Janet Jackson's attorney has denied that her client slapped and insulted her niece Paris Jackson.

The Jackson family have been in apparent turmoil over the past couple of weeks after matriarch Katherine Jackson was the subject of a missing persons complaint from a relative.

Katherine was later found to be okay, but family fractions remained - with Michael Jackson's daughter Paris using Twitter to vent her frustration.

It had been reported that Janet Jackson had allegedly slapped Paris and insulted her during a heated discussion, but Janet's attorney Blair G Brown has denied the report. Brown said:

"Ms Jackson did not slap Paris, and did not call her a 'spoiled little bitch' or a 'bitch'...[These] false statements are highly damaging to Ms Jackson's reputation and have caused her significant harm."