Quincy Jones files lawsuit against Jackson estate

Quincy Jones is suing the Michael Jackson estate.

Reuters is reporting that US music producer Quincy Jones is suing the estate of the late Michael Jackson, claiming he is owed millions in royalties and production fees.

Jones produced some of the singer's best-selling albums, including Bad, Off The Wall and Thriller.

The lawsuit contends that the estate and Sony Music Entertainment improperly re-edited songs to deprive him of royalties and production fees.

Jones also accused Sony and the song company controlled by Jackson's estate, MJJ Productions, of denying him royalties, fees and profit-sharing as they exploited Jackson's work through the posthumous concert film "This Is It".

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, and also mentioned two Cirque du Soleil productions based on Jackson's music, accompanying soundtracks and the 25th anniversary edition of "Bad".

Reuters reports that the lawsuit states the master recordings of songs Jones produced were remixed and edited to cheat the 27-time Grammy-winning producer of compensation he was entitled to under agreements with Jackson dating back to the 1970s and '80s.