'Secret Jackson tape' case delay

Michael Jackson claims he and his lawyer were taped on a flight

A judge has agreed to postpone the trial date for a lawsuit brought by Michael Jackson and his former lawyer over an alleged secret recording.

Mr Jackson and Mark Geragos claim they were videotaped without their knowledge on US internal flight as the singer went to face child molestation charges.

The trial date for the case has been moved from November to May, despite the protests of airline Xtrajet.

The firm has dismissed the lawsuit as a "publicity stunt".

Stand trial

Superior Court Judge Soussan G Bruguera postponed the case because of the criminal proceedings Mr Jackson faces.

The singer is expected to stand trial in January on 10 child molestation charges, which he has denied.

Mr Geragos is also scheduled to be in court dealing with another case.

He no longer acts for Mr Jackson but was his lawyer at the time of the alleged recordings last November.

Mental state

The pair claim they were secretly taped as they flew from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, where Mr Jackson surrendered to the child molestation charges.

The lawsuit alleges XtraJet "intentionally and surreptitiously videotaped and recorded" Mr Jackson and Mr Geragos, including the taping of "privileged attorney-client communications".

The recordings came to light after staff working for XtraJet contacted news organisations to find out whether they could sell or distribute the tapes, which they claimed to have found on their plane.

Mr Geragos was awarded a temporary restraining order banning the release of the material.

The judge granted Mr Jackson's request to drop his claim of emotional distress, which would have meant he had to give evidence in court on his mental state.