Chris's Crime Forum

Unfortunatly even though Michael Jackson has passed away there are going to be several different court cases going on to do with his children,his estate etc..The most important is what is going to happen to those poor children.Everyone wants a piece of the perverbial custody pie.Funny how money makes everyone act like a jackass when it should be what is best for the children.And doesn't it make you say wow to find out that Debbie Rowe all of a sudden remembers she has two children.

The above are my opinion only,please feel free to voice your own even if they differ from mine.It makes for good conversation.

The custody case over Michael Jackson's three young children presses on: Friday, a hearing that has been scheduled for next week was postponed until Aug. 3 because the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, is still assembling her legal team, a source tells PEOPLE. And in another new development, Jackson's father, Joe, whom Michael accused of physical abuse in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993, now says he is willing to step aside to help his wife win guardianship.

"Joe is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Katherine gets those kids, even if it means stepping aside," says a source close to the family. "He knows he's done nothing wrong, but he's willing to sign papers saying he doesn't live with Katherine and won't be involved in the raising of Michael's kids."

Katherine Jackson, 79, has been awarded temporary custody of Prince Michael Jackson, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II (Blanket), 7, although Debbie Rowe, Michael's former wife and the biological mother of the two oldest kids, is also said to be vying for custody. (The identity of Blanket's mother has never been revealed.)

A source close to the family tells PEOPLE, "Katherine wants to let everybody know that she's fighting for those children.”

Rowe has reportedly expressed concern about Joe Jackson playing an active role in the raising of the children. Although still married, Joe and Katherine spend most of their time apart; he has a home in Las Vegas and she lives at the family house in Encino, Calif.

Continues the family source: "It's too bad because he loves those grandchildren and they love him. Joe Jackson is being accused of being an abusive person. He's furious about that. And so are the grandkids. They've been crying about it. They know their grandfather isn't like that. He plays with them and has fun with them and they adore him."

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Katherine Jackson will raise her son's children under an agreement with the King of Pop's ex-wife, who will have visitation rights under the supervision of a child psychologist, attorneys said Thursday.

The agreement calls for Jackson's mother to remain guardian of the pop icon's three children, who range in ages from 7 to 12, in accordance with wishes spelled out in the singer's 2002 will. No money is changing hands as a result of the agreement, the statement said.

Deborah Rowe, the biological mother of the two oldest children who has been largely absent from their lives, gets visitation rights with the youngsters. A child psychologist, paid for jointly by Jackson and Rowe, will oversee the process, attorneys for Katherine Jackson and Rowe said in a joint statement.

Attorneys had worked for weeks to reach an amicable arrangement. The agreement announced Thursday ends the likelihood of a contentious and public custody fight over Jackson's children.

"Mrs. Jackson and the family are pleased this matter is resolved and was handled in a caring, thoughtful and courteous manner by the parties and their representatives," L. Londell McMillan and Diane Goodman, attorneys for Mrs. Jackson, wrote in a statement.

"We were all united in our goals to do what is best for Michael's wonderful children, and both Mrs. Jackson and Debbie Rowe were on the exact same page."

Eric M. George, an attorney for Rowe, called the agreement a "dignified outcome." George credited Mrs. Jackson's attorneys for their work on the deal, and expressed pride with Rowe for "her integrity and selflessness."

Rowe never petitioned for custody of Jackson's children. The agreement is likely to be discussed during a hearing Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court. That hearing will now focus more on lingering issues with Jackson's multimillion dollar estate, which Mrs. Jackson has vied for control of.

Michael Jackson, who died June 25 at 50, was the sole parent to his three children. He was married to Rowe, but both had described the relationship as borne out of friendship and that Rowe had given birth to his two oldest children as a "gift." They divorced after Paris-Michael was born.

His third child, 7-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket, was born to a surrogate and the mother's identity has never been revealed.

In Jackson's will, he expressed his desire to have his mother take care of his children. If she was unavailable, Jackson called for friend and singer Diana Ross to step in.

After Jackson's death, Rowe expressed interest in raising not only her two children, but Blanket as well. In a phone interview with television station KNBC, she also said she would seek a restraining order against Joe Jackson, Michael's father; Michael Jackson had a complicated relationship with him and often spoke of beatings at the hands of his father.

After Mrs. Jackson, 79, was named by a court as the children's temporary guardian, Rowe was granted a delay in a guardianship hearing while she decided whether to seek custody. Other hearings were delayed at the request of both parties, and McMillan had described the negotiations between both sides as cordial.

Rowe has taken legal action and demanded retractions as other reports have claimed that she was seeking money from the Jacksons in exchange for dropping any attempt at custody of the children.

Michael Jackson gave Rowe a financial settlement after they divorced in 2000 and she relinquished her parental rights. But they were reinstated by a judge in 2005 after Rowe went to court over the children. The custody dispute was settled in 2006. Terms were not disclosed, though Jackson retained primary custody.

All three children have been living with Katherine Jackson since their father's death, where they have been surrounded by their aunts, uncles and cousins.

A judge has shot down Joe Jackson challenge to the executorship of Michael Jackson's estate. The father of the late King Of Pop had sought to have John Branca and John McClain removed as administrators as part of his effort to gain a stipend from the estate, accusing the attorney and the music executive of having conflicting interests.

But at Tuesday's hearing, the judge ruled that Jackson can pursue his motion to receive an allowance from the estate but does not stand to inherit any of his late son's assets because he is not named in the will.

According to documents filed late last week, Joe Jackson is seeking to cover more than $15,000 in expenses, which includes rent on a Las Vegas residence, hotel bills, entertainment, restaurants, air travel, gifts and vacations. Currently the Jackson family patriarch, who suffered a stroke in 1998 and is diabetic, receives just $1,700 a month from Social Security and had relied on his son for support for many years.

Michael Jackson's will named only his mother, Katherine Jackson, his children, and various children's charities as inheritors of his estate. It also named Branca and McClain as executors.

In related news, Katherine Jackson has dropped her legal challenge to the appointment of Branca and McClain as executors to Jackson's estate. Mrs. Jackson's new probate attorney, Adam Streisand, said his client felt it was time for the legal battle to end. She had originally been seeking "a seat at the table" in regard to decision-making regarding her late son's affairs.