( CNN ) -- Michael Jackson was a one-man cottage industry for the legal profession . Michael Jackson shows up for court , late and wearing pajama bottoms , during his 2005 child molestation trial . Two child-molestation investigations ( no convictions ) , two divorces , myriad civil lawsuits over concerts , special performances and soured business deals , near-bankruptcy and the threatened foreclosure of his Neverland ranch kept teams of lawyers busy . Jackson 's legal stable included the elite of Los Angeles , California , litigators -- Thomas Mesereau Jr. , Mark Geragos and the late Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Legal foes included Gloria Allred , Larry Feldman and Anthony Pellicano , the convicted `` wiretapper to the stars . '' His legal legacy seems destined to live on . Jackson 's death at age 50 is likely to be the subject of a coroner 's investigation . Also to be determined is who raises Jackson 's three children , whether he left a will and whether anyone will challenge it . Watch how Jackson made and spent his money » . Attorney Allred 's thoughts were on the pop music icon 's children -- Prince Michael I , Paris and Prince Michael II . `` I am very concerned about the children he leaves behind , '' she said . `` What will happen to them ? If the mother relinquished parental rights , then who 's to have custody ? '' She added that if Jackson left a will , it likely will be challenged in court . Allred filed the complaint with Child Protective Services that resulted , in part , in the 2004 Santa Barbara County grand jury investigation . Jackson was acquitted in June 2005 of child molestation charges after a 14-week media circus of a trial in Santa Maria , California . Prosecutors charged the singer with four counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14 ; one count of attempted lewd conduct ; four counts of administering alcohol to facilitate child molestation ; and one count of conspiracy to commit child abduction , false imprisonment or extortion . Jackson began the legal battle by giving an impromptu mini-performance for the horde of fans who flocked to his arraignment . CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was there . `` I was standing about 20 feet away from Jackson on the day of his arraignment in Santa Maria when he danced on the top of his car before an adoring crowd . It was one of the most bizarre moments of my journalism career , '' Toobin recalled . Some of the testimony was equally bizarre , as the accusing witness told of being plied with wine -- `` Jesus Juice , '' he said Jackson called it . Jackson became even more of a curiosity when he wore pajama bottoms to court on the day his accuser took the witness stand . He arrived an hour and 40 minutes late , after the judge threatened to revoke his $ 3 million bail . Former child star Macaulay Culkin was among the more than 130 people who testified at the trial . He disputed testimony from earlier witnesses who claimed they saw Jackson behaving inappropriately with him in the early 1990s . The jury deliberated for 32 hours before clearing Jackson of charges that could have sent him to prison for 20 years . Jackson 's defense attorney in that case , Mesereau , told reporters at the time that `` justice was done . '' He was in court when his former client died Thursday afternoon . `` I 'm in an absolute state of shock , '' Mesereau said . `` He was a very gentle , kind soul who wanted to make the universe a better place . I 'm honored to have spent the time with him that I did and to have helped preserve his honor , reputation and freedom . '' In a February 2003 broadcast of an unflattering television documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir , Jackson was shown on the program holding hands with the boy who accused him of child molestation . He defended as `` loving '' his practice of letting young boys sleep in his bed . `` He was a great talent but had very poor judgment in the choices he made in his personal life , '' said Allred , who filed her complaint after watching the documentary . `` His choices led to serious accusations against him . His own words were problematic , '' she added . `` There were significant questions about his personal choices , particularly with young children . '' California authorities searched Neverland , Jackson 's mansion complete with roller coaster and petting zoo , that November . He was in Las Vegas , Nevada , at the time , and flew back to California on a private jet , accompanied by lawyer Geragos . Even that journey , which was surreptitiously taped , resulted in litigation and an undisclosed financial settlement . A decade earlier , prosecutors in Los Angeles declined to file charges in their own 13-month child molestation investigation . A 13-year-old boy complained to social workers that Jackson had molested him over a period of several months in 1993 . The boy 's father also filed a civil lawsuit , and Jackson 's lawyers characterized the allegations as a $ 20 million extortion attempt . But the case settled out of court , reportedly with Jackson paying millions in damages . The boy later refused to testify in the Los Angeles case , but was among the witnesses during the 2005 trial in Santa Maria . Jackson and his legal team were equally well known in the civil courts . He was sued by more than a dozen people over the past decade . Those suing included former managers , financial advisors , lawyers , business partners -- even a porn producer -- over nonpayment or soured deals . He settled most of the lawsuits out of court . Two marriages -- to Deborah Rowe , his dermatologist 's assistant , and Lisa Marie Presley , daughter of the late Elvis Presley -- ended in divorce . Rowe took him to court over their custody and visitation arrangement , but settled for a reported $ 8.5 million , giving up her parental rights . In recent years , Jackson has also narrowly avoided bankruptcy and foreclosure on his Neverland ranch , which also includes an amusement park , complete with Ferris wheel , and a petting zoo . He sold Neverland last year . He also `` amicably '' settled a legal claim by a son of the King of Bahrain over a failed $ 10 million recording venture , according to reports in London . In the United States , Jackson was still fighting civil claims by a former publicist , a concert promoter and John Landis , the writer an director of his iconic `` Thriller '' video , according to the Los Angeles Times .
Michael Jackson investigated and tried for molesting boys , never convicted . He also had an array of civil disputes , most settled out of court . Comment: 2005 trial was a media circus , ended in acquittal .