Michael Jackson [ tickets ]'s lawyers are claiming the pop star is ill and unable to appear in a London court to face allegations that he owes an Arab sheik more than $7 million.

Attorney Robert Englehart asked if Jackson could give his testimony via a video link from the US, saying "It would be unwise for him to travel, given what he's got now," according to a report on The Guardian website. Englehart declined to give any more details "for obvious reasons."

Attorneys for Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Kalifa, who claim Jackson backed out of an agreement to write an autobiography and record an album with their client, said the pop star's lawyers did not provide satisfactory medical evidence and that if the alleged diagnosis is positive, it could be treated simply with a bandage, according to The Guardian report.

The judge in the case is expected today (11/19) to resolve the question of Jackson's ability to appear.