Post by sunsetdriver on Mar 4, 2006 18:40:41 GMT 1
Friday, March 03, 2006
By Roger Friedman
Jackson Staffers Lose Health Insurance
The 60 or so employees of Michael Jackson who work in California — including his longtime aide Evvy Tavasci and all the people who toil at the Neverland Valley Ranch — lost their health insurance on Feb. 28.
On top of that, yesterday marked the 10th week that the staff went without paychecks. That's right: No one at Neverland has received any money since Dec. 23, 2005.
It's a serious situation. According to my sources, some Neverland staffers — basically maids, cooks, and groundskeepers — have been applying to local welfare programs for assistance so they can feed their families.
"It's as if they're homeless," says a source familiar with the situation. "And the ironic thing is that there are at least two Rolls-Royces in Jackson's storage facility" — in nearby Buellton — "that could be sold so that the loyal staff can be paid."
Jackson left Neverland at the end of June 2005 after he was acquitted on charges of child molestation and conspiracy. He hasn't returned since.
The insurance issue seems to be a signal from Jackson that he no longer cares what happens to his employees. I'm told that they were covered by Cigna until last fall, when the group plan expired.
"There was an extension," said my source, "but that ended on February 28th. We weren't even told directly. It came up when someone on the ranch called about a claim."
Ironically, Jackson keeps telling anyone who will listen that he's working on a charity single for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. He doesn't seem to remember the adage that charity begins at home.
source: foxnews.com
Enrico
By Roger Friedman
Jackson Staffers Lose Health Insurance
The 60 or so employees of Michael Jackson who work in California — including his longtime aide Evvy Tavasci and all the people who toil at the Neverland Valley Ranch — lost their health insurance on Feb. 28.
On top of that, yesterday marked the 10th week that the staff went without paychecks. That's right: No one at Neverland has received any money since Dec. 23, 2005.
It's a serious situation. According to my sources, some Neverland staffers — basically maids, cooks, and groundskeepers — have been applying to local welfare programs for assistance so they can feed their families.
"It's as if they're homeless," says a source familiar with the situation. "And the ironic thing is that there are at least two Rolls-Royces in Jackson's storage facility" — in nearby Buellton — "that could be sold so that the loyal staff can be paid."
Jackson left Neverland at the end of June 2005 after he was acquitted on charges of child molestation and conspiracy. He hasn't returned since.
The insurance issue seems to be a signal from Jackson that he no longer cares what happens to his employees. I'm told that they were covered by Cigna until last fall, when the group plan expired.
"There was an extension," said my source, "but that ended on February 28th. We weren't even told directly. It came up when someone on the ranch called about a claim."
Ironically, Jackson keeps telling anyone who will listen that he's working on a charity single for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. He doesn't seem to remember the adage that charity begins at home.
source: foxnews.com
Enrico
