Published: July 06, 2009 12:31 pm      

Judge backs Michael Jackson lawyer and friend

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY

AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge says Michael Jackson’s longtime attorney and a family friend should take over the singer’s estate.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued his ruling Monday. He backed attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, who were designated in Jackson’s 2002 will.

The singer’s mother, Katherine Jackson, had applied to oversee her son’s estate, but that was before the will surfaced naming Branca and McClain. Her attorney, Burt Levitch, expressed concerns about the two men’s financial leadership.

Katherine Jackson did not appear at Monday’s hearing.