雙語新聞:傑克遜遺囑曝光

【英文原文】

Michael Jackson's Will Leaves Estate To Family Trust

摘要：據知情人士透露，邁克爾•傑克遜(Michael Jackson)的遺囑將財產留給一個家族信託基金，該基金將把鉅額財產分給他的三個孩子、他母親以及慈善團體。這份遺囑訂立已有7年。

Michael Jackson's seven-year-old will bequeaths his estate to a family trust, which in turn is to distribute his sizable assets among his three children, his mother and charities, according to people with knowledge of the trust's terms.

The document, signed by Mr. Jackson and dated July 7, 2002, was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday morning. But the terms of the Michael Jackson Family Trust haven't been made public. It isn't clear if or when they will be.

The trust makes a provision for the payment of estate taxes, which could be considerable given that the value of Mr. Jackson's assets may exceed his massive debts by as much as $200 million.

The trust makes no provision for Mr. Jackson's father, Joe, according to the people familiar with its terms.

The will appoints Mr. Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, guardian of his three children. In the event that Mrs. Jackson, 79, weren't alive, the will names pop star Diana Ross, a longtime friend of Mr. Jackson's, as guardian.

The will names as co-executors Mr. Jackson's longtime attorney, John Branca, and John McClain, a personal friend and veteran music executive who worked on Mr. Jackson's final studio album, 'Invincible.'

A third executor, accountant Barry Siegel, resigned from that position in 2003, according to a statement from a spokesman for the estate hired by Messrs. Branca and McClain.

Though the distribution of assets called for in the paperwork appears to be straightforward, the situation may be contentious nonetheless.

L. Londell McMillan, a sometime lawyer for Mr. Jackson who said he now represents the singer's parents, made a court filing Monday saying he didn't believe Michael Jackson had a valid will. Mr. McMillan issued a subsequent statement acknowledging the existence of the 2002 will, but didn't respond immediately to emails Wednesday asking if he intends to contest it.

The will states that Mr. Jackson deliberately made no provision for his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe.

Meanwhile, funeral plans appeared to edge closer to clarity, with a statement from Mr. Jackson's family ruling out a public event at Neverland Valley Ranch, Mr. Jackson's 2,600-acre estate in Santa Barbara County, California. Such an event had been widely rumored earlier in the week.

A funeral is likely to take place in Los Angeles, possibly at the 20,000-seat Staples Center. 'Plans are under way regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly,' the statement said. People close to the singer's family said Katherine Jackson would have final say over funeral arrangements.

Mr. Jackson died Thursday at age 50. He is survived by three children: Prince Michael Jackson Jr., 12; a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11; and another son, seven-year-old Prince Michael Jackson II. Katherine Jackson was granted temporary guardianship Monday of Mr. Jackson's children.

A judge held off on requests to control the children's estates and gave her limited control over some of her son's personal belongings, pending a hearing Monday.

【中文譯文】

據知情人士透露，邁克爾•傑克遜(Michael Jackson)的遺囑將財產留給一個家族信託基金，該基金將把鉅額財產分給他的三個孩子、他母親以及慈善團體。這份遺囑訂立已有7年。

邁克爾•傑克遜遺囑第一頁的部分內容由傑克遜簽名、日期爲2002年7月7日的這份遺囑於週三上午呈送洛杉磯高等法院備案。但邁克爾•傑克遜家族信託基金(Michael Jackson Family Trust)的委託條款沒有公佈。何時公佈還不得而知。

信託基金將支付財產稅。考慮到傑克遜的財產價值可能比龐大的債務高出至多2億美元，財產稅的數額也會很可觀。

知悉委託條款的知情人士說，基金沒有爲傑克遜的父親喬(Joe)留出份額。

遺囑指定傑克遜的母親凱瑟琳•傑克遜(Katherine Jackson)爲三個孩子的監護人。如果79歲的凱瑟琳去世，遺囑指定傑克遜的老朋友、歌手戴安娜•羅斯(Diana Ross)爲監護人。

遺囑指定長期擔任傑克遜代理律師的布蘭卡(John Branca)和傑克遜的好友麥克克萊恩(John McClain)爲遺囑執行人。麥克克萊恩也是一位資深音樂人，曾負責傑克遜最後一張專輯Invincible。

第三位執行人是會計師希格爾(Barry Siegel)，據布蘭卡和麥克克萊恩僱用的發言人發表的一份聲明，希格爾已於2003年辭去執行人一職。

雖然遺囑中提到的財產分配似乎簡單明瞭，但還是可能存在爭議。

曾擔任傑克遜律師的麥克米蘭(L. Londell McMillan)表示自己現在代表傑克遜的父母，週一他向法庭提交文件稱，他認爲傑克遜沒有立下有效遺囑。麥克米蘭隨後發佈聲明，承認2002年那份遺囑的存在，但沒有立即迴應記者詢問他是否有意質疑這份遺囑的郵件。

遺囑顯示，傑克遜有意沒有爲前妻黛比•若薇(Debbie Rowe)留下財產。

與此同時，傑克遜的葬禮計劃似乎也越來越明朗，傑克遜的家人發表聲明，不會在“夢幻莊園”舉行公開紀念活動。“夢幻莊園”佔地2,600英畝，位於加州聖巴巴拉。本週早些時候有傳聞說會在夢幻莊園舉行紀念活動。

傑克遜的葬禮可能在有2萬個座位的洛杉磯斯臺普斯中心(staples center)舉行。聲明中說，公開紀念邁克爾•傑克遜的活動正在計劃醞釀當中，我們不久將公佈這些計劃。熟悉傑克遜家庭情況的人說，葬禮的安排由傑克遜的母親最終拍板。

傑克遜上週四去世，享年50歲。他有三個孩子：12歲的普林斯(Prince Michael Jackson Jr.)、11歲的女兒帕麗斯(Paris Michael Katherine Jackson)和7歲的小兒子小普林斯(Prince Michael Jackson II)。傑克遜的母親凱瑟琳週一獲得了孩子們的臨時監護權。

法官推遲了凱瑟琳接管孩子們所繼承財產的申請，只准許她接管傑克遜的個人財產，下週一將就此舉行聽證會。