Bohbot, Jackson Brothers Reach Settlement

After a weekend of negotiations, a settlement was announced Nov. 21 in the lawsuit brought by three of Michael Jackson’s brothers against manufacturer and showroom owner Steeve Bohbot.Eric Farber, the Jackson brothers’ lawyer, confirmed that siblings Jackie, Tito and Marlon reached an understanding with Bohbot on compensation for their promotion of a limited run of highly detailed replicas of Michael Jackson’s iconic “Thriller” and “Beat It” jackets. They were to be exclusively sold on Amazon.com. Terms of the settlement were confidential.However, as of the afternoon of Nov. 21, the e-commerce giant still listed the jackets, which retail for $2,350, as quot;currently unavailable.quot; Bohbot said he is working with Amazon to restart sales.The leather jackets were originally scheduled to go on sale Nov. 8, but the Jackson brothers filed a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Nov. 15 against Bohbot for breach of contract and fraud. The Jackson brothers' suit alleged that Bohbot promised to pay Marlon, Jackie and Tito $100,000 each for signing the jackets. The suit also sought reimbursement for $9,500 of the brothers’ travel costs, which were underwritten by their management company, The Sheridan Taylor Group. News of the lawsuit made national headlines. Bohbot said a simple misunderstanding between him and the Jackson brothers spiraled out of control.“There were a lot of parties involved and a big amount of money,” Bohbot said. “Things got weird.”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. Jackson 5 alums Marlon, Tito, Jackie and Jermaine Jackson had signed a patch inside each of the jackets. Jermaine Jackson did not participate in the lawsuit. As part of the resolution, Bibby Financial Services, a factor that works with Bohbot, had paid the estate of Michael Jackson $234,000 for its part of the deal for the replica jackets.Bohbot failed to pay the Jackson brothers immediately after the jacket signing. With the settlement announced, Bohbot said he was glad that he could get back to work. quot;We have an immense respect for the Jackson brothers and Michael’s legacy and are pleased to have resolved this situation,” he said.Bohbot held a small press conference Nov. 22 at his Connected International Sales showroom. At the conference, Jermaine Jackson confirmed that his brothers wholeheartedly supported the line of jackets. He dismissed the lawsuit as a big misunderstanding and as the cost of doing business in the entertainment industry. “It’s crazy in Hollywood,” Jackson said of the suit. “People will say and do anything to get their way.”