Katherine Jackson versus AEG set for trial 9-10-2012

[Thriller4ever]

This time I could not count how many there are, but it may be a sign ..

There are 31 stars, the correct number. I counted.

[Snoopy71]

Lawyer: Blame Michael Jackson for his death, not AEG Live

By Alan Duke, CNN

updated 9:20 PM EDT, Wed September 25, 2013

Los Angeles (CNN) -- AEG LIve's lawyer asked a jury to find Michael Jackson responsible for his death, not the concert promoter.

Attorney Marvin Putnam spent four hours Wednesday deliver his closing arguments in the trial of the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Jackson's mother and three children.

"Plaintiffs want you to hold a concert promoter liable for Michael Jackson's overdose in his bedroom at night, behind locked doors on June 25, 2009," Putnam told jurors. "An overdose of the drug administered to Mr. Jackson by his longtime doctor -- Dr. Murray -- who he'd been seeing for years, a doctor he brought to Los Angeles from Las Vegas."

When the trial began five months ago, Putnam warned he would show "ugly stuff" and reveal Jackson's "deepest, darkest secret."

The revelations that jurors heard from 58 witnesses over 83 days of testimony spanning 21 weeks included details of Jackson's drug use and his shopping for a doctor to give him the surgical anesthetic propofol that he thought would give him sleep.

"He was nearly half a billion dollars in debt," Putnam argued Wednesday. "His mother's house was near foreclosure, we didn't know that then. What else do we know now? That Mr. Jackson spent decades shopping for doctors to give him the painkillers he wanted. Mr. Jackson made sure we didn't know that."

Brian Panish, the lead lawyer for Jackson's mother and three children, conceded in his closing Tuesday that the singer may have some fault for his own death, but said "it's about shared responsibility."

Jackson did use prescription painkillers and was warned that using propofol at home to sleep was risky, "but he never had a problem until Dr. Conrad Murray was working and until Conrad Murray negotiated with AEG Live," Panish argued.

The AEG Live lawyer, Putnam, argued Wednesday that Jackson should take the full blame. "The sad truth is Mr. Jackson's death was caused by his choices and it would have happened no matter what -- with or without AEG Live."

The Jackson family lawyer urged jurors to award the family between $1 billion and $2 billion in damages for its share of liability in Jackson's death -- to replace what he would have earned touring, had he lived, and for the personal suffering from the loss of a son and father.

Putnam told jurors Wednesday that was "an absurd number."

Katherine Jackson testified that she filed the wrongful death lawsuit three years ago against AEG Live "because I want to know what really happened to my son."

Her lawyers argue that the company is liable in the death because it negligently hired, retained or supervised Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's propofol overdose death.

Jackson's lawyer will have another two hours Thursday morning to sum up his arguments in rebuttal.

Twelve jurors, who have sat and listened in a Los Angeles courtroom for 21 weeks, will then begin deliberations.

The judge is allowing a television camera in court for the closing arguments and verdict.

AEG Live's defense

Murray treated Michael Jackson and his children for minor illnesses while they lived in Las Vegas for three years, before the singer returned to Los Angeles to prepare for his "This Is It" comeback tour. It was Jackson -- not AEG Live executives -- who chose Murray to be his full-time doctor for his tour, the company's lawyers contend.

AEG Live Co-CEO Paul Gongaware negotiated to pay Murray $150,000 a month only because of Jackson's request to have his doctor with him as he performed 50 shows at London's O2 Arena, they argue.

"He told them 'We're bringing this doctor,' " Putnam said. "This was a choice Mr. Jackson made, he was a grown man."

AEG Live executives tried to talk Jackson out of taking an American doctor with him on tour, suggesting he could save money by using a physician in London, Putnam said.

"But Mr. Jackson was undeterred," he said. "Ultimately, it was his money, his doctor, his choice. He certainly wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer."

There was no need to check Murray's background because he was a licensed, successful doctor who was known to Jackson, Putnam said. "All AEG Live knew was Dr. Murray was Mr. Jackson's longtime doctor."

A key argument in the Jackson case is that AEG Live was negligent by not ordering a financial background check of Murray, which would have revealed he was in a dire financial situation and not successful. His desperation to keep his lucrative job led Murray to violate his Hippocratic Oath to do no harm by using the dangerous propofol infusions to put Jackson to sleep each night for two months, Jackson lawyers argue.

AEG Live executives had no way of knowing Murray was treating Jackson's insomnia with propofol in the privacy of his bedroom, their lawyers contend. Jackson was a secretive addict, adept at keeping family, friends and other doctors in the dark about his medical treatments, they argue.

But two doctors testified that they told Gongaware about Jackson's abuse of painkillers and his insomnia during tours in the 1990s, when the AEG Live executive served as tour manager. Jackson lawyers argue Gongaware, who was the top producer on the new tour, should have known that Jackson could suffer the same problems in 2009.

The deterioration of Jackson's health over the two months he was being treated by Murray was a red flag that there was a problem, but AEG Live executives negligently ignored the warning, Jackson lawyers argue. By June 19, he was frail, suffering chills, unable to do his trademark dances and paranoid, according to testimony.

"Everyone believed at the time that a 50-year-old man, who hadn't performed in a decade was tired, out of shape and very nervous," Putnam argued Wednesday. "That's what they believed at the time and it makes sense."

AEG Live can avoid a negative verdict if is able able to convince at least 4 of 12 jurors that it did not hire Murray. It is the first of 16 questions on the jury verdict form. If jurors answer it with a "no" -- that AEG Live did not hire the doctor -- they would end their deliberations and the trial.

An AEG Live lawyer e-mailed an employment contract to Murray on the morning of June 24, 2009. Murray signed it and faxed it back to the company that day. But the signature line for AEG Live's CEO and Michael Jackson were never signed since Jackson died the next day.

Putnam will point to those blank signature lines as evidence that Murray was never hired by his client. There were negotiations with Murray, but he was never paid, the AEG Live lawyer argues.

Panish, the lead Jackson lawyer, told jurors Tuesday that all the elements of an oral contract -- "just as valid as a written contract" -- were in place when Jackson died.

Murray had been treating Jackson for two months and the written contract stated that his start day was May 1, 2009. A series of e-mail exchanges involving Murray and AEG Live executives and lawyers supported his argument, Panish said.

Blame and damages

If the jury concludes AEG Live has liability, it would have to decide how much the company should pay in economic and personal damages to Jackson's mother and children. They can use estimates of Jackson's "lost earnings capacity" -- the amount of money he could reasonably be expected to have earned if he had lived -- to guide them.

AEG Live expert Eric Briggs testified it was "speculative" that Jackson would have even completed another tour because of his drug use, damaged reputation and history of failed projects. He suggested the star may never have earned another dime.

Putnam's closing argument about damages must overcome the impression left on jurors Tuesday when Panish played a video montage of Jackson performances.

"That is, I think, the best evidence of if Michael Jackson could have sold tickets -- not what Mr. Briggs would tell you," Panish told jurors.

Panish suggested jurors pick a number between $900 million and $1.6 billion for economic damages. They should add on another $290 million for non-economic damages -- or personal damages, he said.

Putnam argued that the number, if the jury finds AEG Live liable, should be closer to $21 million, the amount of money AEG Live's expert calculated Jackson would have given his mother and three children over the next 16 years. He couldn't have given them more because he was had a $400 million debt that ws getting deeper, he said.

"If Mr. Jackson had lived, it's hard to see how he would ever have dug himself out of that whole," Putnam said.

The last question on the verdict form asks jurors to assign a percentage that they believe represents Michael Jackson's share of blame in his death. The total damages owed by AEG Live would be reduced by that percentage.

Panish will have two hours to rebut Putnam's arguments before jury deliberations begin later Thursday.

Michael Jackson's mom remembers her 'sweet little boy'

[curls]

Rebuttal is on live here now: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/livenow?id=9259817

[blankie]

A unanimous verdict is not required in the case since it is a civil trial. Only nine of the 12 jurors must agree.    :judge-smiley:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/entertainment&id=9262842

@ Michael Jackson's mom remembers her 'sweet little boy    :bearhug:

[Sweetangel]

Hello everyone,

for everyone who did miss yesterdays closing arguments. Here is one video from the whole Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGFY1AQZu4Q

Much Peace and Love to everyone

[blankie]

Thanks for sharing Sweetangel  :icon_razz:

[RK]

http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/michael-jackson-rises-from-the-dead/

Michael Jackson: Rises from the Dead?
Added by Ezeiyoke Chukwunonso on September 26, 2013.
Saved under Entertainment, Ezeiyoke Chukwunonso, Iam Bloom
Micheal Jackson: Risen from the Dead?

Ever since Michael Jackson died on Jun. 25, 2009, his ghost seems to continue to rise from the dead, in one way or the other, to haunt the living. AEG Live, for instance, is still battling with his haunting spirit. A lawyer representing the company said, in his closing argument against the suit by Jackson's family, that Jackson should be held responsible for his death because he is an adult with the privilege of making decision by himself. As the case is now turned to the jury, who knows whether the risen spirit of Jackson will win the case like he won that of his physician, Conrad Murray.

Murray was not so lucky to escape from the grasps of the risen spirit of Jackson. It even seems that the doctor understood that what was seeking revenge was not Jackson's family but the spirit of the King of Pop. If not, who can explain why Brenda, Lionel Richie's ex-wife, could come to court to testify that the spirit of Jackson visited her and told her that it was he, Jackson, who took his own life unintentionally? Therefore it was not Murray's fault that Jackson died. It also seems that the judge presiding over the case understood that the case at hand was that of the risen spirit and that made him allow the claim to be heard. But, Jackson's spirit could not relent until he saw Murray being sentenced in 2011.

Legal issues were not the only place Jackson's spirit has risen from the dead to haunt the living. The king of Pop's neighbors of his former Beverly Mansion as of 2012, three years after his death, were still reporting scary activities attribute to Jackson. One of his neighbors reporting to Daily Star said, "It has freaked everyone out. When he was living there, Michael would regularly look through the curtains and see who were around... people have heard his music coming from the house and even singing. Everyone thinks that Michael's ghost walks around the house."

Another neighbor said, "It is so weird. The world knew that Michael was obsessed by the afterlife, from his songs like Thriller. He believed in spirits – now his own has returned."

His neighbors were not the only ones with the story of the risen-from-the-dead spirit of Jackson. La Toya Jackson, his sister, believed also that the King of Pop's spirit was haunting their family compound in Encino. WQEL, a radio station at Ohio reported that, "La Toya Jackson has recently contacted a psychic who has helped her come to terms with the spooky events that have been taking place inside the family house."

However, not everybody saw the risen spirit of Jackson as haunting. For one, the cast and crew of Cirque Du Soleil's 'One' feels that Jackson spirit was with them when they were working on the new spectacular for several months at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. According to their sound designer, Jonathan Deans, Jackson "Presence is definitely here. You close your eyes and he's in the room. Hopefully, he will be sitting here saying that is great."

By Ezeiyoke Chukwunonso

[everlastinglove_MJ]

Hello everyone,

for everyone who did miss yesterdays closing arguments. Here is one video from the whole Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGFY1AQZu4Q

Much Peace and Love to everyone

Thanks Sweetangel.

Here are some parts of Panish' closing arguments which I thought were brilliant:

Personal responsibility, 3 principles:
1. You have to accept
2 If you're  gonna talk the talk you're gonna walk the walk
3 Don't dare you do anything to get in the way of someone that's  trying to deal with personal responsibility.

AEG violated all those 3 principles of personal responsibility.

1: Before you point the finger you gotta look in the mirror at yourself. AEG looked in the mirror at themselves and they say "everything we did is fine". They want you to believe, mr Gongaware, mr Phillips this story in this trial. 1 of the most important decisions in ur life They want you to base this on these two people mr Gongaware, mr Phillips. in disregard of all the other evidence.
2 They never walked the walk, they did alot of talking, they didn't met anything.
3 How dare they come up here and accept no responsibility & put it all on Michael, mrs Jackson etc., everybody but them. When u point the finger at someone you got 4 fingers point back at yourself & responsibility doesnt stop at the boardroom.

7 notepads :icon_e_wink:

When all the work is done and getting ready for the game there's this story: 'There was a wise old man in Montana. There were these kids that always thought that they're gonna get one over on the wise old man, they never could succeed. 1 day a sparrow fell from a nest. 1 of the boys picked it up and called all his buddies over and said i'm gonna fool the old man. This we gonna do: "okay, wise old man i'm hold my hands out like this and i'll ask him:  is this bird dead or is the bird alive? If he says the bird is dead I'm gonna open my hand and if he says he's alive I'm gonna crush it in my hand. There's no way he's gonna get on us this time. And they went up there: and they said: "okay, wise old man is the bird alive or is the bird dead?" And he looks and he said: " lads, the fate of the bird is in your hands". Ladies and gentlemen the fate of Prince Michael, Paris, Blanket and Katherine Jackson is in your hands.

I think Panish' bird dead or alive story is interesting to say the least  :icon_e_wink:

Love always

[RK]

AEG Verdict Could Shake Up Entertainment Business

By Eric Kelsey

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of late pop star Michael Jackson against his concert promoter is now in the hands of a jury, and the verdict could have far-reaching implications for how the entertainment industry does business with its biggest stars.

The 21-week trial, which has opened a window into the private life and last days of the King of Pop, has put not only concert promoter AEG Live on trial but also the entertainment industry's live-performance business model, analysts say.

After closing arguments concluded on Thursday, the judge sent the jury to deliberate and a verdict is expected some time next week, if not earlier. Jackson family lawyers have suggested in court documents that damages could exceed $1 billion.

"If AEG is found liable, that puts these companies on the line for millions and billions of dollars, and it is already causing the industry to rethink how the structure is set up," said Jo Piazza, the author of "Celebrity, Inc." and a celebrity branding consultant.

Currently, entertainment producers typically pay up-front sums running into millions of dollars to performers in exchange for being able to have greater control over some of the performers' affairs.

The lawsuit alleged that "AEG came to control much of Jackson's life. The home Jackson lived in was provided by AEG; his finances were dependent on AEG, and his assets stood security if he failed to perform." Those assets included The Sony/ATV music catalog owned by Jackson, which even includes iconic Beatles songs.

The verdict "could have a chilling effect on how much micro-management of a star's life companies like AEG and other production companies have," Piazza said.

"But the reason the micro-management even exists is to make sure that the celebrities, the talent, is in the best position possible to make money for the production company," she added.

That kind of control is the crux of the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and his three children.

PROFITS AND RISKS

In the suit, Jackson's family alleges that privately held AEG Live, one of the world's top concert promoters, negligently hired cardiologist Conrad Murray as Jackson's personal physician and ignored signs that the singer was in poor health.

The "Thriller" singer died in 2009 in Los Angeles at age 50 from an overdose of surgical anesthetic propofol.

Murray, who was caring for Jackson as the singer rehearsed for his series of 50 comeback "This Is It" concerts, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for administering the propofol that killed the star.

"It's the kind of case that every entertainment lawyer is paying attention to because everybody in the entertainment industry has assistants and sometimes that entails medical attention as well," said John Nockleby, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

AEG Live has argued that Jackson had prescription drug and addiction problems for years before entering into any agreement with the company.

It also has said that it did not hire or supervise Murray and could not have foreseen that the physician would have posed a danger to the singer.

"They (AEG Live) chose to run the risk and make a huge profit," Jackson family attorney Brian Panish said this week in closing arguments.

"The industry is watching and waiting and seeing very much how this plays out," said Jody Armour, a law professor at the University of Southern California who specializes in personal injury claims.

"It could have a deterrent effect on corporations going forward, and how much and how aggressively they push entertainers to meet their contractual obligations," he added.

READ MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/entertainment-us-michaeljackson-idUSBRE98P1DY20130926

[marumjj]

Hello everyone! thanks for the links, I like the parable of Panish, very hoaxy, the bird is "Dead or alive".
We all know he's alive, hopefully the jury make a decision just because AEG remained exposed.
This case set a precedent for future artists that do business with AEG.
AEG are money-hungry beasts, no matter what it takes, (Email where it is clear that they are paying the salary of Murray) and although they deny it and the contract was not signed, the agreement existed.
My concern about whether KJ win at trial and collects money towards MJ in crime, but I know that is not so. We can only hope the verdict.                 :bearhug:

[gwynned]

Hello everyone! thanks for the links, I like the parable of Panish, very hoaxy, the bird is "Dead or alive".
We all know he's alive, hopefully the jury make a decision just because AEG remained exposed.
This case set a precedent for future artists that do business with AEG.
AEG are money-hungry beasts, no matter what it takes, (Email where it is clear that they are paying the salary of Murray) and although they deny it and the contract was not signed, the agreement existed.
My concern about whether KJ win at trial and collects money towards MJ in crime, but I know that is not so. We can only hope the verdict.                 :bearhug:

Since we know the trial is a hoax, we also know the verdict, whatever it may be, has been predetermined by none other than the alleged victim.  It's fun to watch and guess his next move, but worry is unnecessary at this juncture, I would think. 

[Thriller4ever]

Ever since Michael Jackson died on Jun. 25, 2009, his ghost seems to continue to rise from the dead, in one way or the other, to haunt the living. AEG Live, for instance, is still battling with his haunting spirit. A lawyer representing the company said, in his closing argument against the suit by Jackson's family, that Jackson should be held responsible for his death because he is an adult with the privilege of making decision by himself. As the case is now turned to the jury, who knows whether the risen spirit of Jackson will win the case like he won that of his physician, Conrad Murray.
By Ezeiyoke Chukwunonso

reminds me of the song threatened.  :icon_cool:

Since we know the trial is a hoax, we also know the verdict, whatever it may be, has been predetermined by none other than the alleged victim.  It's fun to watch and guess his next move, but worry is unnecessary at this juncture, I would think.

But the CA seal is still legit. I don't think we should consider this to be a completely hoaxy trial where everyone is acting.

When all the work is done and getting ready for the game there's this story: 'There was a wise old man in Montana. There were these kids that always thought that they're gonna get one over on the wise old man, they never could succeed. 1 day a sparrow fell from a nest. 1 of the boys picked it up and called all his buddies over and said i'm gonna fool the old man. This we gonna do: "okay, wise old man i'm hold my hands out like this and i'll ask him:  is this bird dead or is the bird alive? If he says the bird is dead I'm gonna open my hand and if he says he's alive I'm gonna crush it in my hand. There's no way he's gonna get on us this time. And they went up there: and they said: "okay, wise old man is the bird alive or is the bird dead?" And he looks and he said: " lads, the fate of the bird is in your hands". Ladies and gentlemen the fate of Prince Michael, Paris, Blanket and Katherine Jackson is in your hands.

I think Panish' bird dead or alive story is interesting to say the least  :icon_e_wink:

By saying interesting do you want to say this story is hoaxy. I can't see why it is.]
can you elaborate?

[gwynned]

[/quote]

Since we know the trial is a hoax, we also know the verdict, whatever it may be, has been predetermined by none other than the alleged victim.  It's fun to watch and guess his next move, but worry is unnecessary at this juncture, I would think.

But the CA seal is still legit. I don't think we should consider this to be a completely hoaxy trial where everyone is acting.
[/quote]

I didn't think we established that the Seal is legit.  But even if that's the case, how can a  trial be 'legitimate' if even some of the participants are acting?  If it IS legit, is Michael's reach into government such that he can now use an official seal to conduct business?  That would be amazing if true.

[Thriller4ever]

Michael is still dead to the world. I don't think he's having any relation with the government as of now. Katherine Jackson and Michael's kids definitely know he's alive. So yes, they are 'acting' as if they do need the compensation. I don't really know about AEG and their role in this trial.

The CA seal has 31 stars. I don't think we require any other proof to say it is legit. I mean think about the People V. Conrad Murray trial. The seal there had 32 stars. No one would have the right to question about the CA seal in that trial because it's fake in the first place.

And this present trial would be highly criticized (and legally liable, maybe?) if everything and everyone is a sham and especially for using a 'real' CA seal.

[bec]

there are 2 versions of the 'real'california seal hanging in the CA. courtrooms, a large one n a smaller one. one has 32 stars n one has 31 stars. the one with 32 is a manufactoring mistake. mj doesnt need a seal with an extra star to pull off his hoax legally. all he needs is an excellent team of lawyers.