Three days after Michael Jackson's acquittal on child sex abuse charges, the pop star's lawyers were back in court to demand the return of hundreds of items seized from his Neverland Ranch.
And Judge Rodney Melville ordered that Jackson's passport, which he was forced to surrender to prevent any risk of him fleeing the country following his November 2003 arrest, be returned to the star.
Lawyer Robert Sanger, who formed part of the crack legal team that helped get the 46-year-old superstar dramatically acquitted on all charges after a 19-week trial, asked Melville to order prosecutors to return Jackson's belongings.
"Mr Jackson wants his stuff back," Sanger told reporters after the brief hearing in the California town of Santa Maria where Jackson's trial ended Monday.
"Anything that was seized from the property of a person should be returned. All the people from whom the items were seized should have their items returned to them. That's all we're asking for," he said.
More than 70 investigators swooped on Jackson's sprawling, fantasy-inspired estate near Santa Maria on November 18, 2003.
A second raid on the estate was launched in December 2004, shortly before Jackson's trial began in late January.
Sanger did not specify Thursday exactly which items he was seeking to recover for the star who was holed up at Neverland where he returned as a free man after jurors cleared him on 10 charges against him.
Melville did not immediately make a ruling on the return of the items, instead giving prosecutors an opportunity to examine the evidence and to state if there was any good reason why they should not be given back.
But the judge did rule that sheriffs must return Jackson's passport.
The judge also indicated he was poised to grant public access to all documents relating to Jackson's trial that remain sealed under a tight gag order he imposed after the star's arrest.
"I would only consider leaving sealed a very limited number of things," he told the court, saying however he would protect private details of the jurors who found Jackson not guilty.
The judge gave rival lawyers a week to state which items they would prefer to keep sealed and said he would make a final decision within 30 days.
Source: AP/eMJey