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Definition Of 'Cuddling' Debated In Michael Jackson Trial

Flight attendant offers to give a demonstration when questions arise.

After all the serious testimony in Michael Jackson's child-molestation trail so far, there was a moment of levity on Wednesday when testimony dictated a definition of "cuddling."

Flight attendant Cynthia Bell took the stand to talk about what she observed between the singer and the accuser during a flight back from Miami on Jackson's private jet. Prosecutors asked Bell if she ever saw Jackson "cuddling" with the accuser, and she said she saw him put his arm around the boy while listening to music. When asked if she considered that cuddling, Bell said, "It depends on what your definition of cuddling is."

When asked what her definition was, Bell said, smiling, "I'd have to show you." As observers in the courtroom burst out laughing, prosecutor Gordon Auchincloss then asked the judge if he could approach the witness for a little demonstration. But before any cuddling happened, Bell's witness chair broke.

As for testimony more directly pertaining to the case at hand, clinical psychologist Stan Katz, who was the first to interview the boy regarding his alleged molestation, said it is "extremely rare" for children over the age of 5 to make false reports of abuse. He said that children who do make false allegations sound consistent and scripted, while those who seem to be telling the truth may change their stories by exaggerating or embellishing. This, he said, would help explain inconsistencies in the stories told by the accuser and his brother.

Katz admitted upon cross-examination that he may have violated his gag order, because on Tuesday he discussed the case with another witness, the family's civil attorney, Larry Feldman, who had initially referred the accuser to Katz. (Katz was also the psychologist for the accuser in the 1993 investigation, and Feldman was also one of the attorneys involved in brokering the multimillion-dollar settlement for the boy in that case.)

Bill Dickerman, the accuser's family's first attorney, also took the stand and told how he wrote letters to Jackson's then-lawyer Mark Geragos on behalf of the family, claiming they were being subjected to harassment by Jackson's associates. He admitted on cross-examination he never mentioned any allegations of molestation or false imprisonment in those letters, but said that he never made a "demand for money" for the family.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon told the judge, after the jury was excused for the day, that he expects to start calling witnesses about previous sexual abuse allegations against Jackson starting on Monday (see [article id="1499124"]"Blow To The Defense: Past Molestation Claims Allowed In Jackson Case"[/article]).

Meanwhile, Macaulay Culkin, whom Sneddon had named as one of the boys involved in one of those alleged molestation instances, may be taking the stand after all, according to sources close to the actor. He was contacted by the defense team on Monday and has agreed to testify on behalf of the pop star (see [article id="1495535"]"Macaulay Culkin, Corey Feldman To Testify In Jackson Case?"[/article]).

Testimony will resume on Friday, since the trial will be in recess Thursday.

(CBS News contributed to this report.)

For full coverage of the Michael Jackson case, see [article id="1480530"]"Michael Jackson Accused."[/article]

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