Jackson's Atty: $$ Is The Motive

Michael Jackson's attorney vowed to "land like a ton of bricks" on anyone who attacks the singer and charged that the molestation allegations against him were motivated by money.

"If anybody doesn't think based upon what's happened so far that the true motivation of these charges and these allegations is anything but money and the seeking of money, is living in their own Neverland," attorney Mark Geragos said, referring to the singer's storybook playland.

Geragos' pledge to mount a vigorous defense against those who damage Jackson's reputation followed revelations that he and the entertainer were secretly videotaped while flying on a private jet to Santa Barbara last week for Jackson's surrender.

Geragos said he obtained a temporary court order barring anyone connected to the airline from showing the tapes, reports California CBS affiliate KCBS.

"Michael Jackson is not going to be abused," Geragos said. "Michael Jackson is not going to be slammed."

Meanwhile, the Santa Barbara County district attorney pushed back the anticipated filing of molestation charges against Jackson to mid-December.

The delay will allow development of a Web site for public posting of court-related information in the case, District Attorney Thomas W. Sneddon said.

Sneddon had told a Nov. 19 news conference that charges would be filed "in a very short period of time." By week's end he announced that the charges would not be filed until after the Thanksgiving holiday, which is on Thursday.

Also Tuesday, attorneys for the divorced parents of Jackson's accuser are casting doubt on the child's allegations against the pop star.

An attorney who represented the accuser's mother in her divorce from the child's father said the family never indicated to him that Jackson had sexually abused the boy.

Attorney Michael Manning said Monday he remembers the mother saying positive things about Jackson as recently as April or May.

"'He was really good to us' — that's what she said at the time," Manning said.

Asked if she had said anything else about Jackson, Manning added, "Nothing bad … If it turned sour, I don't know how."

Russ Halpern, who represented the child's father and defended the man against criminal charges that grew out of the bitter divorce, cast doubt on the mother's credibility, reports CBS News Early Show Correspondent Hattie Kauffman.

"Is it within the realm of probability or possibility that this woman's making up this story? The answer is yes," Halpern said.

This isn't the couple's first contact with the courts. CBS News has learned in 1998 they filed a lawsuit against J.C. Penney, claiming store security guards "followed them into the mall parking lot and proceeded to beat them," and that a Tower Records security guard "joined the fracas, sexually assaulted" the boy's mother in front of him. They settled for more than $150,000.

The mother filed for divorce in 2001 and has custody of the children. Manning said she and the alleged victim rarely mentioned their visits to Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County.

"They didn't brag about it," he said. "They weren't star crazy."

Manning said he still represents the mother in the divorce, although he hasn't spoken to her since May or June.

Both CBS and the Associated Press do not identify alleged victims of sexual abuse. The child's mother has an unlisted number and could not be located for comment Monday.

Stuart Backerman, the entertainer's spokesman, declined to comment Monday night.

Representatives of the Santa Barbara County district attorney's office and the sheriff's department declined to comment Monday on the case. Both have said they will not comment until charges are filed.

Jackson also launched a Web site Monday designed to tell his side of the story in the child-molestation case, asserting the allegations are "predicated on a big lie."

Jackson put the site together so he could communicate directly with the news media and fans, Backerman said. Jackson said in his statement that the site would serve as a source for "official communications on my case."

The site also contains links to three earlier statements Backerman made last week on Jackson's behalf. The statements were made after authorities raided the singer's Neverland Ranch and before and after the entertainer surrendered on a warrant alleging lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.

A public relations executive who is not involved in the Jackson case said the Web site allows the entertainer to bypass the news media to deliver his side of the story to the public.

"He's able to communicate with those people interested without the message being filtered by the media," said Doug Dowie, senior vice president of Fleishman-Hillard. "If he wants to put out an 800-word press release, you can read all 800 words."

Jackson was released on $3 million bail after his surrender Thursday and immediately returned to Las Vegas, where he had been filming a video. Authorities have said they expect to file formal charges sometime after Thanksgiving.