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tv   Larry King Live  CNN  August 4, 2009 12:00am-1:00am EDT

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turkey, the people in that building because as you said no, one was hurt. >> you can see all the most recent shots at ac360.com. that does it for this edition of "ac 360." thanks for watching. "larry king" starts right now. >> larry: tonight, surprise twist inside the michael jackson court hearing. what does the king of pop's dermatologist want now that the grandmother has the kids? the identity of the children's real father. her attorneys are here with the exclusive details. plus, griffin o'neal's bombshell. ryan's son rips into his dad. those tears at farrah's funeral, he says they were fake. there's more about the drama, the drugs, and the dangerous liaison between ryan and farrah.
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was it all about money? next on "larry king live." before we meet the attorneys who successfully represented katherine jackson in court today, let's go up on the roof to ted rowlands, our cnn correspondent, who was there, of course. what were the key rulings today, ted? >> reporter: well, a real busy day, larry, starting with the bombshell in the open. dr. arnie klein's lawyer showed up during the custody section of the hearing and said the doctor wanted to play a role in the children's lives. the judge talked to him a little bit and ultimately ruled no. he wouldn't have a standing in this proceeding. katherine jackson was awarded custody of the three children. they also came to terms with a stipend for katherine jackson and one for the children separately from the estate allowing money to flow to the family while everything gets
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worked out. both sides got together and figured out how to get around an issue that has been plaguing the proceedings here in a confidentiality agreement reached with katherine jackson. basically she's going to sign this thing. that will give the estate the go-ahead to enter into a lucrative contract with sony and aeg and bring in more millions into the estate. one thing that did happen, too, which was significant, the will was accepted by the judge into probate. no real reaction from either side in terms of opposing that. that went through. the executors were not appointed on a full-time basis. the judge will wait on that. we're waiting to see exactly what katherine jackson's role is going to be in terms of the estate moving forward. a lot done, but also a lot still scheduled. a couple new hearings scheduled for next week. a lot still to be done. >> one other thing, ted, was debbie rowe, the mother of the kids, there? >> reporter: no. her attorney was there, but she did not make an appearance.
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>> larry: thanks. that's ted rowlands, who has been atop this story since it all happened. we now welcome londell mcmilon, attorney for katherine jackson and diane goodman, attorney for katherine. she also handles custody issues as well. would you say today was successful for your client? >> i'd say by all accounts today was a significant day and we achieved a great deal. we're happy mrs. jackson now has the permanent custody of her wonderful three children. i want to thank my co-counsel diane goodman and debbie rowe's counsel. he was just terrific and she was great and we handled this without a lot of fanfare, without a lot of back and forth. and it was done with the prudence and care that we always said we would do. at the end of the day, a lot of people have things to say about how lawyers do business. this was the classic case of doing it for the right reason. >> larry: anything you wanted you didn't get? >> no, we got everything we wanted.
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we wanted to make mrs. jackson the permanent guardian of the children today. that's what we were looking to have happen. >> larry: were the children there? >> no, the children were excused by the judge. >> larry: have you talked to them since? >> to the family? >> larry: to the kids. >> no, i have not had a chance to talk to the kids. they very much wanted their grandmother to be their permanent guardian. >> larry: what did you arrange with debbie rowe's lawyer? >> we arranged she would have under the appropriate type of supervision and care for the children an opportunity to have visitation in a supervised manner in the best interests of the children. quite frankly, this was never about money. wasn't a money deal, and she deserves credit for that. her lawyer deserves credit for that. it's always been about the best interest of the children, larry. >> larry: we understand the children signed consent to the agreement? >> that's correct. the two oldest children. >> larry: how does that work? >> under guardianship law, children over 12 have the right to consent or object to a
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guardian. although paris isn't yet 12, she and her brother signed consents that indicated they wanted their grandmother to be their permanent guardian. >> larry: any financial payment to debbie rowe? >> none. >> larry: she will get supervised visitation? that's arranged between her and ka katherine? >> we will be hiring a psychologist who is going to assist the parties in determining what would be appropriate based on the children's needs and their development ages at this time. >> larry: has debbie had any interaction with the children since the death? >> no. >> larry: to your knowledge. do you know how visitation will begin? >> we'll be working on hiring a psychologist and figuring that out soon. we should have a plan in place within a couple of months. >> reporter: did the children know a lot about debbie to your knowledge? what do they know about their mother? >> i don't know how much they know. >> i don't know either. that's one of the things we'll have to sensitively explore with the children.
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>> larry: essentially a stranger? >> essentially, yeah. they haven't seen her since they were very little. >> larry: we have remarkable home video of a birthday celebration for paris a number of years ago. take a look. >> you're the best daddy in the whole world. >> i love you more. >> daddy -- >> why don't you stand next to paris. >> okay. >> daddy? >> yes? >> i have -- thank you for giving me ice cream. you're the best daddy in the whole world, and i love you. >> oh, that's sweet. tell me what your wishes are for your birthday? what would you like to see happen? what do you like? what do you want? >> i'd do what you do. >> what do i do? >> you dance and sing. >> that's what you want to do? really? >> me, too.
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>> i'm talking to paris. >> it's not your birthday, prince. it's not your birthday. >> larry: adorable kid. does the father, joe jackson, have any say? did he come up in court today? >> no, he doesn't. he didn't show up in court. >> larry: didn't the judge inquire about the father? >> no, he didn't, but he is still mrs. jackson's husband. he didn't inquire and he will not have a role in raising the children. he doesn't live in havenhurst. but you raised joe jackson. i do want to say something. it is understandable some of the sentiments towards him. i think in some respects, he gets a bad shake. he's a loving guy. he's been there since day one. he's a tough guy. he has his ups and downs with the media, but at the same time, michael forgave joe jackson. no one pays attention to that. look at the "thriller 25" credits.
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he forgave joe jackson. he's not going to be a major factor with the children and we're going to move forward. >> larry: forgetting the jackson and the attention, wouldn't a judge inquire about the father? >> the grandfather? >> larry: yes. >> and he consented to his wife being guardian. >> larry: oh, he did sign? that was presented to the court? >> he also signed a declaration explaining that he lives most of the time in las vegas and will visit with his grandchildren occasionally. >> i want to say and share that he voluntarily did that. he wasn't forced to do it. he wanted to do it. he wanted to be a nonissue. he wants to support his wife. >> larry: good to hear. we'll be right back. do you agree with the court's ruling on custody? go to cnn.com/larryking. click on the blog and tell us what you think. my credit was whack ♪ ♪ 'cause now i'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free credit report dot com, baby. ♪ ♪ saw their ads on my tv ♪ thought about going but was too lazy ♪
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>> larry: we're back with attorneys londell mcmillan. londell represents cathryn and diane represents her in matters of custody, correct? >> correct. >> larry: do the children know what's going on? >> i hope not. i think they have some sense of it. they had to be interviewed by the probate investigators. i think they have some sense. we've tried to shield them from as much as possible and my goal is the media leave them alone and let them have a chance to grieve their father's death and grow up. >> larry: think that's an expectant goal? >> i'm hopeful. >> larry: that would be nice. has this case, barring all the
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publicity, the over-the-top publicity, has it gone well? >> the case? the case for the petition filing for the custody i think has gone extraordinarily well. we couldn't have expected it to go better. in terms of the estate, it could go much better and we hope it will get better. >> larry: a lot of -- what's the problem? >> the problem is the issue of who is and who should be the executors and the trustees and what happened between the time of 2002 and 2009. and at the time of death, there's no question mrs. katherine jackson was michael jackson's most trusted person from a personal and business standpoint. >> larry: but it is rare, is it not, to have a 79-year-old trustee since your trustee is going to pass away well before the children need money? >> not at all. not at all. because a trustee is not an expert in matters of
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administration or entertainment or media or whatever the estate has. a trustee is a person who is trusted, who has honor and integrity with respect to the decedent. i know for a fact there's no one in the world that was trusted by michael jackson more than miss katherine jackson. >> larry: what happens if, god forbid, she passes. >> there are provisions under the probate code and trust documents that haven't been disclosed publicly yet. there's provision that allow for how to replace a vacated seat. for example, there were originally three seats. there were three persons designated. one chose to leave. under this particular trust, the remaining trustees and executors can appoint a third person so there are provisions for that. >> larry: are the trustees paid? >> the trustees are paid. >> larry: okay. what did you make of the arnold klein lawyer coming? >> i was totally confused by it. >> larry: what did he want? >> he couldn't even tell us.
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he said his client was concerned about the children's education and welfare. the judge made it clear he didn't have standing, and i'm not sure what he was really looking for. >> larry: are you? >> from a legal standpoint, no standing. >> larry: dr. klein was a guest on this show early last month, and we asked about speculation surrounding paternity. watch. what about all the rumors about you and the fathering of those children? >> here is the most important thing. michael loved those children as a father. those children loved him as a father. as far as i am concerned, that is the most important grouping there is. >> larry: that's not answering the question. >> no, because i'm not going to answer it the way you want me to answer it. >> larry: you can say no. >> i'll say no if that's what you want to hear. >> larry: no, i want to hear what you know. >> i hear what's most important about this whole thing to end this thing is the most important
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thing who the father is, who the children want their father to be. i will tell you this, i will say no because the most important person to these children is how michael loved them, how he loved his children and how they loved him because they would never go passed them without saying, i love you, daddy. he would say, i love you. >> larry: so is arnold saying there he would like to be the father? reading between the lines, what is he saying? >> well, it's hard to read between the lines. i can tell you what he expressly said. michael jackson was a great father and they loved each other. >> larry: that's what he said but the question is, is he the father? he didn't say no or yes. >> he's not the legal father. i have no idea whether he's the biological father. >> larry: could he prove that in a dna test? >> yes, but this court is not going to order it and there's no standing for him to ask for it. there is conclusive presumption that michael jackson is the children's father. >> larry: jermaine jackson will be here for the hour this friday night on "larry king live."
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>> larry: we're back. let's get a couple of calls in. dayton, ohio. hello. >> caller: is this larry king? >> larry: yes, go ahead. >> caller: this is jack from dayton, ohio. >> larry: hello. what's the question? >> caller: i have a question that debbie rowe is not receiving any payment for not seeking custody of her children and it goes like this. debbie rowe is receiving substantial spousal support from michael jackson and now from his estate. under california law those should stop upon the death of the payee, michael jackson. apparently there's been an agreement where those payments will continue indefinitely. >> larry: hold on right there. is that true? >> that would be true absent an agreement. the agreement between michael and debbie, these payments continue. some divorce judgments provide payments terminate on the death of the --
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>> larry: do they continue now? so she is being paid? >> but there's no new payments. these are moneys she was receiving before. >> larry: this is not additional money, not child support money, it's money as part of their original divorce agreement. >> correct. and there's nothing additional being paid since his death. >> larry: she will get this money for how long? >> that i'm not sure. >> larry: do you know? >> we're not prepared to say that. >> larry: it was in the original -- isn't the original divorce agreement public? >> no. the divorce agreement but not the actual settlement. >> larry: nashville, hello. >> caller: hi. good evening. my question is even though joe jackson cannot play a role in the kids life, would he have any type of visitation rights? >> larry: are you talking about dr. klein? >> caller: i'm sorry? >> larry: oh, joe jackson. i couldn't hear. >> joe jackson has a right to visit the children and plans to
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visit his children. >> grandchildren. >> and his children. >> larry: so he's going to be involved in their lives? >> absolutely. he was involved in their lives prior to michael's passing, too. >> larry: celebrities and drugs, an age-old problem. there was a blog written for us about this very much and how doctors enabled her mother judy garland.
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>> larry: londell mcmillan and diane goodman. so we'll clear that up. dr. klein has no standing with the kids today. >> absolutely not. >> larry: if he wanted to see them, katherine could say yes or no. the judge extended the appointments of john branca and
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john mcclane, the executors named in jackson's will for the next 60 days. how does katherine feel about that? >> i think that's okay right now. somebody has to be in charge and that's what the judge said. we need someone in charge making decisions. it gives us time to have further conversations and to discuss. >> larry: since it was in the will, what's the discussion? it was michael's wish. >> the extension is not actually a permanent appointment. their intention was to obtain a permanent appointment. michael's wishes in 2002 don't reflect what his wishes are in 2009. >> larry: how do you know? >> the law is full of rules, presumptions and burdens. because there was a will and there has not been a subsequent one presented to the court, the presumption is that the will is valid and the will was his wishes as it was intended. our burden would be unless mrs. jackson is made a major part to protect and preserve the legacy of michael jackson to introduce
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information into evidence that would shift the burden with respect to these executives. >> larry: have you done that? >> we're in the process. that's forthcoming. >> larry: that's what the extension was for 60 days. why do you want to take that away from him? >> during the period of time we've been negotiating and talking, we asked for documentation and we weren't able to get the information. so the court also moved forward to allow mrs. jackson to move forward the process to get information. >> larry: howard weissman, the attorney for john mcclain and john brinca had this to say. the special administrators are in the process of creating significant value for michael jackson's beneficiaries, his three children, his mother katherine jackson and the charitable causes that were so important to him during his lifetime. that's their job. >> that's the job of the administrators, executors, the trustees and i think that
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whoever will ultimately be in that position to do that will undertake that position responsibly. >> larry: do you have any question about them being the executives, blanca and mcclain? isn't his reputation of the highest? >> his reputation is his reputation, but that's different than whether or not michael jackson in 2009 wanted he and mcclain to be their sole executors. >> larry: how do we know? >> we're going to prove it. >> larry: you're going to prove it? >> we're going to prove it. >> larry: unless you have a written statement, how do you prove it? >> there's information we intend to share with them as a courtesy to them, to share with them why we think it's different. >> larry: why do you not want them to be the executors. >> i never said i want him to date. what we've been saying is that we want mrs. jackson to be the third one. the question is not about not wanting branca. why do people not want mrs. jackson? this is his mother. >> larry: why didn't michael say that? >> michael said she is his
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trustee in 2006, 2007 and 2009, not branca or mcclain. he consulted with her around business matters. michael and branca had a separation, a long separation. branca just came back into michael jackson's life. he has a stellar career. don't take that away from him. many lawyers have stellar careers that are not the trustee for michael jackson. >> larry: i've got it. bronx, new york, hello. >> caller: hello. yes. i was calling about blanket. being that debbie has visitation rights to both her older children, will blanket be included in these activities so he don't feel left out being that he don't have a mother nor father right now? >> larry: will who be included? >> will blanket be included in the visitation. >> larry: i'm sorry. i didn't hear her. >> it will depend if that's in blanket's best interest.
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i don't think that's anticipated. he has never met debbie rowe and she is not blanket's mother. >> larry: how long will this go on? >> we hope it's resolved soon. we have meetings with special administrators and frankly i think they're decent people who want to do the right thing. it's very sensitive. >> larry: there's no villain in the piece? >> there are no villains in the piece. the only thing that's villainous is why would anyone want to prevent mrs. jackson from serving as a third executor or trustee. >> larry: do they want to prevent her? >> why would anyone and if they don't -- >> larry: have they filed anything to say they don't want her? >> well, they have not accepted her to date. >> larry: okay. what's the resolution, if any, of the resting place? >> that's a matter -- >> larry: does katherine have a say in that? who has a say in that? the autopsy is over. so the body is somewhere. >> that's a family matter. i tend not to go into the most private family members.
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you have a number of family members coming on the show who i think are better prepared to answer those questions. >> larry: do you expect a resolution of that? >> at some point, yeah. >> larry: how long? >> it's up to the family. it's something they have to work out. >> larry: thank you for coming, londell and diane. londell mcmillan and diane goodman for katherine handling custody issues for her. griffin o'neal is here and he's not holding back on a ville tile relationship with his father ryan o'neal. what happened with farrah fawcett? those accusations are next. to stay on top of my game after 50,
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>> larry: we now welcome to "larry king live," griffin o'neal, the son of ryan o'neal,
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the half-brother of redmond o'neal and the son -- he's the mother of the late -- the son of the late farrah fawcett. farrah died june 25th -- wow, seems like yesterday -- after a long battle with cancer. when was the last time you saw her? >> i do believe it was the night before her birthday. >> larry: farrah is not your mother. >> no, no, my mother was joanna moore. farrah was sort of my stepmother. they were never really married, so she was more my friend than anything. >> larry: was she a good friend? >> she was a great friend. at first she was so nice. i came from a not so nice kind of a world, a battling, kind of crazy family, and she was so nice i didn't trust her. i don't know anybody this nice. and the crazy, sad part, she stayed nice all the way to the end, and it broke my heart when i was not allowed in to say good-bye. >> larry: how old were you when ryan and her got together? >> 13, sir. >> larry: did you live with them? >> i was in and out. i've had a work permit since i was 9. i was in and out of the house trying to make a career for
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myself. and so i was in and out. of course, she was always around. >> larry: were you close with your biological mother? are you close? >> my mother died in '97 and, yes, my mother was the light of my life and actually gave me all the best parts of me. >> larry: was she and farrah close? >> she had met once, and they had a lot in common just because they are two lovely southe southern belles. farrah was from texas and my mother south georgia. >> larry: you weren't allowed to attend the funeral at the cathedral. why not? >> i guess i'm a bad guy. >> larry: who didn't let you attend? >> ryan. i call him ryan now. i've had to let go of him being my dad, not that he was ever really a dad, but he said, no, no, griffin. tatum, patrick, even my daughter was allowed in. it's okay because i said my
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good-bye to farrah the day that she died. >> larry: you did speak to her? >> no, i said my good-byes inside my heart and with the clouds and with the higher power that i believe in. no, i had not seen her since the day before -- the day before my father tried to shoot me in the face. >> larry: we'll get to that. weeks before farrah's death your father gave an interview to nbc about his feelings for her and her fight against cancer. let's look at that. >> i know this, in the last two years i love her more than i ever loved her. ever. >> you can't get rid of me. >> she's so much more of a woman and a powerful, courageous, fearless. and i look at her with awe. >> larry: how do you feel looking at that? >> i remember when she was diagnosed with cancer and my dad got upset and he goes, no, i'm dying. you're not dying. i'm dying.
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and i said, well, dad, that sounds a little selfish because you're in remission. you have been in remission for years now. it was very, very -- >> larry: he was mad at her having cancer? >> yeah, because the attention had to be diverted to farrah. >> larry: is he narcissist? >> absolute complete narcissist in every day. >> larry: are you saying that interview was crocodile tears? >> i haven't seen a tear yet. >> larry: give us your description of the relationship between -- she wasn't your stepmother because they didn't get married -- but the relationship between your father and farrah. how would you describe it? >> it was bombastic at times. there were great times. there was very hard times. by the time red was 5, they lived in separate rooms in a very large house, so i think his room was about a mile and a half from her room. so i guess that's what kept their relationship solid because
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they weren't in each other's face all the time. farrah was a very, very strict catholic and she wanted it to be done the proper way, the way that catholicism teaches. the right thing to do. >> larry: was he not faithful to her? >> faithless. he has no faith. he has no faith. >> larry: was he faithful to her in the marriage -- in the relationship? >> no. >> larry: he saw other women? >> are you kidding? she walked in on him. he was with some other woman. >> larry: do you know this for a fact? >> no, sir, i know it for a fact. she told me. he forgot he locked every lock in the house except he forgot she had a remote control for the garage and, there she is. >> larry: why do you think she left her entire estate to redmond and none to ryan? >> i think in the end, i don't think she was as unconscious as they thought she was. when you're dying of cancer, because i watched my mother die
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of cancer, you're in and out of a morphine haze. i think she saw the transparency between her, my father and alana and there's a little bit more to be said about that. we'll find out later. >> larry: do you think they had a relationship? >> can't say they did. i know my father very well. he's a hard one to fend off. >> larry: did you expect something in the will? >> i don't care. i live a great life today. not that i'm bragging about my 401(k) plan, but i insure my family. i have a 401(k) plan. i'm the happiest i have ever been. sober almost four years, and i have no complaints. >> larry: you're married. >> i'm married to a beautiful woman. i have three kids actually. i have a 20-year-old daughter, a 15-year-old son and a 2-year-old. yes, i know. i don't know what to say. >> larry: we'll be back with more including a statement from ryan o'neal. there's the life i live. and the life i want to live. fortunately, there's enbrel.
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on one 3g connection. now only $99.99 >> larry: griffin o'neal has a very interesting occupation. he makes guitars for the taylor guitar company. he's a maker of guitars. in advance of this interview, we got a statement from ryan o'neal's publicist. griffin has not had a relationship with farrah or ryan for many years, therefore, there is no way he would have any knowledge of what was going on in their lives. want to respond? >> that i would have no idea? >> larry: no. >> oh, no, i spoke to red at least once a month.
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>> larry: red is -- >> his son. my brother. >> larry: you had a relationship with farrah to the end? >> we had a relationship through text messaging. i sent her messages of my son, i said i love you and please -- >> larry: so that statement is false? >> i don't even know who this person is. >> larry: he's representing your father. >> this person has no idea what they're talking about. >> larry: so you had a relationship. >> oh, yeah. >> larry: when was the last time you spoke to your father? >> the night he tried to shoot me in the face. >> larry: tell me what happened. what was that all about? >> larry: by the way, he was charged, but the charges were dismissed. >> of course, but he was also the one arrested. >> larry: what's your side? >> well, you know what, i had finally had enough. my father, you know -- my brother would do like a seven-day -- a seven-day detox and he'd split on the sixth day and then my dad would get mad and not pay the detox center. this happened to every detox center in los angeles.
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what ended up happening is redmond was no longer allowed at a detox center in los angeles which basically put the weight on me. so now dad got home. i had my brother locked down. i said, listen, dude, i'm sorry. i love you to death. he was broken. my brother said, i didn't think anybody was going to stop me. i didn't think anybody loved me and thank you. he cried and held jo-jo, my wife, and held me and held my friend, and said i didn't think anybody was going to stop me because my dad just let him do whatever he wanted to do. supplied him with cash for his drugs, supplied him with everything. it was a losing battle. >> larry: what happened that night? >> i got home. dad didn't like the fact the door was off the hinges because i had to take the door off the hinges. if you closed it, he'd have dope stashed everywhere in his room and he'd be loaded. >> larry: why did he try to shoot you? >> i said, if you want to take care of this yourself because i know you don't know what to do, i said, you're on your own. you're on your own. and then i started to tell him about how i felt, about how i
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felt about his fathering, about how i felt how he treated me when i was a child and my sister and mother. >> larry: this was how long ago? >> this was that night. this was farrah's birthday three years ago -- two years ago. >> larry: so what happened? >> he went crazy. he went crazy. and then my girl goes, he's got a stick. i'm packing my stuff upstairs. >> larry: what's a stick? >> i don't know. i got stabbed in the side with a fireplace poker. not the shovel and not the brush. it was the gnarly part of the post. >> larry: and then he shot you? >> no, no. then i said -- and as he's swinging back, he hits my girl in the face crushing four bones in the cheeks, nine stitches above her head. he glances at her. i grab the poker and i say don't. of course, all 237 pounds of him, he falls on my 8 1/2-month pregnant wife, right on her stomach. i grabbed the poker out of his hand and said don't move. i will bury this in your head. don't move. my dad is a very, very, very
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violent man. >> larry: did you call the police? >> oh, yeah. we had to. she was bleeding. >> larry: why were the charges dropped then? >> because you know what, i didn't know how she got the injury. my dad says, oh, he did it. he hit her. i'm like, how could i hit her? she was behind you, dad. i didn't tell him this. all she said is i saw a poker hit me in the face. >> larry: no evidence? >> no evidence. i was honest all the way through. i said i don't know how she got the wound. i don't know how. she says she got hit. either way i was not the perpetrator. the perpetrator was the guy who stabbed me in the side and hurt me. i brought pictures. you'll see. i've got a gnarly hole. gnarly is a california word, sorry about that. >> larry: we'll be back with griffin o'neal. k you so much. constipation's uncomfortable enough, so why take a harsh laxative? phillips' caplets work naturally with your colon... for overnight relief without cramps. phillips' caplets.
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what's the secret, if there is a secret, to keeping that relationship going in as difficult a center as you live in? >> i think you have to -- what is the secret? >> larry: there's no real secret. what is your key? >> he makes me laugh. and i make him laugh. we love each other. i respect him and he respects me although sometimes i have to say that's not respectful. i think we're committed. there's a deep love. a deep support system. >> larry: that was 15 years ago. do you agree it was a deep love? >> i do believe at first. i do believe at first they loved each other. i really do. but my dad, you know, he was very hard to love. he was hard to love. >> larry: she wasn't lying, was she? >> no, but you could see she was hesitant.
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i'm not sure she was sure. they had a son together. now you're locked in. >> larry: i'm going to ask about him when we come back. ked arter, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix, protection that helps save lives. (female announcer) if you have stomach ulcer or othp$ condition that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. when taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin, the risk of bleeding may increase so tell your doctor before planning surgery. and always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. if you develop fever or unexplained weakness or confusion, tell your doctor promptly as these may be signs of a rare but potentially life-threatening condition
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>> larry: before we get back to this extraordinary story with griffin o'neal, let's check in with erica hill who is going to sit in for anderson cooper on "ac 360" tonight. what's up, erica? >> good to see you. tonight, the white house is doing a bit of damage control today after two key administration officials hinted raising taxes may not be out of the question. so will the president break a campaign promise and, in fact, raise taxes? we'll tackle that one. and a custody ruling for you in the case of michael jackson's children. his three children will stay with his mother, katherine jackson.
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the details don't end there. randi kaye will have the latest on the custody and estate hearing from today. plus virus hunters believe they found the origin of malaria. it's not mosquitoes, it's chimps. we'll speak with dr. nathan wolf who made this discovery about what it actually means for efforts to fight the disease around the world. we'll have that and much more tonight on "360." >> larry: that's erica hill. we're with griffin o'neal. let's talk about your half-brother, redmond. in the documentary "farrah's story," farrah is seen reading an emotional memory to her son. watch. >> for redmond, my boy, i will always be there. when you are so very young, i will be there. when you fall, i will be there. when you are over 6 feet tall, i will be there. when one day you wake up
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and realize that i'm gone, i will still be there. always. always with you, forever in you. redmond, my boy. >> larry: are you close with redmond? >> yes. >> larry: he's been arrested several times for drug possession, serving time now for probation violation although he was allowed to attend the funeral. when did you last talk with him? >> two sundays ago. >> larry: in prison? >> yes, sir. >> larry: you visit him? >> yes, sir. >> larry: when does he get out? >> i don't know. he has another case pending. i mean, he's going to do a year. it's not a nice place. it's not a nice place. >> larry: what's his problem? >> well -- >> larry: you've had drug problems. >> yes, sir. >> larry: what's his? >> his drug of choice, larry, is more.
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that means whatever you've got, he'll take it. and, you know, he needs to love himself. he needs to find the love for himself. he is an amazing musician. he is an amazing individual. he turned left instead of right. he turned left. i had so many good dreams for him. i wanted to get him out of the united states and say go live in italy. go live in spain. get out of l.a. it is killing you. >> larry: he seemed very close with his mother? >> he was her pride and joy. you know? and, you know, redmond hung out with ryan a lot because ryan allowed the drug use. he allowed the drug use in the house. and that was one of the reasons me and my dad fought. i said, you know what? you are killing your son. i don't think you know what you're doing. >> larry: are ryan and redmond close? >> well, i think they are probably going to get a lot closer now since redmond has all the money.
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who knows. they are close but for reasons that are ill. ill reasons. >> larry: like? >> they party together. they were both arrested. my dad had more dope on him than redmond did. this isn't the '70s anymore. >> larry: when you were addicted, did your father party with you? >> i was 11 years old when he gave me cocaine. he said we're going to go see a long movie. it's a very long movie. maybe this will help you. i was 11. i looked down at my little 2-year-old and i go, you know what? i am so sorry, but i could never, ever, ever do that to my child. yeah, i have had a lifetime of hellacious nights crying, staying up too late, wondering what i did to my life. it destroyed me. it wasted many, many years of my life. >> larry: what's your relationship, by the way, with tatum?
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>> we're best friends. i worry about her. >> larry: how is she doing? >> she's battling. it's been a battle for her, too. i guess people use substances to shut off the noise in their head. what ends up happening is the noises go away for a second and come back completely amplified, and then you are in a deeper hole than you were. she is struggling to stay sober. i think she's okay now, but i have had to push a -- i had to put some distance between us for a while because i didn't think she was that healthy. >> larry: why are you going public like this? >> you know, when i saw the barbara walters' interview, i was screaming at the tv going is it only me that sees this? is it me? does anybody else see this
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because this was absolute bs. i could not believe it. my dad saying, did she say yes she would marry you? well, no, she can't talk but nod her head. i was turning inside out. i was, like, you have to be kidding me. how absolutely disgusting was that. >> larry: it is not true? >> no. he says he is going to nod her head for her because he really wanted to marry her. she didn't want to marry him. she loved him, but she did not want to marry him. my dad was not nice to her. >> larry: you went public because of that interview? >> you know what, everybody's had a lot of questions on what the heck happened to the o'neal family. >> larry: shakespearean. >> yeah. and i'm -- i don't want to hide anymore. >> larry: was it ever nice? >> yeah, of course. it was money. and i think you misconstrued money with niceness. so, oh, if there's money you can
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do things and you are provided other little things and opportunities to do whatever. but, you know if you are raised around drugs and alcohol then the money becomes something else. money becomes something you can procure more dope with. and, you know, it was just decadent, and to me it wasn't really real. >> larry: back in a moment. >> yep. that maybe has to choose between paying their credit card or putting food on the table and that's why they call us. our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments. a lot of customers are proud and happy that bank of america actually has a solution to help them out with their cards. i listen. that's the first thing i do is listen. you know what, what happened? what put you in this situation? and everyone's situation is different. we always want to make sure that we're doing what's best for our cardholders.
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i'll go through some of his monthly expenses, if he has a mortgage payment, if he pays rent. and then i'll use all that information to try and see what kind of a payment he financially can handle. i want to help you. bank of america wants to help you through this difficult time. when they come to you and they say thank you, aj, for helping me with this problem, that's where we get our joy from. that's what motivates us everyday.
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>> larry: we want to repeat this.
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griffin has made some serious charges tonight. we have not spoken to ryan. here is a statement from his publicist. griffin has not had a relationship with farrah or ryan for many years. therefore, there is no way he would have any knowledge of what was going on in their lives. we read that earlier. you said your father didn't recognize tatum at the funeral and when she embraced her he said do you have a drink on you? >> he was flirting with everybody. >> larry: with his daughter? >> my dad is getting up in years now. i don't think he realized people he hasn't seen in years. >> larry: his daughter? >> yes, he didn't realize it was her. >> larry: something about you, in 1986 you were driving a speedboat, crashed and killed francis ford coppola's son. the trial judge said you had a history of lying with little
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respect for others. was that statement true in 1986? >> well, i never met the judge before, and i didn't really know if i had a history of lying or not, but i probably did. i -- that was one of the hardest times in my life. i did lie. i said it wasn't me that was driving the boat. and i owned up to that. and i will live with that every day. >> larry: you -- this whole life has been incredible for you. you must look in the mirror and say -- >> i try to avoid mirrors, larry. >> larry: you are angry about alana stewart, too? >> i don't trust her. she was selling farrah's stuff on ebay the day farrah died. and trust me, i know who she sells to on ebay. i am disgusted with those people. i thought they were exploiting her. i think that they will continue to exploit her through the farrah story, too, and alana's new book about -- >> larry: we are almost out of time. get one more quick call in. detroit, hello.
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detroit, are you there? >> caller: hello. >> larry: quickly, go ahead. >> caller: i want to ask mr. griffin if he is worried about any relationship that is left over with his dad, that if there will be a relationship? >> larry: any hope of that? >> well, you know ican honestly say, my dad has not called me once. he has shown zero remorse for the 22 stitches he put in my wife's face and he showed very little remorse for trying to shoot me in the face. i'm having a hard time thinking there is going to be some reconciliation. >> larry: i don't like to make judgments. i don't think you love your father. >> really? you know what is sad -- >> larry: that's what i conclude. >> you know what's sad? i would forgive him if he showed some remorse and apologized for what he did. you know what? i miss my father. i miss my father the way there was glimpses of wonderfulness in my father. >> larry: thanks for coming forward. >> good luck.

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