Michael Jackson will pay his ex-wife Debbie Rowe $750,000 – effectively buying his kids back as part of a secret deal, sources told The Post.
Although several published reports said Rowe gave up visitation rights in exchange for cash in this deal, another Rowe family lawyer – Marta Beth Almli – hinted that Jackson’s overseas address wouldn’t hinder her client from seeing the kids.
“There are airplanes,” Almli said. “I can’t comment on any terms of the settlement, but I don’t think in this world, [traveling to] the U.K. is difficult.”
The money will be paid in monthly installments of $62,500 – the equivalent of an earlier deal Jackson and Rowe had before they began fighting in court three years ago.
Two lawyers representing Rowe said yesterday their legal battle with The King of Pop is completely finished, and both sides are happy.
“Debbie is very satisfied with the results of the resolution,” said lawyer Eric George. “There’s a settlement, but I can’t tell you any of the terms of it. It’s confidential.”
Jackson’s lawyers could not be immediately reached for comment, but Jacko mouthpiece Michael Abrams told US magazine: “Michael is satisfied with the results, and I believe Ms. Rowe is satisfied.”
Jackson, 48, still owns his Neverland Valley Ranch outside Santa Barbara, Calif., but The Gloved One’s publicist, Raymone Bain, said Michael currently lives in Ireland – and has no immediate plans to return to American soil.
Jackson and his three kids left the United States for Bahrain last year, after he was acquitted on child-molestation charges. After severing ties with benefactors in Bahrain and receiving a cash boost from debt refinancing, Jackson moved to Ireland.
Rowe is the biological mother of Prince Michael, 9, and Paris, 8.
Jackson’s ex-wife surrendered all her parental rights to the children in 2001, but launched a vigorous effort to get kids back after The King of Pop was arrested in 2003 for allegedly fondling children and plying them with booze.
Jackson was eventually cleared of all charges with a helping hand from Rowe, who took the witness stand for prosecutors but gave unexpectedly glowing testimony about her ex-hubby.
Rowe’s bid to win back her kids was aided greatly last year when an appeals court and the California Supreme Court voided her 2001 agreement to surrender all parental rights.
The California judges ruled that Rowe and Jackson had no right to take Rowe out of the parental picture without a court-appointed lawyer to represent the best interests of Prince Michael and Paris.
By winning back her parental rights last year, Rowe gained equal footing in her custody battle with Jackson.
Rowe and Jackson were married in 1996 and she filed for divorce in 1999. Jackson has a third child, 4-year-old Prince Michael II, who was born to an unknown surrogate mom.