It sure makes you wonder doesn't it?
But it may just be that they know that Jackson can employ an army of lawyers, experts, and PIs, so they want to make sure everything is done by the book and locked down tight to lessen the chance of having any evidence excluded by the judge.
I think Jackson is close to broke (or insolvent), believe it or not. Last year when he had that dustup with Tommy Mottolo(sp?) I remember reading that he was on the verge of having to sell his half of the Beatles catalog because he was really hurting financially.
It depends on who needs to protect the MJ franchise. If Sony still has a stake in him, then they would likely spring for the legal team. But I think Sony may be ready to cut bait if they haven't already.