Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, and his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe are apparently making a closed-door deal on the custody of the pop legend's three children.

Among the major tenets of the deal is a $4 million pay-off for Rowe in exchange for her custody rights, reports the New York Post.

The Post states that this isn't the first time Rowe's cooperation came with a hefty price tag.

After Rowe and Jackson divorced following the birth of Prince and Paris, she gave them to Jackson to raise in exchange for a cool $8 million, plus $900,000 annually for five years, a Post source said. When the singer was slammed with child molestation charges in 2001, Rowe returned to reclaim her rights. However, she ended up giving Michael Jackson full custody again for another $4 million plus a $900,000 home. Sound off: Divorce and Children

So when Rowe resurfaced recently to state that she wanted her chidren, some members of the Jackson family cried foul.

"It's one final payday," says a source close to the Jacksons. "They felt it was like a ransom-type thing. [Rowe] jumped back into the picture because she wanted money."

The former Mrs. Jackson has had no part in the children's lives for the better part the decade. Furthermore, Michael had explicitly named his mother as the children's guardian in his will. Nevertheless, because Rowe is the biological mother, legal experts say she has a legitimate claim to the children.

As for the barring of Joe Jackson, Rowe's demands are probably motivated by the fact that Michael has long accused his father of abuse. Though Katherine and Joe are technically still married, they live in different states and have separate lives.

A custody hearing has been postponed until July 20. If this deal doesn't go through, prepare yourselves for a bumpy media ride.

[Scoop via ABCNews.com and The New York Post, Photo courtesy of Bauer-Griffin]