LOS ANGELES - A judge on Friday ordered an investigation into the well-being of Michael Jackson's children and a lawyer for the family matriarch said she will move to share guardianship of the children with the adult son of Tito Jackson.
Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff told a court investigator to interview the three children independently and provide a report for review only by the judge, not attorneys involved in the case.
The order does not spell out a reason for the investigation, but it is likely intended to give the judge another perspective on how Jackson's children are coping after a week of family turmoil that included the absence of their grandmother and a dispute in the driveway of their home amid a feud over the estate of the pop superstar.
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This Jan. 26 file photo shows, from left, Prince Jackson, Blanket Jackson and Paris Jackson after a hand and footprint ceremony honoring their father musician Michael Jackson in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. The executors of Michael Jackson's estate say they are concerned about the welfare of the singer's mother and his three children.
The court investigator was ordered to interview the children at school at a time to remain undisclosed. Beckloff received a similar report a few weeks after Jackson's death in 2009 and its contents remain sealed.
Beckloff said during a hearing earlier this week that there were no indications that Katherine Jackson had done anything wrong.
Under the proposed guardianship change, the 82-year-old Jackson would share oversight of the children with Tito Jackson's son in a deal that would relieve her of some of the day-to-day stresses of managing a famous family, her attorney Perry Sanders Jr. said.
The decision was made after a meeting between Katherine Jackson and Sanders on Thursday. He said Michael Jackson's eldest son has told attorneys he approves of the arrangement.
A formal filing for co-guardianship is expected next week. If approved, it would make Tito Joe "TJ" Jackson a co-guardian of the children - Prince, Paris and Blanket - who range in ages from 10 to 15.
TJ Jackson's attorneys suggest the co-guardianship arrangement in a filing Friday. It states that if either adult guardian dies or is unable to serve, the other will act alone in raising the children.
Under the plan, responsibility for managing staff and security at the home would shift to TJ Jackson. Katherine Jackson would keep control of a family allowance worth tens of thousands of dollars a month, Sanders said.
"Mrs. Jackson is extremely pleased with the prospect of enjoying the pleasure of raising Michael's children without the day-to-day tedium of items such as managing the large staff that goes with such a high-profile family and focus her attention on being a grandmother and raising Michael's children," Sanders wrote in a statement.