Janet Jackson's Lawyer Demands Retraction From Vanity Fair Over Michael Jackson Burial Story

USMagazine, Tuesday, October 9, 2012, 6:30pm (PDT)

Janet Jackson's attorney sent a scathing letter to Vanity Fair demanding a retraction of an article in the November 2012 issue.

The magazine article, which is an excerpt from Randall Sullivan's upcoming book, Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson, claims Janet, 46, delayed her brother Michael Jackson's funeral until she was reimbursed for her $40,000 deposit to secure his plot.

Janet's attorney, Blair G. Brown, addressed a legal letter to Vanity Fair's Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter saying the story is "false and defamatory."

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"Ms. Jackson never delayed the funeral in anyway," Brown wrote in the letter dated Oct. 5, obtained by Us Weekly. "In fact, she paid for the funeral and was reimbursed for some of those expenses by Michael Jackson's estate in the year after the services took place."

"In addition, there were other private costs associated with Michael Jackson's passing that Ms. Jackson incurred and for which she has never sought reimbursement," he added. "To falsely accuse Ms. Jackson of holding up her brother's funeral over money is outrageous. This story is particularly hurtful and distressing because of Ms. Jackson's strong desire to serve her brother, whom she loved dearly, and he wish to stand with and support her family."

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The King of Pop was laid to rest on Sept. 3, 2009 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, more than two months after his death.

"I demand that Vanity Fair retract its statement that Ms. Jackson 'refused' to let Michael Jackson's funeral take place until the money she put down as a deposition on his burial plot was repaid," Brown wrote. "To the extend that this statement appears in excerpts of Untouchable published in Vanity Fair’s November 2012 issue, I demand that Vanity Fair publish a retraction explaining that the statement is false."

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Janet posted the entire letter on her official website.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Janet Jackson's Lawyer Demands Retraction From Vanity Fair Over Michael Jackson Burial Story