LAWSUIT Man accuses Jackson of 1984 sex assault

A judge denied the pop singer's request to change prosecutors.
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NEW YORK -- A 38-year-old Louisiana man has sued pop star Michael Jackson, accusing him of sexually assaulting him 20 years ago, a TV show reported Thursday.
Joseph Bartucci Jr. reportedly recovered a "repressed memory" of the alleged crime after seeing a TV program about the current sexual assault charges against Jackson, the suit says.
Bartucci says he was 18 when Jackson "held him against his will" and sexually assaulted him in May 1984, according to legal papers obtained by "Celebrity Justice."
Locations
The assaults took place in Jackson's limousine in Louisiana and in a building in California, according to the suit filed Nov. 1 in U.S. District Court in Louisiana.
Jackson allegedly performed oral sex on Bartucci and tried to force Bartucci to reciprocate, but he refused, the suit says. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Bartucci's lawyers could not be reached to comment.
Jackson lawyer Thomas Mesereau also could not be reached to comment, but in the past he has said that Jackson is a target for bogus money-seeking lawsuits.
One legal expert said the suit may be on shaky ground because 20 years has passed since the alleged incident.
"I think there would be questions about credibility because of the timing," said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson.
Request denied
Meanwhile, a judge turned down a request Thursday by Michael Jackson's lawyers to boot the Santa Barbara County district attorney's office from Jackson's child-molestation trial.
Mesereau contended in court that District Attorney Tom Sneddon has been "blinded by zeal" and should be recused.
However, Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville disagreed, saying he saw no "disabling conflict" in Sneddon or his staff.