The US talk show host Larry King was dismissed as a witness in the Michael Jackson trial yesterday after saying that a lawyer who once met the accuser's family told him they were just out for money and the mother was "wacko".

Mr King told the court, without the jury present, that the attorney, Larry Feldman, met him before the trial and said he would not represent the Arvizo family because he did not find their claims credible.

Mr Feldman had earlier testified for the prosecution and denied telling anyone anything about his dealings with clients. The judge, Rodney Melville, refused to allow Mr King to testify for the defence, and said the court would not impeach Mr Feldman.

The development came as the defence pursued its attempt to discredit allegations that Mr Jackson sexually molested a 13-year-old boy, Gavin Arvizo, and conspired to imprison him and his family to get them to rebut a damaging documentary in which Mr Jackson said he let children sleep in his bed.

Mr Feldman was contacted by the accuser's family after they left Mr Jackson's estate in 2003. Mr King said Mr Feldman had told him "the mother was a 'wacko'."

Later, another witness testified that the accuser's mother had once praised Mr Jackson and had never complained that they had been held against their will at his estate.

Azya Pryor, an actress and family friend, said the mother never spoke critically of Mr Jackson during long telephone calls, and gave every impression of having participated willingly in the rebuttal video.

The judge also ruled against testimony by a publisher, Michael Viner, who was present during Mr King's meeting with Mr Feldman. A defence memo filed previously summarised Mr Viner's testimony.

"Viner recalled that Feldman had referred to the mother as 'a flake' and said he did not believe the boy," the memo said.