A lawyer representing Michael Jackson's family has condemned plans for a memorabilia auction in China in October (10) - insisting the late superstar "would be turning in his grave" if he knew about the sale.
A rare black, bejewelled glove worn by the King of Pop in 1995, said to be worth up to $50,000 (£33,330), is among the lots of stage costumes, original paintings and handwritten notes set to go under the hammer at the Julien's Auctions sale in MACau, China on 9 October (10).
But the planned sale has infuriated longtime Jackson family spokesman Brian Oxman, who claims Jackson attempted to block the auction just weeks before his tragic death last year (09).
Oxman tells Britain's Daily Star, "This is an outrage. Back in May of 2009 there was to be an auction. Michael demanded it was stopped. He never wanted this material to be auctioned. As soon as Michael Jackson was dead, Julien's Auctions was negotiating again with estate representatives. That was the very auction that Michael Jackson paid a lot of money to stop. He would be furious. He would be turning in his grave. This was to be his legacy to his children, and the legacy of his children is being sold off."
Julien's Auctions boss Darren Julien says, "It's the best collection of Michael Jackson items that we've ever assembled and it all came to us from his family and from the friends he gave them to."