Jackson in "Child Custody Battle"

Michael Jackson's former wife Debbie Rowe is suing for custody of their children, according to a report over the weekend.

The Sun newspaper claims court papers, in which Rowe accuses her ex-husband of being an "unfit" father, will be filed in California within the next two weeks.

They will consist of legal papers suing for custody of Prince Michael, six, and Paris, five. It is also claimed that Rowe, 41, has offered to raise Jackson's third child, Blanket, whose mother is not known.

This latest lawsuit would come just days after charges of child sexual abuse were levied at Jackson. The singer pleaded not guilty at a court appearance last week.

Rowe met Jackson when she worked as a nurse for his dermatologist in Beverly Hills, California. The pair wed just three months before Prince Michael was born on February 13, 1997. When she and Jackson divorced in 1999, Rowe was reportedly given a multi-million dollar payout to give up her rights to custody.

Not all media pundits were convinced by The Sun's story, though. US journalist Roger Friedman of FOX News responded with disbelief to the tabloid's exclusive: "Don't believe a word of the stories coming out of the United Kingdom about Debbie Rowe suing Michael Jackson for custody of their kids".

According to his report, Rowe is said to have "laughed heartily" at rumours of a custody battle.

KS