1995–1999 Debbie Rowe

Michael Jackson To Pay Deborah Rowe, NBC4TV.com, 6th September, 2006

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert A. Schnider ordered Michael Jackson to pay ex – wife Deborah Rowe $60,000 to go to lawyers fees that she incurred while trying to win visitation rights to the couple’s two children. The amount must be paid by September 28.

Michael and Rowe were not in court on Wednesday.

Judge Schnider noted that Rowe had already received a financial settlement of $8 million from Michael, commenting “She has millions of dollars, so she should be able to contribute to her own fees.”

Rowe had requested about $195,000 in attorney fees. Her lawyer, Eric M. George, remarked outside the courtroom that the award was “a reasonable calculation.” He added that Rowe has “no present ability” to pay her lawyers.

Rowe can request additional fees later.

Michael’s lawyer, Michael Abrams, had sought a delay in any awards until after Tuesday. At that time, the attorneys will engage in a private, voluntary settlement conference.

Abrams said “Hopefully all issues will be settled. In one week, this case may be over.

George was also cautiously optimistic in acheiving a timely settlement, but added “There have been too many settlement meetings and no settlement.”

As you may recall, Rowe originally had visitation with Prince, born in 1997 and Paris, born in 1998. When Rowe filed for divorce in 1999, she subsequently gave up her visitation rights. She later then changed her mind again.

Brian Oxman, Jackson family attorney on Nancy Grace, 6th September 2006

BRIAN OXMAN: That`s right, Nancy. It is — because of Michael`s life and the commotion which surrounds, it`s absolutely chaos in most of the court proceedings where he is involved. As a result, both he and Debbie Rowe decided that they would do a private judge, which amounts to a private arbitration, very traditional in our court system and something which results in them keeping their dispute a matter of their own private nature and not letting the public know about it.

GRACE: To Brian Oxman, Jackson family attorney. We`re throwing around the theory that she doesn`t really want these children. Let`s just get right down to it. Are they his biological children? Are these two kids, two out of three he had with Debbie Rowe — are they his biological children?

OXMAN: Yes, they are, Nancy. They are his biological children. They were born with Michael Jackson being the father and Debbie Rowe being the mother. And the controversy over all of this is that these people don`t want their laundry…

GRACE: How do you know that? These two never spent a single night together. They never cohabited together. She was his dental hygienist! I mean, according to me, she went above and beyond the duty of a hygienist.

OXMAN: How do I know that?

GRACE: Yes.

OXMAN: Because, number one, that is what Michael has told me. Number two, it`s what my eyes tell me when I look at them. I look at their eyes, and they have a particular almond shape to them which is passed down by…

GRACE: I thought their eyes were blue.

OXMAN: The shape of the eyes is this almond-shape eyes. Latoya has it. Janet has it. And these kids have it.

GRACE: Question, Brian. I thought their eyes were blue.

OXMAN: Their color is blue, but my grandfather`s eyes were also blue, mine are brown. I`m not a geneticist…

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: … colored contacts.

OXMAN: I`m not a geneticist, and I`m not a physician, and they do not wear contacts. But what I can tell you…

GRACE: So Michael Jackson`s children have blue eyes, and you are insisting they`re his biological children.

OXMAN: From everything that I can see and from what everyone in this family has told me, they are his children.

GRACE: OK. Next question. Did he formally adopt them, or how did that work?

OXMAN: No, they were his children born while he was married to Debbie Rowe. Under California law, any time a child is born during a marriage, there is an absolute legal presumption that they belong to the husband, as the father. And that presumption cannot be overturned under any circumstances.

GRACE: Was it a real marriage or a fake marriage, Brian? You`re the family attorney. I mean, did they ever live together? Did they wake up and have coffee together, go, Bye, honey, when they left for the studio and the dental hygienist office?

OXMAN: I know what Debbie Rowe has said. She`s said to me, she`s said it in open court up in Santa Maria. She has been so enamored and in love with Michael her entire life. She is a nice girl. The problem is, they don`t get along, and that is what happens in two thirds of all marriages, and this is just one more of those kinds…

GRACE: Did they ever…

OXMAN: … of marriages.

GRACE: … together, Brian?

OXMAN: They had relations together. You betcha they did.

GRACE: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I didn`t say have sex. I said, Did they live together as man and wife?

OXMAN: Yes, they did.

GRACE: When?

OXMAN: They had several years that they were together as a husband and wife.

GRACE: Where?

OXMAN: They traveled the world together. They were married overseas. And they have been friends for the longest time, even though they`ve been divorced.

GRACE: OK, what was their domicile? What was their joint marital domicile?

OXMAN: Michael has always had Neverland, until he declared that Bahrain was his domicile, and that`s where Debbie was to be domiciled. They lived in many different places around the world.

GRACE: So you`re telling me Debbie Rowe lived with him in Neverland.

OXMAN: She had been there with him, correct. Yes.

GRACE: Lived with him?

OXMAN: I can`t give you these kinds of details, Nancy, because that`s the whole point of this kind of private judging. They don`t want their laundry and their private details…

GRACE: Like the rest of us!

OXMAN: … discussed in public. It`s not like the rest of us. There are other cases…

GRACE: It is like the rest of us!

OXMAN: There are other cases where we have private judges, very great anti-trust cases…

GRACE: OK. You know, Brian…

OXMAN: … trade secret cases…

GRACE: Where?

OXMAN: All these have private judges.

GRACE: What other jurisdiction in this country has private judges that you pay for out of your pocket?

OXMAN: The federal courts have the Arbitration Act. The United Nations…

GRACE: That`s not a judge! Arbitration is not a judge.

OXMAN: It most certainly is. These — in California, there`s over 500 private judges. Six…

GRACE: What other jurisdiction other than California has private judges, the litigants pay for out of their pocket?

OXMAN: New York.

GRACE: They pay off the judges!

OXMAN: New York.

GRACE: No!

OXMAN: Texas.

GRACE: Absolutely not!

OXMAN: Missouri.

GRACE: No!

OXMAN: Minnesota.

GRACE: No.

OXMAN: These places…

GRACE: No, they don`t!

OXMAN: … have arbitration proceedings with private judges.

GRACE: They don`t have private judges! Arbitration is not the same thing as a private judge in court. Absolutely not!

OXMAN: It is — Nancy, it`s one and the same.

SANDERS: Well, I`m not a geneticist, but I think that unless there are blue-eyed people within the first and second generation of Jackson`s immediate family, then it`s virtually impossible for him to have a biological child that has blue eyes.

GRACE: Brian?

OXMAN: Nancy, Michael has a very interesting history and background, where he is partially Chinese, about one-fourth Chinese. He is also one- fourth American Indian. So he has these genes in his background.

GRACE: You`ve just named two — we`re talking about blue eyes, Brian. You`re not helping the argument.

OXMAN: I am not a geneticist, Nancy, nor am I going to tell you that I am a doctor to tell whether the children are or are not his.

GRACE: But you said they are.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: I`m talking about the legality.

OXMAN: From what I see, they are his kids.

GRACE: If they are not his biological children and they have not been adopted, he`s not going to have a leg to stand on, if it`s challenged in court. Is that the document he is trying to keep secret, Brian Oxman?

OXMAN: Not by any stretch of the imagination.

GRACE: Have you seen the document?

OXMAN: These are his kids.

GRACE: Have you seen the documents?

OXMAN: They are born during marriage and there is a legal presumption which is irrebuttable in the state of California that children born during marriage belong to the father as the biological father. They can scream, scratch and do whatever they want. They cannot get out of that legal presumption.

GRACE: Brian, you should really be a lawyer, because the way you just put that on me was great. But my question was the documents they`re hiding. Do they have anything to do with who is the biological father of these children? Just a simple question, yes, no, maybe.

OXMAN: No, the answer is no. They do not have anything to do with the biological nature of these children.

GRACE: Well, what do they have to do with? What are they?

OXMAN: The main problem is finances. Last year, 10,000 cases in the state of California were referred by the court system to the JAMS, the judicial arbitration medication service, because people wanted it private.

GRACE: I asked you about the documents.

OXMAN: Michael wants the finances private and he doesn`t want them disclosed all over the world and he has a right to do that.

GRACE: You mean like to the IRS?

OXMAN: That`s not even a problem or a consideration.

GRACE: OK.

OXMAN: It`s to the world which is the problem.

GRACE: OK, Brian Oxman, let`s get back to where the kids are now. This is all allegedly over a custody battle. But let`s just get down to it. Why now? Why is she contesting custody now? I mean, she states openly, “I don`t want the kids,” therefore, him.

She got $8 million. A house was thrown in to the deal. She went away. I don`t know where Blanket, the third kid, came from, but that`s a whole other can of worms.

My question is why is she contesting now? What does she want?

OXMAN: This latest case started in 2004. If the people will remember, there was a famous incident at the Ivy Restaurant in Los Angeles, where Debbie Rowe was filmed with Michael`s former advisers. They were agitating her and, as a result, she filed this custody proceeding and there we go.

Rowe Vs. Jackson Settled, 1st October, 2006

Debbie Rowe and Michael Jackson settled their disagreement over custody and visitation rights of their two children according to Rowe’s lawyer.

Although the details are still being ironed out, it seems that major disputes have been settled.

Marta Almli, Rowe’s attorney, declined to give details that involved monetary settlement or the details regarding visitation with the children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, known as Prince Michael and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. She simply said that these were included in the settlement.

Michael’s lawyer, Michael L. Abrams, told The Daily Journal newspaper that “My client is very satisfied with the results. Hopefully (Michael and Debbie) can both get on with their lives now and be through with this litigation..

Michael and Debbie were married in 1996 with their marriage ending in divorce in 2000. Debbie filed for termination of parental rights in 2001, saying “Michael has been a wonderful father to the children and I do not wish to share any parenting responsibilities with Michael because he is doing so well without me.”

According to court documents, she said, “I want to forever give up any and all rights pertaining to the children because I believe that by doing so, it is in the children’s best interest.”

Before that, she said in documents, Jackson had allowed her visitation rights only if she went to distant locations such as Geneva and South Africa.

Following the allegations of child molestation in 2003, Debbie filed for temporary custody, alleging that she was concerned that Michael would be too distratcted to provide care for the children. She was also concerned with his association with individuals in the Nation of Islam. The NOI was alleged to be anti-Semetic.

“I am Jewish, as are by definition my children. I worried about how my children would be treated by these new advisers to Michael,” she said.

Debbie testified for Michael durring the trial on allegation of molestation, asserting that Michael was a loving and caring father.

According to documents, she said that she last saw Prince and Paris in 2005. Michael and the children have been living abroad while his lawyers continued to negotiate with Debbie.

On Sept. 6 a judge ruled that Michael must pay Debbie $60,000 in attorney fees from the custody battle.

Michael also has a third child, Prince Michael II.

Source: MJFC / AP

Debbie spoke about the concerns around MJ’s alcoholism, drug addiction problems then filed against MJ and requested a deposition from Grace regarding her drug dealing, MJ’s substance abuse and concerns for the children. The case ended up being a sealed settlement.

My life as the mother of Michael Jackson’s children, by Debbie Rowe, Daily Mail 8th February 2008

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-513206/My-life-mother-Michael-Jacksons-children-Debbie-Rowe.html

Ten years on: Debbie Rowe yesterday

Pictures of her beloved ‘babies’ cover the yellowing walls of Debbie Rowe’s remote home. There are favourite snapshots, framed portraits and even paintings which perfectly capture their expressions of innocence.

Rowe studies the faces looking down at her and says fiercely: “I am possessive and protective of my babies. Their happiness means more to me than anything else on this world. I love them more than I would ever have thought was possible.”

It is, one might think, perfectly normal for a mother to feel this way about her children. But the portraits adorning Rowe’s walls show her menagerie of animals – not the two children she produced with, and then handed over to, Michael Jackson.

Indeed, there is not even a single, grainy snapshot of either Prince Michael, now ten, or Paris, nine, the children taken from her arms in the maternity ward in exchange for a multi-million-pound pay-off.

More than a decade after this plain dental nurse first joined the bizarre Michael Jackson roadshow, she lives alone breeding horses and dogs. There is little evidence in this impoverished and dusty backwater of the small fortune she is reputed to have received for effectively becoming America’s most famous surrogate mother.

Her ‘babies’ now include 11 dogs, including one half-wolf, a parrot who shares her bedroom and drinks from her coffee cup, a pair of parakeets and 30 horses – many of them pregnant mares. She says, with no trace of irony, that she finds it hard to give away her foals. “I have to send them to a trainer so I can detach myself from them. It stops me becoming too involved.”

Rowe worries more, it seems, about a young animal being led away from its mother than she does about the infants who were taken from her by the reclusive superstar. (Jackson later claimed that he was in such a rush to leave the hospital with daughter Paris in 1998 that he cut the cord and left with the baby covered in blood, taking the placenta with him in his haste.)

Since her second child by Jackson was removed, Rowe appears to have had scant dealings with her offspring – although she claims to see them sometimes. Certainly, though, the photograph of the children which made headline news this week – for once their faces not covered by the customary veils – offered Rowe a tantalising glimpse of the children she gave away.

This week, she invited the Mail into her home for an extraordinary, unsettling interview in which she broke the silence she has maintained for years about her infamous children. When asked about their appearance this week, she reacts with the grunt of a satisfied breeder, rather than a sigh of loss. “I turned out two pretty good-looking kids. For that I am proud.”

She is unhappy, however, that the children’s faces have been revealed.

“The veils were my idea, not Michael’s. I had kidnap threats when they were babies. I did not want them to be recognised. I’m not happy they’ve been photographed without the veils.”

Rowe, 49, is equally quick to dispel rumours that she has fallen out with her ex-husband, from whom she was divorced eight years ago, or is once more desperate for money. She says: “I don’t need money. Michael and I are fine. I see him and the kids all the time. They live in Las Vegas now, just a three-hour drive away.”

Given the fact that she admitted during Jackson’s child molestation court case in 2005 that she hadn’t seen him or the children for years, this claim seems unlikely – like so much else in her extraordinary story.

The adopted daughter of a millionaire couple from Malibu, Debbie Rowe became part of Jackson’s bizarre menagerie some 11 years ago. His marriage to Elvis’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley was crumbling, while Jackson’s desire to become a father was growing.

Rowe was a late developer both sexually and emotionally – she was 30 before she had her first serious relationship. She says of that romance: “I loved him so much. He was my first serious boyfriend – and it still hurts.”

By the Nineties, Rowe was recovering from the break-up and working as a nurse for Michael Jackson’s dermatologist, Dr Arnold Klein. She befriended Jackson and – like a schoolgirl with a crush – offered to bear him children when he spoke about his longing to be a father.

Incredibly, some kind of agreement was struck, and in early 1996 she was artificially inseminated, possibly through IVF, though she refuses to talk about the details. Whether it was with Jackson’s sperm or an anonymous donor’s – more likely given the light-coloured skin of the children she produced – Rowe is not saying.

The couple married at the Sheraton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, in November 1996, when Rowe was six months pregnant with their son. The bride was 37, Jackson 38, and the best man was an eight-year-old boy (a friend, of course, of the groom).

Their marriage was consummated with a peck on the cheek from Jackson, who retired – without her – to another room. There’s no evidence to suggest the couple ever had normal sexual relations.

The newly-weds returned to LA, but never lived as husband and wife. In February 1997, Rowe gave birth to their son, Prince Michael Jackson. The baby spent several hours in special care before Jackson rushed him to his Neverland Ranch, where a team of nannies stood waiting.

Rowe was quoted as saying later: “I’d never seen Michael so happy and that’s what made it so wonderful for me.”

So wonderful, in fact, that months later, Rowe was artificially impregnated again. She recalls: “Of course it was artificial insemination. Paris was conceived in Paris, that’s how she got her name. Michael wanted to call her Princess, but I thought that was stupid.”

Paris Katherine Jackson was born on April 3, 1998, and this time, Jackson later claimed, he simply wrapped the baby in a towel and fled.

Incredibly, it is not the memory of the bloodied newborn being torn from her arms which moves Rowe to tears now – but the sudden admission that she couldn’t bear Jackson any more children.

She bursts into tears and, sobbing loudly, says: “I had so many problems when I was pregnant with Paris. After that I couldn’t have any more children. Michael was upset about that, he couldn’t understand it. He wanted more babies.”

Rowe, it appeared, had served her physical use and was simply put out to pasture. She filed for divorce six months later – accepting a pay-off worth £4.2million over nine years, in return for giving up her custodial rights to the children.

The original divorce settlement allowed her one visit every 45 days, though she later applied to the court herself to terminate her parental rights altogether, claiming it was in the children’s best interests. Was she coerced? In the Alice in Wonderland world of Michael Jackson, we will probably never know.

He went on to ‘sire’ a third child – Prince Michael II, known as Blanket – by an unnamed surrogate.

Meanwhile, Rowe claims their relationship remained ‘fine’.

She adds defiantly: “It always has been. Michael and I have always got on. I only divorced him because I wanted my life back. I couldn’t cope with the constant pressure of fame. He’s the genius, the famous one. Not me. I turned out two good-looking kids, but I can’t sing, I can’t dance.”

Despite their divorce after a truly dysfunctional marriage, she still shows a surprising loyalty to the singer: when Jackson was accused of molesting a young boy three years ago, Rowe told the court he was a loving and caring father.

Under cross-examination, she admitted that she had not seen her ex-husband – or her own children – for some years, which rather undermines her claim to me that she still sees them regularly.

Jackson was cleared of sexual abuse, but moved with the children to the Middle East and then Ireland.

In 2006, Rowe took him to court, petitioning for her parental rights to be restored – despite her previous insistence that they should be withheld – and complaining that Jackson had stopped paying her. He claimed she had breached their confidentiality agreement – but a new settlement was reached in secret.

Meanwhile, Rowe was apparently finding her ‘celebrity’ – or ‘notoriety’ – hard to come to terms with.

“I used to be an extrovert, but my marriage made me introverted. I was followed everywhere. I hated the fame. After I married Michael, it was hard to keep working. Staff at the clinic sold stories about me to the media. People were offered a million dollars for a picture of me pregnant. I even told my family to sell one; I thought they could do with the money. But they refused.”

After her divorce, Rowe continued to live in the Beverly Hills mansion which Jackson gave her as part of their settlement, and studied at an online university to gain degrees in criminal law and psychology.

“I wanted to work in a prison,” she explains. “I thought I could help because you can’t mess up someone who is already in jail. In the end I loved horses more and I wanted to get away from LA. I was trailed everywhere by the paparazzi.”

Three years ago, Rowe sold up and moved to a three-bedroom ranch-style house in Palmdale, an ugly, rundown desert town 60 miles from LA.

Here, in the heat and solitude, Rowe appears to have found some peace. She takes a deep breath and says: “Out here in the fresh air I feel much better. No one knows me here. I don’t talk to anyone. I just get on with my life breeding horses. As soon as I saw this place I fell in love with it – for the land. I’m up at 6am with the animals and we have the most extraordinary sunrises.

“I have a boyfriend. He’s a murder cop, we’ve dated on and off for 30 years. Until now, our timing was always out.”

Arnold Klein on Larry King, 8th July 2009

KING: Now, the Debbie Rowe part of the story. She was your nurse, right?

KLEIN: Yes.

KING: They met, I guess, in your office?

KLEIN: Yes.

KING: Was that a real love affair?

KLEIN: I don’t know what love is in that sense of the imagination. I think that she loves him very much. She admired him very much. But if you think they’re riding off in a horse-drawn carriage, I mean we have to put — what is a normal relationship? We have to go back to Marie Bonaparte, who once said to Danny Kaye (ph) when he went to say, what do you have to tell me that’s different? And she didn’t even know who Danny Kaye was. She’s the first woman of royal heritage to undergo analysis. She said to Danny Kaye, the normal (inaudible) have to be found and be found cured. Which means, who of us are normal? What is normal? So I’m telling you, was that a love affair, you want to know. I think she really cared about his welfare.

KING: It was not a sexual relationship?

KLEIN: I think they did have sex.

KING: You do?

KLEIN: Yes, I really do, and I can’t guarantee that. I think they did have sex in their relationship.

KING: You think Michael ever had sex to father the children?

KLEIN: I don’t know that answer, because I would that that it’s possible that he did. You can’t guarantee that. You can only guarantee things you see. I don’t want to make any suppositions about anything in this interview, because I want this to be as truthful as possible.

Finsilver on Larry King Live, 20th July 2009

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0907/20/lkl.01.html

Debbie Rowe has stayed out of the spotlight. Her good friend is here to tell us why next.

KING: We now welcome Iris Finsilver to LARRY KING LIVE; a return visit for the former attorney for Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe and still a close friend of Debbie’s. What did you make of the Joe Jackson interview?

IRIS FINSILVER: Well, I think it is a real bombshell, Larry. It’s certainly surprising a lot of the things that were said today.

KING: When did you last have contact with Debbie?

FINSILVER: Last Friday is the last time I talked to Debbie.

KING: Not long ago and how is she doing?

FINSILVER: Well, yes, I try to talk to her every day.

KING: Has she seen the children?

FINSILVER: No. Not yet.

KING: What does she plan to do?

FINSILVER: Well, as far as I know…

KING: Plus, the hearing has been postponed, right?

FINSILVER: Correct. It’s my understanding that certainly the family would try to work something out. I believe that that’s what the judge said in open court. And that’s always the best thing to do in a family situation is to have the parents and the grandparents sit down and talk about what their concerns are, what they might be afraid of.

KING: What does Debbie want with her children?

FINSILVER: Well, obviously, she would like to have a relationship with her children.

KING: Not custody?

FINSILVER: I don’t know — I really — I don’t know if she wants every day hands-on custody of the kids. The thing is, when she was married to Michael and having children with Michael she wanted to be a part of their lives but she recognized in her mind that Michael would be a better parent.

KING: She did?

FINSILVER: Yes. She thought he would be a great…

KING: That’s an honest way to look at it.

FINSILVER: Yes, she said…

KING: With all the rumors swirling around, did she ever tell you that Michael wasn’t the father?

FINSILVER: I know that Michael was the father.

KING: Was the father.

FINSILVER: One hundred percent, Michael is the father of those two children. Yes.

KING: So if it’s not custody, you think an arrangement will be worked out?

FINSILVER: I think so. I would hope so certainly. Sure.

KING: Why do people have negative feelings about Debbie, do you think?

FINSILVER: I think that the Jackson family doesn’t know Debbie. Michael knew Debbie. I don’t think that Katherine has ever met Debbie as far as I know. I don’t think that Joe has ever met Debbie.

I don’t know about the brothers and the sisters. But I think because they don’t know her, they’re fearful that she might do something or say something or you know it’s…

KING: She blew-up at some paparazzi a couple weeks ago last week I think. Did that surprised you?

FINSILVER: No. I mean, it’s not in her character to blow-up. But it certainly didn’t surprise me to see a pack of photographers on her heels and for her to make a comment like that. I think that she’s been very upset. I’ve spoken to her about it. She’s had the paparazzi camped outside of her house.

KING: Still?

FINSILVER: Still. Still.

KING: How has all of this changed, you knew her before Michael, right?

FINSILVER: Yes and I’ve known Debbie before, during and after.

KING: Events changed life, right?

FINSILVER: Absolutely.

KING: People don’t change, circumstances change. How has she changed?

FINSILVER: Debbie is still the same caring, loving person. Debbie has always loved those children.

I want to tell you something about her kids. She used to have pictures in her house of herself with her children. And one day I went in to her closet and it was like a shrine in the closet with all these pictures. So I said “Debbie why do you have all the pictures of your children in your closet?” And she said, “I can’t leave them out. When people come in to my home they steal these photographs.”

KING: What’s wrong with that?

FINSILVER: She doesn’t want her guests to come in the house and steal photographs of her children.

KING: Oh, steal them.

FINSILVER: Steal. Yes, yes.

KING: So why do you think she doesn’t want them, now?

FINSILVER: Oh I didn’t say it…

KING: She thought Michael would be a better father but he’s gone.

FINSILVER: Right, so I didn’t…

KING: Does she think Katherine is a good mother?

FINSILVER: I know, I…

KING: …a good grandmother?

FINSILVER: I don’t want to put those kinds of thoughts out there that she would say that. I think that she wants to step up to the plate. She’s always loved those children, Larry. Always.

KING: Is she very emotionally distraught over Michael’s death?

FINSILVER: Yes. Yes. She loved him more than any other person in the world. And you asked me a question, Larry. You asked me, did I see this change in Debbie.

KING: Yes.

FINSILVER: And I remember the night that she was leaving Beverly Hills to fly to Australia to get married to Michael. and I said, “Debbie, your world is going to change completely.” And she said, “No, no. I’m still going to be the same me,” and she skipped out the door and ran-off to get married.

She really had no idea that the world would be interested in her.

KING: Why did they break up?

FINSILVER: I really don’t know the exact facts. I think that she didn’t like life in the public eye. She had been in Paris with him. She had gone on various tours with him.

KING: It wasn’t her style?

FINSILVER: It’s not her style.

KING: Was it — was Michael — but was that in vitro with Michael or was it natural sex?

FINSILVER: That I don’t know. I know that they had sex together. That’s what she told me.

KING: Now that — Arnold Klein said that the other night, you have no about that, right?

FINSILVER: That Debbie had sex…

KING: Sex with Michael.

FINSILVER: I have no doubt. I wasn’t in the bedroom. But I have no doubt that when she would tell me her — these little things about their private life — that it would…

KING: Will you attend the custody hearing when she attends.

FINSILVER: No. I don’t believe so.

KING: Why not? You’re her friend, you were her lawyer?

FINSILVER: I’m her friend. I’m there for her in her personal life. I want to stay out of the courtroom when she’s in the courtroom so.

KING: But you do think it’ll be resolved so that she can get visitation, Katherine will raise them. They’ll work it out?

FINSILVER: I think if the Jackson family gets to know Debbie and if they sit down and talk to her, whatever fears they’re thinking…

KING: They’ll work it out.

FINSILVER: Yes, absolutely.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-513206/My-life-mother-Michael-Jacksons-children-Debbie-Rowe.html#ixzz0dDqjV 7Z5

http://www.sawfnews.com/Gossip/59730.aspx

Debbie Rowe gets official invite to Michael Jackson’s funeral Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe has been formally invited to his funeral – the first time she will be with their children since the King of Pop’s death. August 28, 2009, (Splash News) – Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe has been formally invited to his funeral – the first time she will be with their children since the King of Pop’s death.

Jackson’s family officially invited Rowe to the funeral planned for next Friday, more than two months after he died while preparing for his London comeback gigs.

If she accepts, it will be Rowe’s first supervised visit with her children with Jackson, Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11, following her reaching a deal to give Jackson’s mum Katherine custody.

Sawf News, 29th June 2009

A News of the World interview that quotes Debbie Rowe as saying that Michael wasn’t the biological father of his eldest two children, Prince and Paris, is a fake, says her lawyer.

In the interview, Debbie is also quoted as saying that she had no interest in seeking custody of Prince and Paris.

“The interview did not occur. The article is a complete fabrication,” Marta Almli tells RadarOnline.com.

Almli refused to answer questions on Rowe’s likely future course of action regarding the custody of the children.

Debbie Rowe, 50, a former dermatologist nurse, is the biological mother of Michael Joseph, Jr., 12, aka Prince, and Paris Michael Katherine, 11. Michael Jackson’s third child, Prince Michael Jackson II was born to an artificially inseminated surrogate mother whose identity has never been revealed.

Debbie met Michael Jackson while he was being treated for vitiligo in the mid 1980s.

Long term friends, they became romantically involved after Michael’s divorce from Lisa Marie Presley.

The couple married in 1996, after Rowe became pregnant.

CNN, 10 July 2009

HILL: Probably not a lot of surprise there, Randi. I know we got word late today that the custody hearing for Michael Jackson’s children, which was scheduled for Monday, has been postponed a second time at the request of both his mother, Katherine, and Debbie Rowe.

Any more insights tonight into whether or not Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s ex-wife is actually planning to seek custody of the couple’s two children?

KAYE: We have a little bit of information. I spoke with a friend of Debbie Rowe’s who also happens to be a former business partner of Michael Jackson’s (Schaffel). And he told me that he fully expects Debbie Rowe to go for custody.

He said the fact that Joe Jackson — Michael Jackson’s father is talking about helping raise the children is really a problem for her since Michael Jackson had a terrible relationship with his father.

This friend also told me that Debbie Rowe had said and I’m quoting here, actually he said this about her, “she is not just going to lay down and roll over,” he said.

So maybe they are trying to come to an agreement out of court and out of the public eye and that’s why this hearing has been delayed. But we’ll have to wait and see if this gets ugly.

Aired July 14, 2009

“The New York Post” is reporting that Debbie Rowe has reached a deal in exchange for the two children that she had with Michael Jackson for $4 million. The newspaper also said that she would forfeit her parental rights, all of this supposedly according to a family source.

Well, CNN called Debbie Rowe’s attorney to ask if this story was true. And we were told, simply — quote — “completely false.” That was all we got. Well, that happened this morning. But, hours later, Debbie Rowe’s attorney, Eric George, demanded a retraction.

Now, “The Post” told CNN it stands by its story. But Rowe’s attorney sent this letter, which we have right here, to the paper. It reads, in part: “This letter constitutes a demand for an immediate retraction.”

It goes on to say: “There has been no agreement reached between Ms. Rowe and the Jacksons. And Ms. Rowe has not and will not give up her parental rights.” Also, that “no determination has been reached concerning custody or visitation.”

What’s interesting, Wolf, about this letter is that it never says that there aren’t negotiations taking place behind-the-scenes. It just simply says an agreement has not been reached yet.

We reported last night on CNN that a deal is being brokered behind the scenes by the family’s attorneys and that Debbie Rowe, according to our source close to the family, is expected to be paid “many millions” for giving up custody and visitation with the two children.

Debbie Receives Invite to Funeral, Sawfnews, August 28 2009

Debbie Rowe gets official invite to Michael Jackson’s funeral Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe has been formally invited to his funeral – the first time she will be with their children since the King of Pop’s death. August 28, 2009, (Splash News) – Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe has been formally invited to his funeral – the first time she will be with their children since the King of Pop’s death.

Jackson’s family officially invited Rowe to the funeral planned for next Friday, more than two months after he died while preparing for his London comeback gigs.

If she accepts, it will be Rowe’s first supervised visit with her children with Jackson, Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11, following her reaching a deal to give Jackson’s mum Katherine custody.

Paparazzi asking questions to Debbie as she leaves her house, Aired March 5, 2010 – 230:00 ET

And Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael`s two oldest kids, Paris and Prince, is also speaking out in brand-new interview today. I can tell you she is worried especially after hearing reports that the stun gun was aimed at Michael`s youngest son, Blanket. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you not know about the stun gun incident?

DEBBIE ROWE, MOTHER OF PRINCE AND PARIS JACKSON: I don`t know the specifics about anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not even about the stun incident or anything?

ROWE: Well, yes, that`s been reported. But I don`t know any details about anything. So I can`t really comment on anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, are you allowed to contact your kids?

ROWE: Of course, I`m worried about my kids. Why would I not be worried about a child?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, over and above anything else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, she is the mother of the children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you worried as a general relative or are you worried as a -

ROWE: Yes, it`s their brother.

Debbie visits Forest Lawn, 4th March 2010

Ejacobs over at MJJC writes:

As always on the 3rd of the month, myself and members of our Michael Jackson fans of southern California took our trip to Visit the Grave of Michael Jackson. We bring cards, letters and gifts from fans around the world. We have been doing this for the last 6 months. Some fans from this site have joined us and many have sent flowers and cards.

Today, like any other 3rd we were at Forest Lawn, when one in the group noticed Debbie Rowe driving back and forth. At first we thought he must be seeing things but then she drove up and we were surprised it was really her. Heidi and myself the group founders walked to the car to welcome and introduce ourselves.

What we were faced with was a woman who was in great pain. The moment she stepped out of the car She began to cry and gave us amazing hugs. After spending some time with Debbie today..we realized two things, she is devastated by the death of her former husband Michael Jackson..and she loved him more than we ever imagined. She is a grieving woman who loved MJ and her children. The second thing we learned is that, she is a kind and lovely woman.

When we asked Her why she was driving back and forth, and this broke my heart..she said she was afraid to stop because she saw us all there and was afraid to stop, she thought that Michael’s fans hated her because of all the hate mail she receives. We assured her there was no hate for her with us only gratitude for giving Michael two of the three most precious gifts of his life.

Debbie Rowe was a friend to Michael Jackson for nearly 20 yrs before they married and she is the mother of his two lovely children, Prince and Paris. Let me tell you..looking at her, you see Paris everywhere. I hope that fans will be kind when it comes to her because if you had seen what we saw today…she is a really special person.

We gave her one of our new JUSTICE4MJ tee shirts and she said she would ware it. We have pictures of the visit which will be on our site soon.

Daily Express, June 28th 2010

Katherine said during a TV interview that she had never met Debbie, an ex-nurse before the King of Pop died in June 2010.

“We cried together. We talked. We had a nice time together,” the Daily Express quoted Katherine as saying.

“Debbie is happy with the arrangement the way Michael left it, with me as the children’s legal guardian. I respect her and love her for that. Debbie is their biological mother and I feel she should be in their lives,” she added.

“Debbie is now a regular visitor to Encino, the Los Angeles suburb where Katherine and the children live. We have clicked and I want those visits to continue,” said 80-year-old Katherine.

Apart from spending time with her children Prince and Paris, Debbie also takes care of 8-year-old Blanket, the identity of whose surrogate mother has never been revealed, reports The Daily Express.

“The kids are doing fabulously well. They are all straight A students,” Katherine said.