Pitbull is no Michael Jackson.
That was the gist of the expert testimony that highlighted the fourth day of the trial that pits legendary producer Quincy Jones against the Michael Jackson estate, with Jones claiming that the late King of Pop’s estate breached its contract with him and owes him millions of dollars in royalties from works that include songs from the albums Thriller, Off the Wall, This Is It and Bad.
Jones had sued the Jackson estate and Sony Music Entertainment in 2013, alleging that songs such as “Billie Jean,” ”Thriller” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” were re-edited to cut him out of royalties and a producer’s fee. The suit also claimed that Jones’ contracts gave him the first opportunity to re-edit or alter the songs, partly to protect his reputation.
On Friday, Jones’ legal team called Michael Fremer, editor of AnalogPlanet.com, to the stand, in hopes of establishing that some of Jackson’s posthumously released remixes — issued without Jones’ permission — had diminished Jones’ reputation due to their mediocrity.