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Michael Jackson to Allred: 'Go to hell'


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A war of words between pop star Michael Jackson and attorney Gloria Allred over Jackson's parenting skills (December 4)
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SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- The controversy over Michael Jackson's treatment of his children intensified Tuesday when the singer said Gloria Allred should "go to hell" for complaining about it to state officials.

Allred, the California attorney who has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, wrote a letter last week to California's Child Protective Services, asking them to investigate whether Jackson's three children are in danger.

She said her action was prompted by widely broadcast footage of Jackson dangling his infant son over a fourth-floor balcony railing at a Berlin hotel.

"Ahhh, tell her to go to hell," was Jackson's response Tuesday when a reporter asked him about Allred's action. The singer was on his way to court, where he is being sued in a contract dispute.

Jackson has called the baby dangling incident a "terrible mistake," and Berlin authorities said the actions were not punishable, but Allred said writing the letter was simply doing her part as a concerned citizen.

"It's my view that any person who witnesses an act that they believe may be an act of child endangerment ... has a duty, a moral duty, to notify Children's Protective Services and ask for them to investigate," Allred told CNN. "That child could have been subjected to great bodily harm or even death."

Allred also said that Jackson needs to learn how to protect his children. "That's a real baby," she said. "That's not a Cabbage Patch doll."

The child involved in the hotel incident is 1-year-old Prince Michael II, whose mother is unidentified. Jackson's 5-year-old son, Prince Michael I, and 4-year-old daughter, Paris, were born during his marriage to Debbie Rowe, his plastic surgeon's nurse, which ended in 1999.

Allred said Child Protective Services has not responded to her letter, but she noted it is common for the agency not to reveal whether or not it is conducting an investigation.

Allred said she hopes Jackson will take a parenting class "and learn how to exercise better judgment" with his children.

Asked for her response to Jackson's remark, Allred replied, "This isn't going to take the controversy down a notch -- it's only going to heat it up."



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