Exclusive: Michael Jackson's Former Business Partner Discusses Verdict

July 20, 2006 — -- There will be another court battle for Michael Jackson and former business partner Marc Schaffel, but both sides have claimed victory for now.

Last week jurors in Santa Monica, Calif., awarded Schaffel $900,000 for commissions, unpaid loans and expenses the former Jackson associate said "The King of Pop" owed Schaffel for the work he did to produce videos intended to rehabilitate Jackson's image following the airing of the documentary "Living With Michael Jackson." The documentary led to child molestation charges against Jackson that led to a criminal trial in which Jackson was acquitted last year.

Schaffel's award was far less than the $1.4 million his attorney had requested. The jury also awarded Jackson $200,000 in his cross-complaint in which he alleged that Schaffel had defrauded him.

Schaffel's attorney, Howard King, said he and his client were happy with the jury's award.

"Again, Marc was probably owed more than that," King told "Good Morning America" in an exclusive interview. "The problem is, in Michael's world, you don't have receipts. You have handshakes and winks and nods. And because of that, there was a chance we were going to get nothing. But the jury believed a lot of those winks and nods, and awarded $900,000, and we're grateful for that."

Jackson's representatives said things are starting to look up for the singer. Santa Monica County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Connor, who oversaw the case, plans to hold a separate accounting phase of the trial to look further at Jackson's claims that Schaffel owes him money. That could lead to an adjustment in the awards.

"Michael is no longer an easy target for people with frivolous claims who believe that suing Michael Jackson is a ticket to fame and fortune," said Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Mundell.

Mundell said Schaffel took $400,000 from Jackson's account to buy his California home, and also wrote himself a $65,000 check he called a producer's fee.

Howard King said he does not expect a court to find that Schaffel owes Jackson more money.

"That's a dream come true [for Jackson], but it's not going to come true," King said. "That may work in Neverland but not in Santa Monica."

Yet for all these bitter money disputes, Schaffel spoke positively about Jackson.

"I have to say, with his own children, he absolutely shows to be 100 percent a wonderful father," he said. "He has full-time care of the children, spends a lot of time with his children."

Schaffel also said Jackson is "pretty much like any other person."

"Michael has good times; he gets angry. Michael screams, yells, swears," he said.

ABC News' Heather Nauert and Bill Ritter reported this story for "Good Morning America."