commenter warned.]

    Re: Cashing in on the Michael Jackson Trial (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Apr 13, 2005 at 09:04:47 AM EST
    http://www.michaeljacksonstrial.com is For Sale As Well. Thought you might be interested.

    Re: Cashing in on the Michael Jackson Trial (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Apr 13, 2005 at 09:05:23 AM EST