Michael Jackson Warned to Drop Legal Action to Save Embarrassment

[Brian Damage]

Michael Jackson has been warned not to stand in the way of a planned charity auction of his belongings, because it could cause the singer more embarrassment than it's worth.

The Thriller star and his family have threatened legal action against bosses at Universal Express, who are planning to hold the Jackson Family Memorabilia Auction later this month in Las Vegas. Among the items going under the hammer are a number of costumes from him and his siblings' Jackson 5 days.

The Jacksons are contesting ownership of a number of lots in the auction, which company chairman Richard Altomare claims to have purchased from the pop superstar's former business partner Henry Vacaro, who was awarded the memorabilia as part of a bankruptcy case against Michael.

But Altomare has called upon the Jackson family to reconsider their pending lawsuit, because Universal Express have held back a number of items, including portraits of naked boys and sex toys, which could prove highly embarrassing to the star.

Altomare tells PageSix, "There are a couple of paintings Jackson made of children, of boys - naked. And there are some of his whitening creams, some sex aids... some of the old records in his sealed (sexual molestation) court case.

"This is stuff we have kept from the auction out of respect to Mr. Jackson. The guy has troubles. We all have skeletons in the closet and, if Michael hadn't put up a fuss, I might have quietly, discreetly, just given it to him.

"I'm a gentleman... But if he p**ses me off, I may end up auctioning them."

The Jackson family are due in court for a closed hearing in Las Vegas tomorrow, where Altomare will argue he is the rightful owner of the collection, which is estimated to sell for more than $100 million.

Jackson's spokesman, William Marshall, has refused to comment.

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