14 DAY TRIAL // Raymone Bain has seen Michael Jackson through the most challenging moments of his career, including the 2005 abuse allegations and the many trials in the following years, all filed for financial reasons. Bain is, according to a Reuters report, the latest former business associate to turn against the King of Pop for withholding payment and to take the singer to court.
Bain’s services might have been top quality all these years but, from what she’s saying in court papers just filed, they don’t come cheap at all. As a matter of fact, they come with a whopping price tag of $44 million, which translates into the amount the former rep is asking the court for damages in back payments. Suing the singer, she says, is her last attempt at seeing him pay her, since countless pleas have failed to convince him to do so.
Although describing Jackson as a person “whom I have greatly admired and respected,” Bain says she can no longer stand by and wait for him to forward her payment, since it’s unlikely to ever happen. “Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson has elected not to honor the financial obligations of our contractual relationship, despite my numerous attempts to amicably resolve this matter. I am sincerely disappointed in Mr. Jackson’s failure to honor his obligations.” Bain says, as quoted by Reuters.
It seems that, for a couple of years, Bain was indeed Jackson’s right-hand associate, if what she says in court papers is true. “In 2006 she was appointed general manager of the Michael Jackson Company, which handles his business affairs. She said in the lawsuit that she was hired as a spokeswoman in 2003 and that from 2006, she ran every aspect of Jackson’s life including arranging housing, emergency refinancing, travel and security and scheduling meetings with record producers as the singer struggled to reestablish his music career.” Reuters explains.
As noted above, Bain is not the only one to take legal action against the already financially stranded star, who has been reportedly struggling with bankruptcy for years now. In recent months, several business associates and not only have come forward to claim they received no payment for their services – in all cases, Michael Jackson’s publicist refused to make any comment.