at 21:40 on August 1, 2006, EST.

NEW YORK (AP) - For the second time in a year, a law firm representing Michael Jackson has quit, saying it hasn't been paid and can't contact the pop star on the phone.

A federal judge in Manhattan gave lawyers at Wachtel & Masyr permission to withdraw Monday from a case in which a financial company claims the singer owes it $48 million.

In a letter to the judge, lawyer William Wachtel described his trouble communicating with Jackson through a series of representatives. Over months, Wachtel said, he dealt with the singer through one intermediary after another, only to be informed repeatedly they were quitting or had been fired.

The last straw came, he said, when Jackson dropped out of contact with the firm entirely after his only face-to-face meeting with his lawyers in June, at the luxurious Hotel de Crillon in Paris.

At the session, Jackson apologetically promised to be in better touch, Wachtel said - and that was the last they heard of him.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson has failed to respond to every e-mail and telephone message left for him over the past four weeks," Wachtel said.

A Los Angeles lawyer for Jackson, John Branca, didn't immediately return a telephone message Tuesday.

The legal team is the second to quit the case. Lawyers from the firm Latham & Watkins quit in November after reporting their bills weren't being paid and it was impossible to communicate with Jackson.

U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel said Monday he would allow Jackson to reorganize his legal team but he wanted the parties back in court Sept. 5. The judge said Jackson must hire a new lawyer by then or appear in court himself.

Next up for Jackson could be New York lawyer L. Londell McMillan, whose clients have included Prince and Stevie Wonder. Jackson's representatives announced in late June that McMillan had been hired to co-ordinate the singer's legal affairs.

The case involves the Prescient Acquisition Group, which claims it helped Jackson refinance $272.5 million in debt owed to the Bank of America and arrange $537.5 million in financing related to his ownership interest in the Beatles song library.

It is one of a number of recent suits involving Jackson and former business associates.

Last month, a California jury awarded a former Jackson adviser $900,000 related to work he did on videos intended to rehabilitate the pop star's image. The jury awarded Jackson $200,000 in a cross-complaint.


©The Canadian Press, 2006

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luv4u said:

What is Mike's problem? Every time you turn around that man has folks halting their services because he won't pay his bills!

All that money and fame and he's acting like the hot ghetto mess who always wants to steal the cable from the box attched to somebody else's apartment

Ottensen said:

It's probably not a good idea when you're going to court for someone accusing them that you didn't pay them.... to get to the point where the judge allows your laywers to leave because you haven't paid them.... twice.

luv4u said:

oh lord.... MJ fans watch out. you're about to be sued!!!

Dayspring said:

Dayspring said:

That's a good one!

CalhounSq said:

co-

Dayspring said:

Those bitches need to be sued

CalhounSq said:

CalhounSq said:

oh shit! i couldn't agree with you more!

sosgemini said:

co -

Ottensen said:

I wonder what happened to the part that AP was reporting. It stated that these lawyers were FIRED by Michael on July 17. I guess that part would be too positive and the media wants to continue the negative spin. If anyone remembers, Geragos and Braufman were also fired from the criminal trial;yet, the media claimed that they quit.