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Quincy Jones with Michael Jackson at the 1994 Grammy Awards (Chris Walter/WireImage)Quincy Jones took the stand Thursday in Los Angeles in his lawsuit against the Michael Jackson estate, and he made it clear straight away that he’s not taking legal action against the King of Pop.
“I’m not suing Michael,” Jones said as he looked at the attorney for the estate, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m suing y’all.”
The producer of Jackson’s Thriller, Bad and Off the Wall albums says he’s owed $30 million in royalties from those releases and other music he recorded with Michael.
Jones claims his agreements with Jackson stipulate he would receive additional payment when those songs are used for films, such as the posthumous concert documentary This Is It. The estate attorneys argue Jones is only entitled to a percentage of record sales.
Estate attorney Howard Weitzman asked Jones if he should receive money from music licensed for new projects, even though the estate interpreted the contract to mean he was not entitled to licensing fees. Contract montract,” Jones responded. “If we made the record, we deserve to get paid.”
When asked why he didn’t file his lawsuit while Jackson was alive, Jones said, “I cared more about him as a human being than about the money.”
The estate previously offered Jones a settlement of between $2 million and $3 million before trial, which it what it believes Jones is owed.
Closing arguments in the case are scheduled for Monday morning.
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