California Apparel News

After a lawsuit was filed by three brothers of music superstar Michael Jackson, manufacturer and showroom owner Steeve Bohbot said he is aggressively working to resolve breach-of-contract allegations arising from the promotion of replica jackets from Jackson's iconic “Beat It” and “Thriller” videos.

#8232;As part of the resolution, Bibby Financial Services has paid Jackson's estate $234,000 for its part of the deal for the replica jackets, which were to be sold on Amazon.com. The sum was paid on Nov. 15, when the Jackson brothers’ suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Compensation for the brothers is being negotiated, said Nick Hart, managing director of Bibby. He said he hopes the dispute will be resolved the week of Nov. 21.

#8232;“We do not typically get involved with negotiations,” Hart said. “We’re trying to help out and make sure both sides are equitably dealt with.” The Jackson brothers’ lawyer, Eric J. Farber of Oakland, Calif.–based Farber & Foote, did not return a call for comment by press time.#8232;Bohbot said the lawsuit was the result of a miscommunication between the Jackson brothers, whom he has known for 25 years. Jermaine Jackson’s children are childhood friends of Bohbot’s.
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Bohbot also stated that he has not been paid by Amazon.com, the retailer that has exclusive rights to sell the replica jacket. “No one has made a penny on this yet,” Bohbot said.
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Bohbot had been given licenses by the Michael Jackson estate and Michael Laurent, the designer of the original “Beat It” and “Thriller” jackets, to manufacture limited runs of 500 each for the famous jackets. They were scheduled to go on sale Nov. 8 on Amazon.com. (The website had the jackets listed as “currently unavailable.quot;) Jackson 5 alums Marlon, Tito, Jackie and Jermaine Jackson had signed a patch inside each of the jackets, which were to retail for $2,350 each. Jermaine Jackson did not participate in the suit.
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The suit alleged that Bohbot promised to pay Marlon, Jackie and Tito $100,000 each for signing the jackets. It also sought reimbursement for $9,500 of the brothers’ travel costs, which was underwritten by the Jackson brothers' management company, The Sheridan Taylor Group.

#8232;The Jackson brothers’ complaint said Bohbot had ducked out of paying the Jackson brothers immediately after the jacket signing and later broke a promise to pay the brothers a few days later. According to the complaint, when he did not submit payment to the brothers after the jackets were delivered to Amazon.com, the brothers decided to file a lawsuit.
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The jackets are the most exacting detailed replicas of the “Beat It” and “Thriller” jackets, Bohbot said. Collectors and die-hard Michael Jackson fans were the intended demographic for the jackets.—Andrew Asch