Therapist Who Spoke to Jackson Accuser Testifies

Stan Katz said teenage boys rarely make up such allegations because of the stigma their peers attach to homosexual acts. The accuser alleges he was molested by Jackson at age 13.

Katz said he met with the teenager and his family in June 2003, soon after the alleged molestation.

The psychologist said he was concerned enough to report the allegations to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. He did not specify on the stand what the accuser told him in their interview.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Thomas A. Mesereau Jr. asked Katz about his book, "Codependency Conspiracy," published in the early 1990s.

In it, Katz wrote about false accusations of sexual molestation that children had made. He wrote that 40% of child molestation allegations could not be proved in criminal court and mentioned a "witch hunt mentality" involved in child-molestation investigations.

Katz said that the problems with false accusations are limited to children younger than 5 and that he had not seen such issues with older children.

Also testifying Wednesday was a lawyer who said members of the accuser's family have agreed that, if they sue Jackson, the lawyer would share in the proceeds from any monetary award the boy wins. It was the trial's first testimony saying the family has considered filing a lawsuit.

Jackson's defense team has maintained that the now 15-year-old Los Angeles boy made up the molestation allegations to win money from the 46-year-old singer. The boy has not sued Jackson, but he has until age 20 to do so.

During testimony earlier in the trial, the boy testified that his family was not interested in suing Jackson.

Attorney William Dickerman said he first met with the accuser's mother in February 2003 and initially tried to help her prevent from being broadcast the portions of the British documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" that included her son. The lawyer said he also tried to arrange for the return of clothing, furniture, passports and other items that the family contends Jackson took before they left his Neverland ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley in March 2003.