From the following source::
By Mike Hayes and Meg Wagner, CNN
Updated 12:54 p.m. ET, August 22, 2019
11:09 a.m. ET, August 22, 2019
Jackson's former manager announces new foundation in his name
Michael Jackson's former manager Raymone K. Bain just announced a new foundation in the late singer's name.
"I am honored to announce the establishment of the MJ legacy foundation," she said
Michael Jackson's former manager teased a "major announcement" today, stating "it is time to speak up, and speak out" in a media advisory that went out before the news conference.
12:54 p.m. ET, August 22, 2019
Michael Jackson's manager says she doesn't know where his will is
We're still not sure what today's mystery Michael Jackson announcement is about — but it is not about his will.
Raymone K. Bain, the late singer's former manager, said she does not have the document.
"I don't have it, I don't know where it is," she said at a news conference.
She added:
"I have wished, I have hoped and I have prayed that Michael Jackson's will — dated Oct. 6, 2006 — would be found, revealed, discovered, dropped from the sky. Because in it, he painstakingly outlined how he wanted his legacy to be preserved and maintained.
10:57 a.m. ET, August 22, 2019
As abuse allegations against Michael Jackson grow, his manager says he’s a victim
Raymone K. Bain — Michael Jackson’s former spokesperson, general manager, and the president and COO of the Michael Jackson company — addressed abuse allegations against the late singer.
"Michael Jackson … has been a victim since his death," she said at a news conference in Washington, DC.
She referenced "Leaving Neverland," HBO's 2019 documentary examining some of the allegations against Jackson a “biased, one-sided documentary," and she said she's appalled it has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards.
'Michael Jackson is no punching bag, and he deserves better," she said.
About the film: "Leaving Neverland" covers claims by James Safechuck and Wade Robson that Michael Jackson sexually abused them over a period of several years when they were children.
Robson, now 41, first met Jackson when he was about five years old in his native Australia. He said he stayed with Jackson at his Neverland Ranch in California on several occasions.
Safechuck, now 37, appeared in a Pepsi commercial as a child with Jackson and said he was also a frequent visitor to the singer's home.
Both defended Jackson against other allegations of child abuse, but later filed suits -- Robson in 2013 and Safechuck in 2014 -- against the singer's estate with abuse allegations of their own. (Jackson's estate denied the accusations. Their cases were initially dismissed but reportedly remain under appeal.)
10:41 a.m. ET, August 22, 2019
Today's announcement follows decades of abuse allegations against Michael Jackson
From CNN's Lisa Respers France
Abuse allegations have followed Michael Jackson for decades, but an HBO documentary this year brought a new reckoning for the superstar's legacy.
The disturbing claims in "Leaving Neverland" made many fans rethink their feelings about the late King of Pop. The film examined claims by James Safechuck and Wade Robson that Michael Jackson sexually abused them over a period of several years when they were children.
Jackson's family condemned the film, calling it a "public lynching."
Before the film's release this year, Jackson had previously been the subject of two high-profile abuse cases:
- In 1993, a then 13-year-old boy accused Jackson of sexually molesting him repeatedly over a five-month period. The boy said that Jackson bathed with him, shared a bed with him, gave him gifts and fondled him. Jackson paid approximately $25 million to settle a civil suit by that alleged victim in 2004.
- In 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation for allegations from a cancer-stricken boy invited to the singer's home. Jackson, who repeatedly denied the allegations, was acquitted of those charges. He died in 2009 from an overdose of Propofol.
10:25 a.m. ET, August 22, 2019
They're playing Michael Jackson hits while we wait for the mysterious announcement
While we wait for the press conference to begin, organizers are playing some Jackson songs for attendees.
Songs have included "You Are Not Alone" and "You Rock My World."
Jackson family sues HBO over 'Leaving Neverland'
HBO Wins First Round in Michael Jackson Estate's 'Leaving Neverland' Lawsuit
Following a hearing last week, a federal judge on Tuesday decided to reject a motion from the Michael Jackson Estate to immediately throw the case to an arbitrator. The Michael Jackson Estate sued HBO shortly before Leaving Neverland premiered March 3.May 29, 2019