Charter Jet Company Accused of Illegally Taping Michael Jackson

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson added four defendants Monday to his lawsuit against the charter jet company he accuses of illegally videotaping him in November as he flew to Santa Barbara to be booked on child molestation charges. The new defendants, including the travel agent who arranged the flight, were named during a hearing before Superior Court Judge Soussan G. Bruguera, who approved the request to add them.
Attorney Lloyd Kirschbaum, a lawyer for XtraJet, a Santa Monica, California air charter company, says none of the defendants in the lawsuit were responsible for taping Jackson. He expects the responsible party to come forward shortly.
Mr. Kirschbaum also stated that Jackson was taped without XtraJet’s explicit knowledge and permission, and that he indeed knows who taped Jackson but is declining to name the parties involved for now.
Jackson's attorneys are suing "to take some of the public relations heat off Mr. Jackson," Kirschbaum accused, and "We think it's extremely reckless," he continued.
Cynthia Montgomery, a travel agent who recently sued Mr. Jackson for not paying her for the charter flight from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, was named among those added as defendants in the matter.
Ms. Montgomery is seeking $50,000 in damages stemming from the pop star’s failure to pay her $18,000 for the chartered flight she arranged for him, hence her lawsuit. According to Robert T. Moore II, the attorney representing Ms. Montgomery, she was not involved with the taping.
In addition to both Ms. Montgomery and XtraJet, other new defendants include Ms. Montgomery's travel agency, XtraJet executive Jeffrey Borer and Pavair Inc., an aviation company based in Santa Monica.
Since he has been their attorney on past matters, it is quite likely Mr. Kirschbaum will represent Borer and Pavair in this case, too.
There has been no comment from Jackson's attorneys.
When representatives of XtraJet showed the video to several news organizations after finding the tapes aboard one of their jets, the issue came to light. But the company maintains they only wanted to know whether it was legal to distribute or sell them.
A temporary restraining order has been granted to Jackson’s attorneys against XtraJet, stating any release of the tapes is barred.