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31
« on: October 28, 2011, 02:47:38 PM »
So who gets all the money from a rich dead celebrity's ongoing earnings? I'm thinking Michael Jackson; his family exploited him and doesn't deserve his millions.
—In Michael's Name, via the inbox
Michael Jackson does indeed make more money dead than most other musicians make alive, and, yes, his mom and minor kids get most of his money. But not every dead celebrity automatically enriches his spawn. In fact, a few wealthy corpses have bypassed their families altogether, and there's even a chance that you, indirectly, are benefiting from a deceased star ...
RELATED: Was Michael Jackson An Addict?
Let's start with which dead people are rich in the first place. Forbes has released its annual list of exquisite corpses (just in time for Halloween!) and Jackson is No. 1 on the list this year. He made $170 million in the past year. (He's also the second highest-earning pop act at all, behind U2. Really. Still.)
Elvis, of course, is the No. 2 dead star moneymaker. But consider some of the others on the list. Let's look at Albert Einstein, with the help of David Reeder, whose company, GreenLight, handles Einstein's rights on behalf of his beneficiaries.
According to Reeder, Einstein made sure that learning would continue after his death.
"He willed all of his rights, such as they were when he died, to Hebrew University in Jerusalem," Reeder tells me. "They use the money for things like construction and scholarship."
But here's the most interesting thing: Some dead celebrities earn money not for people or schools, but corporations. A company called Authentic Brand Management out-and-out bought the rights to Marilyn Monroe's estate earlier this year.
Didn't know corporations could buy dead people? How wrong you were. The company also essentially owns the late Bob Marley. That means that if you want to use Monroe's image in, say, a commercial for Dior perfume, the six figures that you pay (you read that right) goes to a company.
Even the money from Elvis Presley's ongoing earnings goes mostly to a company, and not to daughter Lisa Marie. The younger Presley retains a 15 percent stake in her father's name; the rest goes to a company called CKX. (The family still owns Graceland.)
So if you don't like the idea of enriching a slacker kid whenever you buy dead celebrity memorabilia, think on this: You may be handing money to a company instead.You are not allowed to view links.
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32
« on: October 28, 2011, 12:36:23 AM »
The involuntary manslaughter trial against former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray is officially winding down, as the defense called its final two witnesses to the stand Thursday (October 27). Day 19 featured crucial testimony from addiction expert Robert Waldman and the man believed to be the defense's star witness, Dr. Paul White, a propofol expert.
The Witnesses
» Dr. Robert Waldman, addiction expert
» Dr. Paul White, anesthesiologist and propofol expert
Key Testimony
» Dr. Waldman testified that in examining the records of Jackson's use and reception of the sedative Demerol, the singer received unusually large doses of the drug and that Jackson had started to become immune to its potency. Waldman admitted, after a heated cross-examination by the prosecution, that while Jackson seemed to have a dependency on the drug, he was not addicted to it.
» At one point during cross-examination, Waldman was asked if he would consider administering a dangerous or harmful drug to a patient if the patient requested it. Waldman's response: "Absolutely."
» Dr. White kicked off the afternoon session by explaining to the court that he has been researching the use and effects of propofol since 1983, six years before it was approved by the FDA.
» When asked by the defense if he could justify administering propofol to a patient and then leaving that patient unsupervised, as Murray is said to have done, White said, "Absolutely not." He also stated that he wouldn't have expected Jackson to die from the amount of propofol Murray claimed he administered to the pop star. White is expected to take the stand again Friday when the trial resumes at 8:45 a.m. PT.
Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter. He faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license.You are not allowed to view links.
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33
« on: October 26, 2011, 10:18:50 PM »
The 82-year-old woman walked with a cane and had to be helped into the witness box, but once there, she was forceful in her defense of the doctor accused in Michael Jackson's death.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Ruby Mosley told jurors at the physician's manslaughter trial, was neither greedy nor brusque. In a hardscrabble Houston neighborhood a world away from Jackson's rented Holmby Hills mansion, Murray was generous with his time and care for the low-income patients who crowded his office every two weeks, she said.
"You did not see a sign when you walked in that said: Pay at the time service is rendered. You did not see a sign that said: Present your ID or your insurance card," Mosley said. "You saw the doctor first."
Mosley and four other patients took the stand Wednesday to offer jurors a different picture of the doctor from the one prosecutors built over a four-week case: an avaricious physician after a $150,000-a-month salary, who disregarded all medical principles to do what Jackson asked then abandoned him as his heart stopped.
One after another, the character witnesses described Murray as competent, thorough and caring. The physician, who for the most part had displayed no affect throughout trial, grew visibly emotional and wiped away tears.
"That man sitting there is the best doctor I've ever seen," said Andrew Guest, who said Murray treated him for a heart condition in 2002. "I'm alive today because of that man."
One longtime patient and friend, Gerry Causey, said he had appointments in Murray's office that lasted 4 1/2 hours. After each appointment, Murray called his wife to explain what he was going through, Causey recalled.
"Dr. Murray is not the type to rush through procedures, anyone knows that," said Lunette Sampson, a patient at Murray's Las Vegas practice who suffered several heart attacks and blockages in her heart and legs. "When we come, we know we are going to be there for a while because he's very careful to take care of his patients."
Each of the patients said Murray would provide free care or help get medications for patients who couldn't pay. Dennis Hix recalled how Murray agreed to care for his uninsured brother for free until he turned 65 and qualified for Medicare.
Mosley recalled how Murray set up the clinic in her low-income, senior-citizen neighborhood in Houston in honor of his father, who was a longtime physician there.
"If this man had been greedy, he never would have come to an area or community of Acres Homes, 75% of them poor, on welfare and Social Security," said Mosley, who first met Murray at his father's funeral.
In his cross-examinations, Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren noted that each patient seen by the cardiologist received heart-related treatments and not any care relating to sleep disorders or drug dependency. Murray gave Jackson nightly intravenous drips of a surgical anesthetic for more than two months to get him to sleep.
The patients said that when Murray sedated them for procedures, it was in hospital settings with monitoring equipment and backup personnel –- precautions that prosecutors said the doctor should have taken with Jackson.
"Wouldn't you believe that every patient deserves that level of care?" Walgren asked Guest.
"Yes, sir," he responded.
Also on Wednesday, outside the presence of jurors, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor addressed Murray directly on the subject of whether he plans to take the stand. He has an "absolute right" to testify or not to testify independent of his attorneys, Pastor told the doctor. Murray was not among the upcoming defense witnesses that a defense attorney listed for the judge.
"The important thing Dr. Murray, is that it is your decision, nobody else's," the judge said.You are not allowed to view links.
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34
« on: October 26, 2011, 10:13:45 PM »
LOS ANGELES (CN) - Michael Jackson's manager of 30 years ago, who claims he launched Jackson on his solo career, says the King of Pop's estate owes him commissions and will not let him look at the books to find out how much.
Freddy DeMann founded DeMann Entertainment, the successor to Weisner-DeMann Entertainment. DeMann claims he was Jackson's manager from 1978 to 1983.
DeMann Entertainment sued the executors of Jackson's estate - John Branca and John McClain - in Superior Court.
DeMann claims that under his management, Jackson recorded the hit albums "Off the Wall" (1979) and "Thriller" (1982), one of the best-selling albums of all time.
DeMann claims he persuaded Jackson to hire Quincy Jones to produce the records, and arranged for MTV to play the video for the song "Billy Jean."
"Now that the recordings, dances, likeness, styles and public persona of Michael Jackson created while Mr. DeMann and his companies managed Michael Jackson have been translated into the newest forms of amusements ranging from video games to Cirque Du Soleil, the executors of Michael Jackson's Estate have elected to deny plaintiff DeMann its rights under the 1978 management agreement," the complaint states.
DeMann says the video game "Michael Jackson: The Experience" and the Cirque du Soleil tribute show "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" both use songs from "Off the Wall" and "Thriller."
DeMann says the Jackson estate has repeatedly refused to let him examine its books. That denial, he says, "betrayed Michael Jackson's express wish embodied in the attached written contract that those who worked for his benefit share in his success. Mr. DeMann's friend Michael Jackson would be appalled by this misconduct."
The complaint adds: "Consistent with its efforts to conceal its books and records, the Jackson Estate also has refused to inform DeMann Entertainment of the Jackson Estate's gross revenues earned from activities undertaken after Michael Jackson's death ... which would permit DeMann Entertainment to calculate the commissions owed to it."
DeMann wants to look at the books, and damages for breach of contract.
DeMann Entertainment is represented by Bert Deixler with Kendall Brill & Klieger.You are not allowed to view links.
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35
« on: October 26, 2011, 10:10:18 PM »
LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s doctor, a model of composure throughout his four-week trial, was moved to tears when five patients marched into court Wednesday to offer testimonials about his medical skills.
Dr. Conrad Murray maintained his typically calm demeanor until Ruby Mosley, a tiny gray-haired woman with a cane, struggled to the witness stand to defend him.
She spoke of knowing his father, also a doctor, in the poor community of Acres Home outside Houston and said she met Conrad Murray when he opened a clinic dedicated to his father’s memory.
“If this man was greedy he never would have come to the community of Acres Home,” she said, testifying that most residents are senior citizens on fixed incomes.
Murray’s eyes brimmed with tears and he wiped them with a tissue for several moments after Mosley left the witness stand. She was the last of five character witnesses that Murray’s attorneys called during the doctor’s involuntary manslaughter trial. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities contend Murray gave Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol in the singer’s bedroom on June 25, 2009, while treating him for a sleep disorder. Defense attorneys claim the singer gave himself the deadly dose.
Four other witnesses, all heart patients at Murray’s cardiology offices in Houston and Las Vegas, expounded on his talents, saying he was a caring thorough doctor who tended to their hearts and later became a friend.
“He is my best friend,” said Gerry Causey, a former patient who drove from his current home in Cedar City, Utah, to testify.
“The reason I came here to help Dr. Murray is I know his love, his compassion, his feeling for his patients, every one of them and I just don’t think he did what he’s accused of doing.”
Another witness, Andrew Guest of Las Vegas, looked at Murray across the courtroom and declared, “I’m alive today because of that man. That man sitting there is the best doctor I’ve ever seen.”
Guest said Murray explained every aspect of his treatment and even called him at home on a weekend to see how he was doing.
On cross-examination, prosecutor David Walgren asked, “Would you agree that the level of care Dr. Murray gave you with a team to back him up — every patient deserves that level of care?”
“Yes sir, I do,” Guest said.
Walgren asked all the witnesses if they had ever been treated by Murray for a sleep disorder. They had not.
Walgren, suggesting the witnesses were biased, asked if anything could change their minds about Murray. They answered no. They also told of being notified by Murray in the spring of 2009 that he was taking a sabbatical and going to London. They said he never mentioned Jackson.
“I was a little bit in despair because I didn’t know who was going to take care of me,” said patient Lunette Sampson, who recently moved to San Diego from Las Vegas. Still, she said Murray gave her all of his phone numbers and said he would refer her to another doctor.
Under California law, character witnesses can be offered in an effort to create reasonable doubt of guilt.
Before the trial recessed for the day, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor told Murray he soon plans to ask the defendant to state whether he wants to testify in his own defense.
The judge emphasized that the right to testify was his alone.
“It does not belong to your attorneys, to the prosecution or to me,” Pastor said. “If you want to testify, you will testify even if someone may be counseling you not to testify. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Murray said softly.
He warned Murray that testifying would subject him to cross-examination and said, “I also want to advise you that you have an absolute constitutional right not to testify, the right to remain silent.”
Murray’s final witnesses, a pair of medical experts, were due on the witness stand Thursday.You are not allowed to view links.
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36
« on: October 25, 2011, 09:27:25 PM »
UPDATE 4 p.m.: Testimony concluded for the day and will resume Wednesday at 9 a.m.
UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: Toxicologist Michael Henson took the stand.
UPDATE 2:40 p.m.: On cross-examination, Phillips testiifed that AEG never considered pulling the plug on the Jackson shows. He had no knowledge of the treatment Murray was providing behind closed doors, he said. The last time he ever saw Jackson alive was at a June 24 rehearsal that was so strong it gave him "goosebumps." Phillips said that Jackson put his hand on his shoulder and said, "You got me here. Now I've got it, I can take it from here."
UPDATE 2:13 p.m.: Phililps recalled seeing Murray in "severe distress" at the hospital the day Jackson died.
UPDATE 2 p.m. Phililps said that, by the second week of This Is It rehearsals, director Kenny Ortega expressed concern about Jackson missing scheduled rehearsals. Phillips recalled meeting with Murray about prescription drug use after Jackson seemed unfocused during a production meeting. Jackson's assistant, Michael Amir, told Phillips that the singer had just come from Dr. Arnold Klein's office, Phillips said.
UPDATE 1:43 p.m.: Phillips testified that he advised Jackson that it would be very expensive to hire an American doctor to look after him and that they should hire somebody once they got to London, but the singer was very adamant that he needed a personal physician ASAP to look after him 24/7. Jackson already had Murray in mind, Phillips said, adding that it became obvious to him after meeting Murray that Jackson trusted him.
UPDATE 1:30 p.m.: Outside of the jury's presence, Judge Michael Pastor ruled that the defense could not question Phillips about AEG Live's contract with Jackson, noting that it was full of "complicated legal terminology" that the jury could find confusing. "This is not a contractual dispute, this is a homicide case," he said. Phillips testified that the first round of concert negotiations occurred in 2008.
UPDATE 11:35 a.m.: Lee said she was no longer consulted by Jackson after she told him she would not administer propofol. "It wasn't used for the home setting and it wasn't a sleep aid." She also said that she told Michael, "No one who cared or had your best interest at heart is going to give you this."
UCLA Medical Center COO Amir Rubin was the seventh witness to take the stand, noting that he spent 45 minutes coordinating between security and media at the hospital, and said Murray "looked depressed" at the time. AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips also took the stand before an early lunch was called. He'll continue his testimony at 1:00 p.m.
UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: Lee testified that she first went to Jackson's home in April 2009, when Michael told her he was unable to sleep for more than two or three hours at a time and that propofol was the only thing that helped. When she told him it was an anesthetic and "not used at home," he replied, "Absolutely not. Doctors have told me that it is safe, I just need to be monitored. I just need someone to come here and I will be safe as long as I am monitored."
On June 21, 2009, Lee said Jackson's security guard phoned her and she could hear the singer in the background saying, "Tell her what's wrong with me. One half of my body is hot, one half of my body is cold." She advised he go to the hospital.
UPDATE 9:40 a.m.: The drama's starting early this morning, as Lee was on the stand for less than a minute when she told the judge she felt "quite dizzy" and emotionally said, "This is just very sensitive to me." Court has recessed while she composes herself.
UPDATE 9:15 a.m.: Testimony has yet to start back up, but the Jacksons are in the house, with Rebbie, Randy, Katherine, LaToya and Janet Jackson all present in the courtroom. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the judge explaining that the delay was not due to last minute legal wrangling, but after several jurors got caught in traffic.
And we're back.
Just one day into Conrad Murray's defense and already his lawyers have blown through five of their expected 15 witnesses, with No. 6, nurse practitioner Cherilyn Lee, set to resume her testimony when court begins this morning. Lee already testified that she refused numerous requests from Michael Jackson to give him propofol as a means of helping him sleep, which seemingly plays into the defense's theory that Jackson self-administered his fatal dosage.
Also expected to take the stand today are Randy Phillips, the president and CEO of AEG Live, the concert promoter of Jackson's would-be comeback show, and Jackson's personal makeup artist and hairstylist Karen Faye.
Testimony resumes slightly later than normal this morning at 9 a.m. PT, and E! Online will, as always, be streaming the proceedings live all day long.You are not allowed to view links.
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37
« on: October 23, 2011, 07:24:38 PM »
Dr. Steven Shafer testified that he drank about 20 milliliters of propofol only one time, before conducting a study on oral ingestion of the anesthetic with six human subjects.
In a testy exchange, Chernoff pointed out that in his earlier testimony, Dr. Shafer said that ingestion of propofol was not effective orally and that even a first year medical student should have known that, but despite this knowledge Dr. Shafer still conducted the human study directing volunteers to drink propofol and he himself even drank it. Chernoff said Dr. Shafer did all of this just to spite the defense expert Dr. Paul White and to prove Dr. White was wrong.You are not allowed to view links.
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38
« on: October 23, 2011, 12:39:14 PM »
Rescue workers in eastern Turkey are sifting through rubble of at least 45 collapsed buildings after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake rattled the region on Sunday.
Up to 1,000 people may have been killed in the powerful temblor, according to estimates from Turkey's main seismography centre.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck eastern Van province, which borders Iran, at about 1:40 p.m. local time. Its epicentre was in the village of Tabanli, near the city of Van.
"We are estimating a death toll between 500 and 1,000," the head of the Kandilli observatory Mustafa Erdik told reporters on Sunday.
The seismography centre reached their estimate by assessing the strength of the quake and the structure of the housing in the region. It is still too early to determine an exact number of casualties, officials said.
At least 50 people have been treated for injuries at the state hospital in Van, according to a state-run news agency.
"The quake was strongly felt in Van and neighbouring towns, and caused damage and deaths based on initial assessments," said a statement from the Turkish Prime Minister's office.
CNN reporter Andrew Finkel said the location of the quake may make rescue efforts more treacherous.
"Van (city), of course, is one of the least densely populated parts of Turkey," he told CTV News Channel on Sunday. "It's a very poor part of Turkey."
On the phone from Istanbul, Finkel said he's heard that crews are wading in the rubble of collapsed buildings and have dispatched airborne emergency teams.
"We know that there's going to be a very large presence from both rescue workers and officials," he said.
Residents across the province reportedly fanned out into the streets in a panic after the quake hit. Television footage showed crews picking up debris with shovels and their bare hands, trying to evacuate people believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings.
The situation remains in a state of flux, Van town Mayor Bekir Kaya told a local news station.
"The telephone system is jammed due to panic, and we can't assess the entire damage immediately," Kaya said.
The USGS originally gave the magnitude as 7.3 but later corrected it to 7.2. It said the quake had a depth of 20 kilometres, which is considered quite shallow meaning it may cause more damage.
Turkey is crossed by fault lines, making earthquakes a frequent occurrence. You are not allowed to view links.
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39
« on: October 21, 2011, 07:35:28 PM »
UPDATE 4 p.m.: Court adjourned for the day and Pastor ordered everyone to report back Monday at 8:45 a.m.
UPDATE 2:40 p.m.: The defense immediately got to challenging Shafer's conclusions pertaining to Jackson's death, that it was most unlikely he took as much lorazepam as Murray contended and that he most certainly did not give himself propofol. "That's a bold claim, isn't it?" Chernoff questioned him. "That's what I think happened," Shafer responded. "Everything you've said is an opinion," Chernoff said, to which Shafer replied, slamming Murray, "It might be the position that I have as a physician. To say that one should not lie to UCLA Medical Center is my opinion."
Noting that he purchased the propofol and equipment that was used in yesterday's demo, Shafer quipped, "I hope to be reimbursed."
UPDATE 1 p.m.: Before testimony began today, Pastor admonished White for yesterday's outburst, giving him a "clear and unequivocal order" prohibiting him from discussing his thoughts on counsel or any witnesses with the media. Pastor read White's remarks to E! News back to him and White admitted that he made the published comments. White said he could not remember whether he used the word "scumbag" inside the courtroom, however. A hearing has been set for Nov. 16 to determine whether White's behavior amounts to contempt of court.
MORE: Could Conrad Murray Be Convicted of Manslaughter and Still Avoid Jail Altogether?
_____________________
Well, that was exciting!
We mean the abrupt end to yesterday's testimony from anesthesiologist Steven Shafer, who's been on the stand testifying for several days for the prosecution. Toward the end of the afternoon, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren presented Shafer with an infusion machine and asked him to demonstrate how Dr. Conrad Murray most likely set up a propofol drip for Michael Jackson.
The demo had a rough effect on the defendant, who whispered loudly to his friend and potential defense witness Dr. Paul White, "Can you believe that?" And White turned to the media present and said, "What a scumbag" as L.A. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor summoned counsel into a meeting, called for a break and ultimately adjourned for the day.
Who's the "scumbag"? It's unclear exactly who White was referring to, but later he told E! News that he found Walgren's evidence presentation "unethical" and that his view of Shafer was forever changed. So it's anybody's guess!
In the meantime, the defense has yet to begin its cross-examination of Shafer, so there's pretty much no way Ed Chernoff and Michael Flanagan will be kicking off their case until next week.You are not allowed to view links.
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40
« on: October 19, 2011, 09:52:44 PM »
I found this picture navigating the web. Again, I was not looking for Michael, just information on a different topic. This picture just popped. I get that alot lately. Is it a sign?? I think yes.. Here is the picture, and let me know if it is a recent one. The only thing I do not see the cleft on his chin, maybe it is hidden.
41
« on: October 19, 2011, 09:27:15 PM »
After five days of recess, the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray resumed in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday (October 19) with the airing of a dramatic video showing an actor going into cardiac arrest and being revived following a propofol overdose.
The Witness
» Dr. Steven Shafer, anesthesiologist
Key Testimony
» After the trial was recessed for two days to allow Shafer to attend a conference -- which he did not make it to in light of his father's death -- the anesthesiologist, who emphasized the fact that his pro bono consultation on the case is motivated by his desire to restore faith in the public that propofol is not fatal when administered and monitored properly, completed his testimony from last week. Shafer, an expert on the surgical anesthetic propofol, narrated a video in which jurors watched an actor pretending to go into cardiac arrest while being administered propofol. The Los Angeles coroner's office determined that Jackson died of "acute propofol intoxication," which caused the singer to go into cardiac arrest.
» In the video, doctors and nurses successfully revive the patient using equipment and staffing that Murray did not have in Jackson's home. The dramatic re-enactment capped a case from the prosecution aimed at proving that Murray acted in a negligent, unprofessional manner in his treatment of Jackson.
» Murray lawyer Ed Chernoff argued vehemently against showing the video, calling it "a terrifying dramatization of a person experiencing cardiac arrest" that he said was intended to inflame the jurors' minds. Prosecutors countered that it was aimed at educating jurors about the safe way to administer propofol. A judge allowed the video but ordered Deputy District Attorney David Walgren to re-edit the video mid-morning to delete several scenes that he said were not relevant to the case.
» Over the course of the afternoon, the prosecution walked Shafer through his analysis of 17 major infractions -- what Shafer termed "egregious violations" -- in Murray's treatment of Jackson. Four of those violations were deemed "fundamentally unconscionable," such as Murray's failure to purchase and implement the proper medical monitoring devices and his failure to chart and document his treatment of Jackson, or keep any records. "It's a setup for disaster," Shafer said, adding that the violations were all contributing factors in Jackson's death.
Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of involuntary manslaughter, is facing four years in prison if convicted. But new sentencing laws in California meant to mandatorily reduce state prison overcrowding mean that, as a nonviolent offender with no prior record, he could be sentenced to county jail instead. If that is the case, his sentence could be reduced to two years and, because of overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail, he may be allowed to serve the majority of his time under supervised house arrest.You are not allowed to view links.
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42
« on: October 19, 2011, 06:50:01 PM »
LOS ANGELES – Prosecutors could rest their case as early as Thursday in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's personal doctor after an expert on the effects of the surgical anesthetic that killed the singer completes his testimony.
Dr. Conrad Murray, center, has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death.
Dr. Conrad Murray, center, has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death.
Conrad Murray, 58, a cardiologist, is accused of acting with criminal negligence in giving his only patient a lethal intravenous dose of propofol to treat his insomnia. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
As Murray's lawyers prepared to call defense witnesses, they face the challenge of convincing jurors that it was a desperately sleepless Jackson who fatally gave himself propofol and a sedative while the doctor was away from the bedside.
STORY: Trial of Michael Jackson's doctor postponed
Ed Chernoff, Murray's lead defense counsel, told the jury in his opening statement last month that he would stake his case on "powerful science" from an expert anesthesiologist, Paul White of Dallas.
The verdict on who was responsible for Jackson's death will come down to White's opinion against that of Steven Shafer, the Columbia University anesthesiologist who was the prosecution's last witness, defense lawyers say.
Shafer said he was testifying without a fee in the case, partly to reassure the public that propofol is a safe anesthetic when used properly.
"In the operating room every day," he said, "patients ask me, 'are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?' This is a fear that people do not need to have. Propofol is an outstanding drug."
Anesthesiology expert Dr. Steven Shafer testifies during Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Shafer detailed the exacting medical standard of care with which anesthesiologists like himself administer propofol. To aid the jury, he narrated from the witness stand a 16-minute silent video showing operating-room procedures. Specially made for this trial, the video emphasized the sophisticated monitoring and emergency resuscitation equipment Shafer said was needed even for the small, 25-milligram dose of propofol that Murray told police detectives he had given Jackson.
Evidence at the trial showed Murray had little such equipment on hand as he treated Jackson with propofol in his bedroom for insomnia.
Before the jury entered the courtroom Wednesday, lead defense counsel Ed Chernoff objected to introduction of the video. It simulated a patient suffering apnea -- a cessation of breathing -- and cardiac arrest on the operating table. An anesthesiologist is depicted as saving the patient's life by first calling for help, then using various means to revive the patient.
Chernoff called the video "a terrifying dramatization." He said it was meant to convince the jury that "the only possible way to provide propofol is in this environment." Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor replied, "I thought that was what the people's case was all about." He ordered redactions of some short sections but allowed most of the video to be shown.
Jackson's parents Joe and Katherine Jackson, his sister Rebbie Jackson and his brother Rebbie Jackson were present in court.The defense faces a major obstacle, according to legal experts unconnected with the case: Murray's statements to police detectives in a recorded interview two days after Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.
By Carl De Souza, AFP/Getty Images
Michael Jackson announced a series of comeback concerts in London on March 5, 2009.
On the recording, jurors heard Murray volunteering that he'd been giving Jackson propofol, the singer's favored sleep aid, nearly nightly for two months. Murray said he was trying to "wean him off" off the anesthetic, which he said other doctors previously had supplied.
"It wasn't even a homicide investigation until he talked to the police," said Tom Mesereau, who successfully defended Jackson in 2005 against a charge of molesting a 12-year-old boy.
Christopher Rogers, a Los Angeles County deputy medical examiner, testified that Murray's account was a factor behind his decision to report Jackson's death as a homicide — death at the hands of another person.
Other factors, Rogers said, included the "inappropriate" use of propofol for insomnia, and Murray's use of it outside of a hospital setting and without monitoring and resuscitation equipment and personnel.
It was unlikely, Rogers said, that a probably groggy Jackson could have taken propofol and died within the two minutes Murray told police he was in the bathroom before he returned to find Jackson not breathing.
Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola University Law School in Los Angeles, took a similar view. For the defense, she said, "the biggest stretch will be to persuade the jury that Jackson was conscious enough to find another vial of propofol and use it."
Murray's legal strategy suffered a setback when his lawyers abruptly dropped their claim that Jackson swallowed a lethal quantity of propofol. The lawyers said they accepted new research studies proving that swallowing the surgical anesthetic would be harmless.
Levenson and Susan Filan, a Connecticut lawyer and TV legal analyst, praised prosecutors David Walgren and Deborah Brazil for a strategy sharply focused on whether Murray had met basic standards of medical care.
Levenson said the prosecution team was "very prepared, very organized." Filan said the state "put their case in methodically, without a lot of emotion. They presented a very clear picture of what happened that day, and Dr. Murray's actions."
That picture, those analysts said, included fingerprint evidence that raised additional problems for the defense. A police crime lab report unchallenged by Murray's lawyers found no Jackson prints on syringes or other medical devices in the bedroom.
Still, the defense signaled in cross-examining Rogers a central contention that Jackson must have surreptitiously swallowed eight 2-milligram tablets of lorazepam, a sedative that acted with intravenously injected propofol to create "a perfect storm in his body that killed him instantly Jackson ingested enough lorazepam "to put six people to sleep," Chernoff said.
Rogers and two other doctors testifying for the prosecution said Murray would be responsible for Jackson's death even under the defense scenario, because he left an addict alone with access to dangerous drugs.
Murray is unlikely to testify, Mesereau said. The police interview "is pretty much his testimony, un-cross-examined," he said.
Taking the stand "would subject Murray to a lot of difficult questions, such as when Michael really did stop breathing," Mesereau said. "Murray told the paramedics it had happened 'a few minutes ago,' when actually the body was chilled. He would be asked, 'Why weren't you candid?'"
Brian Oxman, another member of Jackson's 2005 defense team, says the defense would benefit from pointing to "empty chairs in the courtroom — other people who are responsible for Michael Jackson's death." Oxman says those responsible include other doctors and "people who insisted that he continue to perform even though he was drugged every night." Jackson was in the midst of strenuous rehearsals for a series of comeback concerts in London, his first tour since 1997.
In fact, one theme in the defense case will be that Murray wasn't the only doctor who supplied propofol to Jackson. Murray's legal team has portrayed Jackson as a demanding, drug-dependent celebrity who insisted that the whitish anesthetic he called his "milk" was the only drug that gave him sleep.
Chernoff told the jury that he will rely partly on traditional character evidence — testimony from devoted patients of Murray in Houston and Las Vegas that he's selfless and caring, not the greedy $150,000-a-month contract doctor that the prosecution calls him.
One patient testifying will be an 82-year-old woman from Acres Home, a low-income Houston neighborhood where Murray runs a clinic for the poor as his late father, also a doctor, had done. "You will like her very much," Chernoff promised the jurors.
Defense lawyers said they expect to call about 15 witnesses, including police officers, scientific experts and character witnesses, and they hope to finish presenting their case by Wednesday.
In the end, Levenson said, the defense may appeal to sympathy.
The argument, she said, would be this: "Dr. Murray may have made a mistake, but that does not make him a criminal. Not all malpractice is involuntary manslaughter. Tragic mistakes happen, but Conrad Murray should not be the scapegoat for what Michael Jackson has done or what other doctors have done."
Mesereau said that although the prosecution "made a powerful case" that Murray violated medical standards, the trial's outcome is unpredictable.
"You never know what a jury will do, and convicting a doctor is not always the easiest thing," said Mesereau, who defends doctors in medical-board disciplinary cases.
Mesereau cited the example of Memphis physician George Nichopoulos. Like Murray, Nichopoulos had a celebrity patient with insomnia - Elvis Presley, who died of a massive heart attack in 1977. A jury acquitted Nichopoulos in 1980 on charges of overprescribing drugs for Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and other patients. Ultimately, the Tennessee medical board revoked Nichopoulos' license to practice medicine.
Murray, too, could be acquitted, but still could face license hearings in California, Texas, Nevada and HawaiiYou are not allowed to view links.
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« on: October 18, 2011, 07:25:49 PM »
Deputy D.A. David Walgren met with Michael Jackson's son Prince to discuss the possibility of the King of Pop's eldest child testifying against Dr. Conrad Murray.
The meeting was held at Katherine Jackson's gated Calabasas, Calif., residence. Katherine, Michael's mother, wants to ensure Prince's protection in all of this.
"Even though she is steadfastly against Prince testifying, she recognizes this is something he feels he must do if asked," says a source close to the family.
Prince Michael with sister Paris Jackson in Wales October 8.
"Prince has information that's clearly relevant to the proceedings. Make no mistake, Prince would have been called as a witness already if he was an adult."
The D.A. is about to rest without having called Prince Michael Jackson, but the option is on the table to call him as a rebuttal witness after Murray's defense.
That decision will be made by the D.A. after hearing the defense case.
"Prince does have information that would be helpful for the jury to hear. However, it's a double-edged sword of putting a child on the stand," says the insider.
"This could be very traumatic and Prince, despite all assurances that he can handle it, well, you never know until it happens. How would he do under cross examination from Dr. Murray's lawyers? How will he react to seeing Dr. Murray in court?"
"The last time Prince saw Dr. Conrad Murray was the day his father passed away, and needless to say, a lot has changed in his world since then."
Prince and Katherine were told by the Deputy D.A., there is "a 50/50 chance" that he will take the stand. Prince will be prepared if called to testify.
Katherine and Prince trust the Deputy D.A., and Katherine knows that this is very, very important to her grandson, so she supports what he decides.
Murray's trial will resume Wednesday. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter and faces up to four years in prison.You are not allowed to view links.
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« on: October 18, 2011, 07:20:31 PM »
Los Angeles (CNN) -- With testimony on hold while Dr. Conrad Murray's lawyers study a new lab test that prosecutors plan to use against him, speculation about Michael Jackson's oldest son possibly testifying has increased.
But Katherine Jackson, the matriarch of the Jackson family, reconfirmed to CNN Tuesday that she is opposed to Prince Jackson being called as a witness and that there are no discussions going on with prosecutors about it.
Testimony resumes Wednesday, after a five-day break, with the anesthesiology expert who is likely the last witness before the prosecution rests its direct case. The judge indicated it Dr. Steven Shafer's testimony is completed Wednesday, he would recess court on Thursday to allow the defense to prepare before presenting its case on Friday.
The relevance of 14-year-old Prince Jackson's testimony in the involuntary manslaughter trial of his father's doctor increased last week after jurors heard Murray's police interview.
Prince disputed Murray's claim, given in his police interview, that the doctor comforted him and his siblings in the emergency room after they learned their father was dead, according to a Jackson family member who was with the children that day.
Prince Jackson told his family that Murray's account was not true, Trent Jackson, the nephew of Katherine and Joe Jackson, said Thursday.
Jackson family members were upset that jurors may sympathize with Murray because of perceived compassion for the children that day, Jackson told CNN.
"I hugged them all, gave comfort to Paris, comfort to Prince, comfort to Blanket, which is the last little guy, because whenever they were sick, they would always ask for Dr. Conrad," Murray told detectives two days after Jackson's death in 2009.
Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson were initially kept in an SUV outside of the emergency room after they followed the ambulance carrying their father to the hospital, Trent Jackson said. Frank Dileo, who was Michael Jackson's manager, later escorted them inside after their grandmother arrived, according to Trent Jackson.
Murray never spoke to Michael Jackson's mother at the emergency room, contrary to his statement to police, Trent Jackson said.
While the truthfulness of Murray's interview is a major issue in the trial, it is not expected that Prince will be called to testify, the relative said. Katherine Jackson, who has custody of the children, is opposed to any of them being called as witnesses, he said.
Prosecutors are near a conclusion to their direct presentation in Murray's trial, but rebuttal witnesses could be called next week after the defense rests its case.
The maximum sentence Murray could get if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death is four years, but a new California law could mean the doctor would never seen the inside of a state prison cell.
The law, intended to reduced state prison overcrowding, provides for most non-violent offenders with no prior record to be kept in county jails.
A four-year sentence could become just two years if Murray is ordered to serve his time in the Los Angeles County jail, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. County inmates are given "one day served, one day credit."
The Los Angeles jail is under court order to reduce overcrowding, which means many non-violent first time offenders are allowed to serve the bulk of their time under supervised house arrest.
But there are "so many different possibilities" it is not possible to predict how much time, or where, Murray would serve his sentence if convicted, Nishida said.
The spokeswoman with the Los Angeles district attorney's office said she could not comment because of the gag order imposed by the judge in the Murray trial.
A conviction, however, would likely trigger the revocation of Murray's medical licenses in California, Texas and Nevada.
The trial has been put on hold at least until Wednesday to give the defense time to study new lab test results the prosecution contends show Jackson did not ingest a fatal overdose of sedatives.
Testimony was suspended last Thursday afternoon to allow the prosecution's anesthesiology expert to attend a medical convention, and again Monday because that witness's father died.
The trial, in its fourth week, is still expected to conclude with the start of jury deliberations next week.
The Los Angeles County coroner tested Jackson's stomach contents -- preserved from the autopsy -- for the level of the sedative lorazepam last Wednesday at the request of the prosecution, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren revealed at a hearing Monday.
The testing was ordered after Murray's defense contended that Jackson swallowed eight tablets of lorazepam, a sedative, in a desperate search for sleep the day he died.
The results show "a much smaller amount of lorazepam in the stomach that is totally inconsistent with oral consumption of lorazepam tablets," Walgren said.
The coroner ruled that Jackson's June 25, 2009, death was from "acute propofol intoxication" in combination with several sedatives, including lorazepam.
The defense complained that the coroner should have done the test two years ago, not during the trial.
"It's about the time," defense lawyer Ed Chernoff said. "It's about the fairness issue."
Dr. Steven Shafer, an anesthesiology expert, is crucial to the state's effort to prove Jackson's death was caused by Murray's gross negligence in using the surgical anesthetic propofol to help the pop icon sleep.
Shafer began testifying Thursday morning before the judge recessed for the weekend so he could travel to a medical convention. He never made it there because of the death in his family, Walgren said Friday.
Shafer, who is expected to give a detailed scientific explanation of how propofol is metabolized in the human body, will be on the witness stand for at least a day, according to Walgren.
Shafer's testimony is expected to echo the opinions of a sleep expert and a cardiologist who testified that Murray's treatment of Jackson was so grossly negligent that it was criminal.You are not allowed to view links.
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« on: October 17, 2011, 03:40:25 PM »
As per HLN, the prosecution will show results that Michael didn't ingest drugs. afraid/
I guess everything will unravel soon.. Michael is not dead, and this is proof of it.. Just to show people that Michael is not a druggie, Finally, something on Michael side..
blessings.
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