Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's former lawyer has won an amount up to $18 Million in damages from an air charter firm that secretly filmed him and the pop star on a plane. Mark Geragos sued XtraJet and its owner Jeffrey Borer for damages after he was taped with Jackson in November 2003. Geragos' lawyer Brian Kabateck said: "This is an important day for lawyers who generally represent celebrities and high profile people." Borer's lawyer Lloyd Kirschbaum said his client would appeal. Geragos' colleague Pat Harris, who was also on board the flight with the singer, was awarded between $1.25 million and $2.25 million in damages by the Los Angeles court. Mr Kirschbaum insisted Mr Geragos' relationship with his famous client could not have been breached because the video recording did not have sound. "You can't intercept a communication without sound," he said. Last year Mr Borer and his co-defendant Arvel Jett Reeves acknowledged they installed two digital video recorders in a Gulfstream jet that flew Mr Jackson from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara. Jackson had been on his way to surrender to authorities on charges of molestation. He was later found not guilty. In court papers Judge Soussan G Bruguera said: "Defendant Borer was the mastermind behind a scheme to desecrate and exploit sacred attorney-client communications for personal profit."