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Former employees' motives on trial along with Jackson

Michael Jackson's lawyer has portrayed witnesses as liars who abused the singer's trust.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson designed his Neverland ranch as a retreat from the prying world. But testimony at his trial shows it became a nest of backstairs intrigues among gossiping employees who are now offering stories to bolster prosecution claims that Jackson molested boys.

Jackson's lawyer has worked to confront the witnesses with their own financial motives, portraying them as mercenaries and liars who abused Jackson's trust.

The former employees have admitted they sold out Jackson to the highest bidder, peddling alleged inside dirt on his sex life with ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley and his relationship with child actor Macauley Culkin.

In testimony at Jackson's trial last week, maid Adrian McManus acknowledged that she knew nothing about Jackson's sex life with Presley but nevertheless signed contracts to sell details of "kinky sex" to tabloid magazines.

She said employees used a "media broker" to sell gossip because they needed money to finance their multimillion-dollar wrongful termination suit against Jackson. They lost in court and were ordered to pay Jackson $1.4-million.

Another maid acknowledged she got $20,000 from the TV show Hard Copy with another maid acting as her agent in the deal. She then sued Jackson, saying her son had been molested, and received a $2.4-million settlement.

Security guard Ralph Chacon, who was part of the employees' suit against Jackson, said he was forced into bankruptcy when they lost. The defense portrayed his testimony - a graphic account of seeing Jackson perform a sex act on a child - as a way to "get even."

Neverland chef Phillip LeMarque acknowledged he once asked for $500,000 to tell a tabloid that he saw Jackson with a hand up Culkin's shorts.

The defense has said the Home Alone star has repeatedly denied anything inappropriate happened, and a spokeswoman has said Culkin does not plan to be a part of the case.

LeMarque said he didn't receive any money from tabloids.

"Everybody was trying to sell our stories," said LeMarque, saying the competition to cash in on Jackson's fame divided the employees. "You couldn't have friends. Everyone was spying on each other."

[Last modified April 11, 2005, 14:19:45]