Confusion over Jewish mother Debbie Rowe's custody fight for Michael Jackson's oldest children

July 5, 8:05 PMJewish Community ExaminerSheila Solomon

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Since Michael Jackson’s sudden death on June 25, it has been uncertain whether 50-year old Debbie Jean Rowe, who was Jackson’s wife from 1996 to 1999, would vie for the custody of  the  two Jackson children she claims as her own.

Rowe, who insists that she is the biological mother of Michael Joseph Jr., 12, and Paris Michael Katherine, 11, announced to the media on Thursday, July 2 that she will fight for custody of the two Jackson children. Jackson’s youngest son, Prince Michael II, was born to an unidentified surrogate mother.

In a June 30 article titled “Jackson's Jewish ties had their highs and lows”, Tom Tugend of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) writes, “Speculation is rife on whether custody of Jackson's two older children -- and of the estate they will inherit -- will go to the pop star’s parents or the children's Jewish mother.” Tugend goes on to note, “Under Jewish law, the children are considered Jewish.”

According to NBC Washington News.com, Rowe told NBCLA's Chuck Henry in a Thursday morning phone conversation, “I want my children.” Furthermore, Rowe revealed to NBC that she would agree to DNA testing to prove that she is the biological mother of the two Jackson children. This action is likely a response to reports from sources such as TMZ.com that Rowe was “merely a surrogate” and that the children were conceived using donated sperm and eggs.

Although Rowe had relinquished her parental rights in 2001, she later asked the court to restore her rights. A July 2, 2009, Sun Sentinel.com article reported, “Rowe later decided to contest her waiver of parental rights, citing the child molestation charges against Jackson as well as his association with the Nation of Islam . . . .‘Because she is Jewish, Deborah feared the children might be mistreated if Michael continued his association,’ the court said.”

California's Second District Court of Appeals “ruled in Rowe’s favor in 2006, but ultimately the custody battle was settled out of court,” notes a June 28 JTA article entitled “Jackson kids’ Jewish mother could regain custody.” The article also points out, “Legal authorities contacted by the Los Angeles Times in general agreed that under California law, Rowe would be likely to regain custody, even if Jackson had designated another guardian in his will.”

Last Monday, before Jackson’s 2002 will had been found, a Los Angeles judge granted Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s mother, temporary custody of all three Jackson children.

Jackson’s will, filed in court last Wednesday, names his mother the guardian of the children. Singer Diana Ross is the secondary guardian if Katherine Jackson dies or is otherwise unable to take care of the children.

On Thursday afternoon, despite Rowe’s statement earlier in the day to NBC that she wanted her children, Rowe’s attorney, Eric M. George, asserted, "The truth is that Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings. When Debbie does take a position in the public forum of the court, those positions will of course be conveyed to all interested persons.” The lawyer’s statement was reported in a Yahoo.com news article.

The next custody hearing for the Jackson children is scheduled for Monday, July 13.

For more information about Debbie Rowe and her Thursday July 2, 2009, claims to seek custody of the Jackson children as well as her lawyer's subsequent statement that she has not yet made a final decision, view footage from news anchor Chuck Henry’s NBC 4 television show on the NBCLA.com website.

Photo above: In this magazine cover image released by US Weekly, a photo of Michael Jackson with two of his children are shown on the cover of the latest issue of "US Weekly,", available on newsstands on Friday, July 3, 2009. (AP Photo/US Weekly)

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