Michael Jackson to Pay Workers at Neverland Valley Ranch

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson has averted a deeper legal battle with the State of California after agreeing to pay workers at his Neverland Valley Ranch estate. Since December, the employees of Neverland Valley ranch have not been paid for their services to upkeep the estate while Michael Jackson has been on indefinite residential hiatus in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia.

After allowing his workers' compensation insurance to expire, Michael Jackson was forced to close Neverland Valley Ranch until the necessary papers are obtained and filed with the State of California, which fined Jackson $100,000 and also warned of an impending lawsuit if the singer didn't make arrangements to pay $306,000 in wages owed.

According to the latest Reuters story by Dan Whitcomb, California Department of Industrial Relations representative Dean Fryer recently spoke of the arrangements, "Fryer said agents for Jackson resolved that issue by assuring the state that payroll would be distributed to the employees by Thursday."

Despite the latest arrangements, Michael Jackson will still have to make good on penalties owed on the back wages, but the State of California will apparently be determining the exact amount based on the number of workers and individual claims filed.

As the BBC reports, a minimum of 30 workers at Neverland Valley ranch are owed back wages from Michael Jackson since December of 2005 and staff hasn't been allowed to work at the 1,100 hectare estate, but the singer was given some time to make arrangements to pay his workers earlier in the week, "Jackson was threatened with a lawsuit if he didn't pay up by a Tuesday deadline, later extended to Wednesday." It appears that Michael Jackson has been attempting to make good to the workers, given the latest developments and extensions on payment.

In June of 2005, Michael Jackson, who had massive success in the Eighties with such hits as Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, and Bad, was acquitted on child abuse charges in California after a lengthy and public legal ordeal. Since then, Michael Jackson has relocated to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, leaving Neverland Valley Ranch in a state of financial need, which appears to be getting more attention from its famous owner.

[Sources: Reuters UK, BBC]