Michael Jackson’s former manager’s feud with the late King of Pop’s estate has come to an end with a judge ruling that he’s owed $3 million.
The ruling stems from a tense legal battle that’s been ongoing since 2012, when Tohme Tohme first sued the estate claiming he was owed 15 percent commission on compensation the singer received in the last year of his life as well as the successful concert film “This Is It,” which came out following his death, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The outlet notes that the legal issue looked like it would end in a mid-trial settlement in May 2019, but that they failed to agree upon a written version of the settlement, prompting Tohme to sue again.
The outlet cites a court filing that was “improperly redacted” that says Tohme will get $3 million per a judge's order as part of the settlement, even though they were never able to agree to it in writing. The judge ruled that a verbal agreement is enough.
"Here, the parties orally agreed to all of the terms and conditions of a settlement agreement," L.A. County Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young wrote in Tuesday’s ruling. "Defendant fails to produce any evidence that parties intended for there to be a binding contract after a writing was produced, such that there exists a material issue of dispute fact."
The outlet notes that the decision is a bit of a win for both parties.
While Tohme will get the $3 million he’s owed, it comes along with an assurance that the estate, specifically representatives named in the case--John Branca and John McClain--will no longer be locked in tedious litigation with Tohme.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The outlet reports that the 2019 lawsuit came after Tohme received a written draft of their settlement agreement that included terms he hadn’t agreed to and therefore refused to sign. He moved to summary judgment but the estate argued both parties understood that nothing would be final until they hammered out a written agreement.