Jacko sued by 'Thriller' video director Landis
AFP
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Former "King of Pop" Michael Jackson is being sued by the director of his seminal 1983 video "Thriller" over unpaid royalties, US media reported.
Several reports said Jackson was being sued by film-maker John Landis for allegedly failing to stick to an agreement to share profits from the 14-minute video featuring a cast of werewolves, zombies and assorted monsters.
The video "continued to generate profits for defendants ... who have wrongfully refused to pay or account for such profits to the plaintiff."
The suit accused Jackson of "fraudulent, malicious and oppressive conduct."
Landis is best known for directing 1980s comedy "The Blues Brothers" and groundbreaking 1981 comedy-horror "An American Werewolf in London."
Jackson, who throughout the 1980s was the world's most bankable pop star, has led a reclusive existence since his acquittal for child sex abuse in 2005.
He is currently reported to be residing in Los Angeles, renting a 100,000-dollar-a-month estate.
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Image of a gold LP commemorating the sale of 500,000 copies of Michael Jackson's album, "Thriller", by Ethan Miller.