Katherine Jackson's elder abuse case is thrown out

26 April 2017

Katherine Jackson's elder abuse case against her nephew has been thrown out of court.

Katherine Jackson

The 86-year-old matriarch - who is the mother of the late Michael Jackson - was gained a restraining order against Trent Jackson three months ago, but the judge has dismissed the case after Katherine's lawyers admitted their client was "unprepared to go forward" with a trial.

The legal representatives for Katherine asked for the case to be dismissed "without prejudice" - meaning she could file it again in the future - because their client reportedly never realised it would go this far, according to TMZ.

However, the judge said if Katherine - who hasn't been seen since the beginning of the year - wasn't ready for the trial to start on Tuesday (25.04.17) then it would be thrown out forever.

In February, Katherine was granted a temporary restraining order against Trent - who has looked after her since 2009 - after alleging he had abused her and had neglected her health.

She also said in her filing to the court: "I believe he has put cameras and bugs in my home, so the only place I can try and have a private conversation is in my bathroom...

"I used to be very social with my friends, like playing Scrabble, walking around in the park, sharing meals, but Trent has given them various reasons why I am not available."

However, Trent wasn't convinced that Katherine was behind the claims and filed his own documents two months ago in which he picked up on the fact that she had said in her declaration that she's been in London and, therefore, couldn't appear in court.

Trent then used the matriarch's disappearance in 2012 as an example and claimed her son Jermaine Jackson and some of his siblings held her hostage and even took her phone away.

Trent and his lawyer were said to be convinced that a similar situation could be unfolding behind closed doors as they feel Jermaine and his siblings are keen to get their hands on the Michael Jackson Estate and are trying to strip Katherine of her free will.

At present, the Estate pays Katherine - the legal guardian of Michael's children since his death in 2009 - a monthly stipend and when she dies, the balance of his fortune will go to his kids Prince, 20, Paris, 19, and Bigi, 15, and various charities.

In his will, the 'Thriller' hitmaker didn't include his father Joe Jackson or his siblings.