$20M Verdict Against XtraJet Overturned

A judge in the 2nd District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles overturned an earlier $20 million judgment against defunct charter operator XtraJet, saying, “The amount awarded to the plaintiffs was so great that it shocks the conscience.” The claim against XtraJet and its former owner, Jeffrey Borer, stemmed from the secret taping of pop singer Michael Jackson and his attorneys on Nov. 20, 2003, while on a flight arranged by the Santa Monica charter firm. Jackson attorneys Mark Geragos and Pat Harris brought the suit. Jackson himself dropped out of the case as a plaintiff in 2005. In rendering his decision, the judge recommended that the two lawyers share $750,000.