Thriller Makers, So Many Others Still Gunning for Jackson Money

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Thriller Makers, So Many Others Still Gunning for Jackson Money

Thu., Oct. 29, 2009 5:45 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

Michael Jackson's This Is It wasn't the only big hit for MJ's estate this week.

John Landis, who directed the King of Pop's "Thriller" video, producer George Folsey Jr. and a production company filed claims against the estate Thursday seeking more than $2.4 million in profits related to the 1982 production.

Landis first sued Jackson in January, shortly after the singer sold the Broadway rights to "Thriller," for about $1 million he said he was owed for his work on the '80s-era game-changer, which put MJ on the map as a pioneer in video production.

Now he says Jackson owed him $400,000 from the Broadway deal (which wasn't his right to make in the first place, he says), while Folsey is seeking another $1 million for his share of merchandise tie-ins, according to the complaints filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Levitsky Productions, which hooked Landis up with the "Thriller" gig 27 years ago, is also seeking $1 million, its share of the profits from the last four years, per court documents.

Also serving up a complaint today was Jackson's self-proclaimed former manager, Leonard Rowe, who claims he should be reimbursed for $51,218 in expenses—money he spent after Jackson hired him to "oversee and supervise his finances and the shows at the O2 Concert Hall in London."

Get in line, buddy.

On Tuesday, Jackson's dermatologist, Arnold Klein, filed what his attorneys call a routine $48,522.89 creditor's claim against the artist's estate for various medical treatments provided for Jackson between March and June of this year.

"Dr. Klein spent a substantial amount of effort to assist Michael Jackson in achieving his fabulous appearance," the physician's legal camp wrote in a statement released today to E! News. "As anyone can see from viewing This Is It, Michael Jackson looked great, and this was due, in part, to Dr. Klein's skill, hard work and dedication."

Dedication, indeed. Jackson was billed for dozens upon dozens of treatments, including numerous injections of various line-fillers and face-plumpers.

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Yikes, we had almost forgotten all that financial trouble Michael Jackson was having for the last decade. It's much more pleasant to read all the nice things celebrities are saying about This Is It.