Woman Awaits New Michael Jackson Case

A woman who authorities say has harassed singer Michael Jackson for 5 years by claiming to be his wife pleaded not guilty Tuesday to violating a court order to stay away from Jackson’s Encino home.

Lavon Muhammad, 40, who calls herself Billie Jean Jackson, was arrested Friday in a Los Angeles Superior courtroom after she violated a restraining order issued last year prohibiting her from loitering outside the Jackson family home, Deputy City Atty. David S. Kestenbaum said.

Muhammad was arrested without incident as she appeared in court on an unrelated civil matter.

Kestenbaum said Muhammad has been harassing Jackson for years by loitering near his house, misrepresenting herself as his wife and asking clerks at posh Ventura Boulevard boutiques to bill the singer for purchases.

Jackson, who Kestenbaum said has never met Muhammad, secured the restraining order against the woman in 1986 to keep her away from his home. The restraining order is effective until 1990.

Convicted 3 Times

The former legal secretary has been convicted three times of trespassing on Jackson’s Encino property. In February, she was arrested after she scaled a 5-foot fence in Jackson’s back yard toting a champagne bottle at 3 a.m.

Muhammad was most recently arrested Dec. 7 by Los Angeles police as she stood near Jackson’s home trying to get the attention of family members. A security guard summoned police after she refused to leave, according to court documents.

Muhammad claims that Jackson fathered her 6-year-old twins and that she was the inspiration for the song “Billie Jean,” in which Jackson sings: “Billie Jean is not my lover” and “The kid is not my son.”

If convicted of the new violation, Muhammad may be sentenced to up to a year in jail and fined up to $1,000, authorities said.

Van Nuys Municipal Judge Patricia Gorner Schwartz set bail at $5,000 and scheduled a trial for Jan. 10 on the trespassing charges.