Back in 2002, Michael Jackson spent some long days in a courthouse in Santa Maria, California. This was not a criminal matter. A German concert promoter had taken him to court over two big shows that were meant to ring in the new millennium and never came off. The promoter was asking for $21.2 million.
Before any trial can begin, both sides have to pick a jury. That means a room full of ordinary people get asked questions to see if they can weigh the case fairly. And in a part of the world that loved Michael, that turned out to be harder than anyone guessed.
One woman in the jury pool just started giggling. “I couldn’t do it,” she admitted. “I love the guy.” She was being honest, and honest was enough to send her home.
But another woman said something the judge simply could not let slide. She made a flat promise about what she would do if they let her serve. It was bold. It was funny. And it ended her chance at that jury right on the spot.
Here’s the old local news footage from those strange weeks, with the courthouse and the crowd outside.
A local news report from the Santa Maria courthouse
Michael himself took the stand on November 13, 2002. He showed up calm, sipping a Mountain Dew, and answered the questions in that soft voice his fans knew so well. At one point a lawyer asked whether his concerts used magic. Michael didn’t miss a beat. “Yes,” he said. “Magic as in abracadabra.” Even a serious room had to smile at that one.
So what did that one woman promise the judge? She told him that if they picked her, she would become the jury foreman and get him off. The judge thanked her and pointed her toward the door. You can’t promise a verdict before you’ve heard a single word of the case.
The jury that did get seated sat through all of it. In March 2003 they reached their decision and ordered Michael to pay $5.3 million. That was far less than the $21.2 million the promoter had asked for, but a big number all the same.
It’s a slice of history most fans have never heard about. The giggles, the can of Mountain Dew, the little joke about magic, all of it happened inside a small California courtroom while fans waited outside hoping for one look at him.
Watch the report above and you’ll see what those days really looked like.