// BEGIN editorial data
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jackson_timeline_legal.sPubDate = "6/13/2005 10:20:57 PM GMT";
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jackson_timeline_legal.sTitle = "Timeline of Michael Jackson&#146;s legal problems";
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jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","2005","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<center><font class=headline style=font-size:16px;color:#cc0000;>2005</font></center>";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","June 13","Michael Jackson is acquitted of all charges. He is free to go. ","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","June 3","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "The jury begins its deliberations after two days of closing arguments. Closings include blistering attacks on both Jackson and his accuser. Defense attorney Tom Mesereau says the accuser's family was trying to pull off \"the biggest con of their careers.\" Prosecutor Ron Zonen says Jackson brought the accuser \"into the world of the forbidden\" and molested him.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","May 27","Attorney Thomas Mesereau unexpectedly rested the defense case without calling any rebuttal witnesses, ending direct testimony in the molestation trial.","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","May 5","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>After an unsuccessful request to have the case dismissed, Jackson's attorneys begin their defense. They begin by calling Wade Robson, one of the young men rumored to have been allegedly molested by Jackson in the early 1990s. Calling Jackson a \"good friend,\" Robson insists no improper behavior took place.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","May 4","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>After more than 40 days in court, prosecutors rest their case against the pop star.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","April 27","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and mother of two of his children, takes the stand. She acknowledges she never shared a home with him, but strenuously defends the singer, calling him \"a great father.\"";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","April 13","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>The mother of the accuser in the current case takes the stand. \"Please don&#146;t judge me,\" she begs of jurors. She also invokes her Fifth Amendment rights in relation to welfare payments she had received.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","April 4","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>One of Jackson's alleged victims -- now 24 -- takes the stand and describes an incident involving the singer. Other witnesses follow, describing what they claim are additional incidents during the early 1990s.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","March 28","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>In a major setback for the defense, Judge Melville rules that prior evidence of alleged molestation involving five other boys can be admitted into the trial.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("n_connected_jacksontrial_050310","March 10 (video)","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/050310/n_connected_jacksontrial_050310.htease.jpg","","", "v", "", "e5c47d1f-5fb1-428f-a0eb-5e19456b73d6|", "", "left", "", "MSNBC", "110", "147", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>With his accuser set to offer a second day of testimony, Jackson goes absent from court. The judge issues a warrant for Jackson's arrest and demands he appear within an hour. Jackson shows up just over an hour later, looking faint and wearing pajama bottoms as the cameras look on. His defense team tells the judge he went to the hospital early that morning for what he claimed were severe back problems. The pop star is not penalized for the episode.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","March 9","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Jackson's accuser, now 15, takes the stand and describes his visits to Neverland.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","February 28","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>The Jackson trial opens, with District Attorney Thomas Sneddon telling jurors the pop star exploited the accuser's \"admiration,\" and Jackson's defense attorney Tom Mesereau saying the molestation claims \"never happened.\" The trial quickly gets nasty, with one witness claiming Jackson's associates planned a \"crack whore\" strategy to discredit the accuser's mother.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","February 15","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>With jury selection under way in his trial, Jackson his hospitalized with what appears to be a severe case of the flu. Judge Rodney Melville postpones trial until the following week.  Court resumes Feb. 22, and a jury is quickly selected just one day later.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","2004","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<center><font class=headline style=font-size:16px;color:#cc0000;>2004</font></center>";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","December 17, 2004","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Jackson hosts approximately 200 children representing several organizations at his Neverland Ranch. Jackson greeted approximately 200 kids and parents, strolling across a bridge to meet the group. He spent 10 minutes talking to them and then led them across the bridge toward the house.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","December 11, 2004","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "Reports surface that fingerprints belonging to both Jackson and the boy accusing him of molestation were found on pornographic magazines seized from Neverland ranch in 2003.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","December 3, 2004","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Sheriff&#146;s investigators, armed with a new search warrant, raided Jackson&#146;s Neverland estate. In a statement, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff&#146;s Department said only that the search was \"part of an ongoing criminal investigation.\" It was reported, however, that investigators were searching for DNA in Jackson&#146;s bed. Jackson gave investigators a DNA sample at their request.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","November 4, 2004","","","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Judge Melville rejected a defense effort to remove Sneddon from the case. Melville said the law is clear that the only way he could remove Sneddon and his office is \"if a conflict existed where the defendant could not receive a fair trial.\" He said no such conflict existed.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","August 16, 2004 ","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "275", "357", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Jackson and his family, dressed all in white, sat for three hours staring stonily at Santa Barbara County district attorney Tom Sneddon as the lawyer testified at a pre-trial hearing. Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. attempted to show that Sneddon violated Jackson's attorney-client privilege by searching the office of a private investigator hired by the entertainer's former attorney. The judge later ruled that Sneddon and the district attorney's office did not violate privilege.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("n_jackson_remarks_040430","April 30, 2004 (video)","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040504/040504_april30_jacksonTL.vmedium.jpg","","", "v", "", "eeb52f63-e8d6-4687-b050-54bce65bceac|", "", "left", "Stephen Osman - Pool", "Reuters", "178", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Michael Jackson pleads not guilty to a grand jury indictment charging him with child molestation and a conspiracy count involving allegations of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He arrives 40 minutes early to the courthouse in Santa Maria and makes only a brief statement afterward.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","April 27, 2004","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040504/040504_april27_jacksonTL.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Stephen Osman - Pool", "AP", "134", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Reports suggest Jackson is either severing ties with the Nation of Islam, or dramatically lessening its involvement in his life. It is said Jackson is turning to his family for advice.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("tdy_lauer_jackson_040426","April 25, 2004 (video)","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/040426/tdy_lauer_jackson_040426.htease.jpg","","", "v", "", "4e94338b-59ca-43fc-9a36-44ce20c70c21|", "", "left", "", "Today show", "110", "147", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Jackson fires his high-profile defense team of Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman, saying he is on trial for his life and needs an attorney who will devote all his time to his case. Jackson then hires Thomas Mesereau Jr., another nationally respected defense attorney who has strong ties to the African-American community.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","April 22, 2004","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "Jackson is indicted by a Santa Barbara County grand jury, although the indictment is sealed and details are not made public.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("nn_avila_jackson_040116","January 16, 2004 (video)","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040504/040504_jan16_jacksonTL.vmedium.jpg","","", "v", "", "60992136-252a-4039-a54d-8699967c9e00|", "", "right", "Mark J. Terrill", "AP", "257", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "Jackson pleads innocent to child molestation charges. The judge scolds him for being 21 minutes late to the proceedings. Afterward, in front of about 3,000 fans, Jackson dances on top of a luxury SUV.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","2003","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<center><font class=headline style=font-size:16px;color:#cc0000;>2003</font></center>";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("nn_avila_jack2_031218","December 18, 2003 (video)","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/December/031218/nn_avila_jack2_031218.htease.jpg","","", "v", "", "42cab6a6-113a-438d-89cf-df86f3d1bd23|", "", "left", "", "Nightly News", "110", "147", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Jackson is charged with seven counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent. The charges are announced at a press conference by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("nn_kod_jackson_031120","November 20, 2003 (video)","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/031120/nn_kod_jackson_031120.htease.jpg","","", "v", "", "81f25101-716c-447a-9d50-aaabcf3a2662|", "", "right", "", "Nightly News", "110", "147", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "Jackson arrives in Santa Barbara by private jet. He is handcuffed and booked on suspicion of child molestation. His now-infamous mug shot is taken.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","November 18, 2003","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040504/040504_nov18_jacksonTL.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Frazer Harrison", "Getty Images", "176", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Police armed with a search warrant raid Jackson&#146;s Neverland Ranch, starting at 8:30 a.m. local time. The action comes on the same day that Jackson&#146;s &#147;Number Ones&#148; CD is released in the U.S.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","March 2003","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "A Santa Maria jury awards $5.3 million to Marcel Avram, Jackson's former concert promoter, because Jackson pulled out of two concerts.";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","February, 2003","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "ABC airs a BBC documentary on Jackson on its &#147;20/20&#148; program, during which he reveals he has shared his bed with children who were not related to him. Explained Jackson: &#147;When you say bed, you&#146;re thinking sexual. It&#146;s not sexual, we&#146;re going to sleep. I tuck them in … It&#146;s very charming. It&#146;s very sweet.&#148;";

jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","Earlier","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i++] = new Array("","January, 1994","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040504/040504_jan94_jacksonTLnew.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "AP", "161", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
jackson_timeline_legal[i-1].body = "Jackson and the family of a 13-year-old boy reach an out-of-court settlement on allegations of sexual molestation, reported to be between $15 and $20 million.";

	// END editorial data