John Branca — UCLA Interview — “The Difference when Michael Jackson was Alive”
John Branca on the difference between how potentially libelous content was addressed when Michael Jackson was alive, in contrast to the things HBO has done now that he is no longer with us.
Dale Cohen: Isn’t that what you’d have to prove in a libel case? Wouldn’t you have to prove the negative if you brought a defamation case on behalf of the estate?
John Branca: Funny you should mention that, because when Michael was alive, there was an allegation by Victor Gutierrez. And it’s interesting that the Robson-Safechuck allegations are patterned right after Victor Gutierrez. And you know what happened? Michael sued him, won, the man suffered a several million-dollar judgment, went bankrupt, and left the country. That’s the difference between what HBO did and what happened when Michael was alive.