The jury in Michael Jackson's California child molestation trial was excused Monday while the admissibility of previous allegations was debated.
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Santa Barbara County Superior Judge Rodney Melville said he wants to hear from defense and prosecuting attorneys before deciding if he will let either side call witnesses from a 1993 civil sexual molestation suit by a 13-year-old boy that ended in an undisclosed settlement, but no criminal charges.
In the current trial, prosecutors are keen to call related witnesses, claiming it would reveal a pattern in the entertainer's behavior, CNN said.
Jackson faces 10 felony counts surrounding allegations of molestation in February and March 2003, and has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Sunday, Jackson repeated his claim of innocence in a radio interview with the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
"I'm a fighter, but it's very painful at the end of the day," the singer said. "I'm still human, you know. I'm still a human being, so it does hurt very, very, very much."