Opening Statements Set In Michael Jackson’s Wrongful Death Lawsuit

[onthewingsoflove]

Here are two articles for everyone.  If it has already been posted somewhere please feel free to lock or move it. Thanks!

Opening Statements Set In Michael Jackson’s Wrongful Death Lawsuit
April 29, 2013 5:32 AM

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Opening statements will begin Monday in Katherine Jackson’s wrongful death lawsuit against AEG.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos will issue her final pretrial rulings at 10 a.m. before opening statements begin.

Katherine Jackson, 82, claims concert promoter, AEG Live, is responsible for the death of her son, Michael Jackson, in 2009.

The pop singer’s mother claims the entertainment giant hired and retained Dr. Conrad Murray. Murray was sentenced to four years in jail for the 2011 conviction of involuntary manslaughter for giving Michael Jackson a fatal dose of Propofol while he was preparing for his “This Is It” comeback tour.
“Katherine Jackson’s main argument is that if AEG had taken better care of her son, he wouldn’t be dead,” CBS Legal Analyst Steve Meister said. “AEG is going to say that Michael Jackson and [Dr.] Conrad Murray had a close relationship that of drug seeker and drug provider which was more powerful than AEG could ever do anything about.”

The singer’s three children — Michael Jr., Paris-Michael Katherine and Prince Michael — are also named as plaintiffs.

Some of the stars listed on the witness list include Quincy Jones, Diana Ross, Lou Ferrigno and Spike Lee. Both of Jackson’s ex-wives, Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, are also listed as potential witnesses.

A jury of six men and six women has been selected to decide the case.
The trial is expected to last as long as three months.

KCAL9 Legal Analyst Previews Jackson Vs. AEG Trial
April 28, 2013 10:41 PM

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com)—The Jackson family seeks billions from mega promoter AEG. The entertainment/sports conglomerate isn’t sitting idly by.

KCAL9′s Adrianna Weingold discussed the case — opening arguments begin Monday morning — with CBS2/KCAL9 Legal Analyst Steve Meister for a breakdown of both sides.

Is AEG responsible for the King of Pop’s death? It’s a question a jury will try to answer in the latest civil case stemming from Michael Jackson’s death.
Meister says, “Katherine Jackson’s main argument is that if AEG had taken better care of her son, he wouldn’t be dead. And AEG is going to say that Michael Jackson and [Dr.] Conrad Murray had a close relationship that of drug seeker and drug provider which was more powerful than AEG could ever do anything about.”

Katherine Jackson is seeking what could amount to billions of dollars from AEG . She claims AEG paid the bills for Dr. Murray and therefore should pay for her son’s death.

“Michael Jackson is a grown man and he was under the care of a doctor who he insisted care for him. Now AEG ultimately had knowledge of that relationship and acquiesced in it but it pre-existed Michael Jackson’s relationship with AEG,” maintains Meister.

But attorney Meister says he doesn’t think Katherine Jackson will ultimately walk away with anything. “If every performer under contract with AEG had a personal physician at the time, think about it, everybody, did AEG have a requirement to know what was happening between the doctor and patient in every one of those relationships? No. So why [would they have with] Michael Jackson?


Blessings!
OnTheWingsOfLove!

[bec]

Probably off topic but 3 months will bring us to yet another opportunity for "see you in July".

[sweetsunsetwithMJ]

Probably off topic but 3 months will bring us to yet another opportunity for "see you in July".

Yeah the problem is that they sometimes say the trial will last 3 months and sometimes 4 months but I was thinking about the possibility of the "see you in july" too, remember last year we all were very excited during London Olympic Games because of that O2 sentence, hope this year our dream came true.

[onthewingsoflove]

Here is an update from 2 hours ago.

Opening Statements Begin in Jackson Death Trial
"You're going to hear the whole story about what happened in the death of Michael Jackson," attorney Brian Panish said.
By Linda Deutsch
Monday, Apr 29, 2013  |  Updated 2:21 PM PDT

Michael Jackson's family and friends knew he was addicted to prescription medications, but the only ones who refused to acknowledge it were the promoters of his ill-fated final series of comeback concerts, an attorney for the singer's mother told a jury on Monday.

Lawyer Brian Panish traced Jackson's addiction in opening statements during the trial of a wrongful death lawsuit against concert giant AEG Live, telling jurors the company ignored numerous warning signs about the singer's health in his final months.

The opening remarks included emails between AEG executives about Jackson's health. Panish also played a clip of the singer performing days before his death in June 2009.

"You're going to hear the whole story about what happened in the death of Michael Jackson," the attorney said.

Jackson's mother, brother Randy and sister Rebbie sat in the front row of the courtroom as Panish detailed aspects of Jackson's life. Jurors looked at numerous slides and several scribbled notes. A couple of jurors nodded their heads when the lawyer referenced Jackson's achievements, including successful concert tours and a Super Bowl performance.

Panish told the jury of six men and six women that it would ultimately have to decide whether Jackson's mother and his three children deserve compensation for AEG's conduct. Millions, possibly billions, of dollars are at stake, but Panish did not give a suggested damage figure in his opening remarks.

He did, however, praise Michael Jackson.

"His stirring voice, his musical genius, his creativity and his generosity and his huge heart was extinguished forever," he said.

An attorney for AEG was expected to begin addressing the panel later Monday.

Katherine Jackson sued the company in September 2010, claiming it failed to properly investigate physician Conrad Murray before allowing him to serve as Jackson's tour doctor as he prepared for his "This Is It" shows. She is also suing on behalf of her son's three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket.
AEG denies it hired Murray, and its attorneys have said they could not have foreseen the circumstances that led to Jackson's death at age 50.

A jury previously convicted Murray of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors said he gave Jackson a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol in 2011. The hospital-grade anesthetic was being administered as a sleep aid.
Panish told jurors they would be putting together a puzzle, with Jackson, Murray and AEG Live as the three pieces.

He said Jackson suffered from addiction to prescription medications and Demerol at times during his life, and the problem increased when he was keeping up a rigorous schedule. Panish cited a 1984 accident that injured Jackson during a Pepsi commercial suit as causing the singer tremendous physical pain throughout his life.

"People who knew him believed he had a problem with prescription medication," Panish told jurors. He said the only group that claims they didn't know about Jackson's addiction issues were AEG and its executives.
The lawyer showed a brief clip of Jackson rehearing for the "This Is It" shows and a clip of the singer dancing in the early stages of his presentation. He also showed footage of 1999 show in Munich in which Jackson was performing when a bridge dropped 50 feet with the singer on it. Despite pain, Jackson continued performing, Panish said.

Panish said Jackson turned to Demerol to relieve his pain.

Panish also detailed Murray's money problems, including an impending foreclosure and other debts. AEG also had issues as well, the lawyer told jurors, saying the company was feeling intense pressure from concert promoter Live Nation.

He said AEG saw the Jackson shows as a way to make a lot of money and better compete with Live Nation. The company was so concerned with getting Jackson to perform, "They didn't care who got lost in the wash," Panish said.

Emails between AEG executives will be some of the key evidence in the case, which may last 90 trial days.

Panish displayed a March 2009 email sent before a press conference featuring Jackson, in which AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips wrote to Tim Leiweke, the former CEO of AEG'S parent company, that Jackson was drunk and refusing to address fans.

"This is the scariest thing I have ever seen," Phillips wrote Leiweke. "He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self-loathing and doubt now that it's show time. He's scared to death."

Panish said Jackson's behavior was just one of several warning signs that the company ignored before the death.

Jackson's mother and his two oldest children, Prince and Paris, are listed as possible witnesses. An AEG attorney said Monday the company intends to call Murray as a witness.

Murray did not testify at his criminal trial.

Panish attempted to steer blame away from the singer and toward AEG.
"Michael paid the ultimate price. He died," Panish said. "Michael has taken responsibility."

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Blessings!
OnTheWingsOfLove

[onthewingsoflove]

They say the trial will last 90 trial days. 90 trial days including today is August 30th. And who just happens to have a birthday the day before? Just something that makes you go hummmmm!

Blessings!
OnTheWingsOfLove!

[blankie]

Probably off topic but 3 months will bring us to yet another opportunity for "see you in July".

 All is possible !!!!               

[onthewingsoflove]

Here is the latest update about 1 1/2 hours ago.

Lawyer Details Jackson's Struggle With Drugs
AEG's attorney Marvin S. Putnam said the singer's guarded private life meant the company was unaware that he was using the powerful anesthetic propofol.
By Anthony McCartney
|  Monday, Apr 29, 2013  |  Updated 5:14 PM PDT

Michael Jackson's struggle against drug addiction was put on display Monday during opening statements at his mother's wrongful death case against concert giant AEG Live.

Competing portraits of Jackson emerged during the first hours of the trial, with Katherine Jackson's attorney acknowledging the pop star's drug problems while also trying to show he was a caring son and father.

AEG's attorney Marvin S. Putnam, however, said the singer's guarded private life meant the company was unaware that he was using the powerful anesthetic propofol.

"The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone," Putnam said. "He made sure that no one, nobody, knew his deepest darkest secrets."

A jury of six men and six women will determine whether AEG should pay Jackson's mother and three children after his 2009 death from an overdose of propofol. Millions and possibly billions of dollars in damages are at stake in the case that opened with private photos and video clips of Jackson dancing.
Katherine Jackson's attorney Brian Panish also played a song that Jackson wrote for his three children, and a note the singer had written for his mother that brought tears to her eyes as she sat in court.

Katherine Jackson sued AEG Live in September 2010, claiming it failed to properly investigate physician Conrad Murray before allowing him to serve as Jackson's doctor as he prepared for his "This Is It" shows. She is also suing on behalf of her son's three children — Prince, Paris and Blanket.
AEG denies it hired Murray, and its attorneys have said they could not have foreseen the circumstances that led to Jackson's death at age 50.
Panish told jurors that AEG executives ignored warning signs about Jackson's health and were motivated to push the singer and his doctor to improve their own financial fortunes.

"We're not looking for any sympathy," Panish said. "We're looking for truth and justice."

With Jackson's mother, brother Randy and sister Rebbie seated in the front row of the courtroom, jurors were shown numerous slides and several scribbled notes.

A couple of jurors nodded when the lawyer referenced Jackson's achievements, including successful concert tours and a Super Bowl performance.

Katherine Jackson dabbed her eyes after Panish read a note that her son wrote to her, detailing his feelings about her. "All my success has been based on the fact that I wanted to make my mother proud," the singer's note to his mother said, "to win her smile of approval."

The personal touches came after Panish spent the first half of his presentation detailing Jackson's struggles with prescription drug abuse throughout the last half of his life.

He also showed jurors numerous emails sent between AEG executives concerning Jackson's health and their concerns that he wouldn't be able to perform 50 planned concerts in London.

Putnam recounted the chaotic days following Jackson's death as investigators and the public tried to figure out how the singer died unexpectedly. He urged jurors to remember that propofol killed Jackson.

"One thing became very, very clear," Putnam said. "While the world may not have heard of propofol, Mr. Jackson certainly had. The evidence is going to show you that he had been using that drug for years and years."

Putnam told jurors that AEG executives were in the dark about Jackson's propofol use.

"How could they have known?" the lawyer asked.

Panish, however, said AEG saw the Jackson shows as a way to make a lot of money and better compete with Live Nation. AEG was so concerned with getting Jackson to perform, "They didn't care who got lost in the wash," Panish said.

He displayed a March 2009 email sent before a press conference featuring Jackson, in which AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips wrote to Tim Leiweke, the former CEO of AEG'S parent company, that Jackson was drunk and refusing to address fans.

"This is the scariest thing I have ever seen," Phillips wrote Leiweke. "He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self-loathing and doubt now that it's show time. He's scared to death."

Panish said Jackson's behavior was just one of several warning signs the company ignored before the death.

Copyright Associated Press
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Stay Blessed!
OnTheWingsOfLove!

[Adi]

"The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone," Putnam said.

^^^
For sure he did.

[Andrea]

"The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone," Putnam said.

There he goes again, saying something that could be construed as "hoaxy".  I believe that not only did Michael fool everyone with his "death" but also with his "drug addiction".

[Adi]

"The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone," Putnam said.

There he goes again, saying something that could be construed as "hoaxy".  I believe that not only did Michael fool everyone with his "death" but also with his "drug addiction".

Yes....same as him not agreeing to stipulate that Michael Jackson was dead...lol

I wonder how many of these gems we will get from the AEG side by the end of this trial?   :icon_geek:

[MJonmind]

Panish told jurors they would be putting together a puzzle, with Jackson, Murray and AEG Live as the three pieces.

Sounds familiar! But there's a whole lot more than 3.

"Michael paid the ultimate price. He died," Panish said. "Michael has taken responsibility."

Responsibility for the whole hoax operation!

"The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone," Putnam said. "He made sure that no one, nobody, knew his deepest darkest secrets."

So true!  Hopefully more will be revealing during this trial! And the 'Fake informer' fooled us too!

[onthewingsoflove]

Hi all!  Here is an update from almost 3 hours ago. It doesn't contain anythinig new!

Opening Arguments Begin in Michael Jackson Death Trial
Jackson's family is alleging that concert promoter AEG Live is to blame for the singer's death.

By Brandon Lowrey and Gordon Tokumatsu
| Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013  | Updated 8:25 AM PTD

Opening arguments in a high-stakes legal battle over Michael Jackson's death began Monday, with Jackson's mother blaming a concert promoter for hiring the doctor convicted in causing the pop superstar's death.

Katherine Jackson, 82, claimed that the major concert company AEG Live should have done a better job vetting Conrad Murray, a former doctor convicted of giving Michael Jackson a powerful anesthetic that killed him in 2009.

Meanwhile, AEG Live contended that Jackson chose Murray as his personal physician.

The court case was expected to last at least three months and include testimony from a star-studded cast of witnesses that includes legendary singers Prince and Diana Ross, along with several Jackson family members and other celebrities.

On Monday, media swarmed the outside of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles as Jackson family members entered the building. The judge in the case banned cameras from the courtroom.

Michael Jackson died at 50 of a prescription in June 2009 as he prepared to begin his "This Is It" comeback concerts in London with AEG Live. His body was found in a Holmby Hills mansion.

In 2011, Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in jail.

Thomas Mesereau, an attorney who successfully defended Michael Jackson in a 2005 child molestation trial, said a series of emails between AEG Live officials and Murray are a critical piece of evidence.

"If you look at those emails where they acknowledge they're paying his doctor, they acknowledge that he'd better perform even if he's not well, I think the defense has a real uphill battle," Mesereau told reporters. "I think that sympathy is going to be with Katherine and Michael's three children."

Katherine Jackson’s attorneys said reports that the lawsuit seeks $40 billion are highly exaggerated, telling the jury that the real figure is closer to $1.5 billion based on what Jackson could have earned, had he lived, and the personal loss to his family.

An attorney for AEG told jurors, "This case is about the choices we make and the responsibilities that go with them" -- a statement that foreshadowed a defense built, in part, around the dangerous anesthetic that ultimately killed Jackson.

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Blessings!
OnTheWingsOfLove!

[onthewingsoflove]

Here is another update from just over an hour ago.

Civil Trial Depicts Two Sides of Michael Jackson
"The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone," defense attorney Marvin S. Putnam told jurors. "He made sure that no one — nobody — knew his deepest, darkest secrets."
By Anthony McCartney

|  Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013  | Updated 12:15 PM PDT

Two sides of Michael Jackson have emerged during the start of a trial involving a lawsuit over his death.

The superstar was repeatedly called an addict by lawyers on both sides of the lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother against concert giant AEG Live.

His financial struggles also were put on display during the proceedings that resumed Tuesday.

"The truth is, Michael Jackson fooled everyone," defense attorney Marvin S. Putnam told jurors. "He made sure that no one — nobody — knew his deepest, darkest secrets."

Jackson's words and music also rang through the courtroom as a lawyer for plaintiff Katherine Jackson tried to show jurors his loving relationship with her and his children.

Jackson's praise for his mother brought tears to her eyes as she sat in court.
While Jackson's song, "You Are My Life," filled the courtroom, jurors watched footage of a Christmas morning when he gave his children a dog.

Jackson died in June 2009 from an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. A year later his mother filed the negligence lawsuit against AEG, claiming the company failed to properly investigate a doctor who was giving propofol to him. The former physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and remains jailed.

AEG has denied any wrongdoing.

Paramedic Richard Senneff — one of the first people to respond to Jackson's home on the day he died — was the trial's first witness.

As he did at Murray's trial, he described Jackson's bedroom and the frantic moments spent trying to revive him.

In opening statements, attorneys read emails describing the singer as unhealthy and in need of serious intervention.

A defense attorney for AEG Live at one point flashed a slide listing 45 medical professionals. He said Jackson had consulted with each of them over the years and requested doses of propofol from some.

Murray, AEG and Michael Jackson were part of an intricate puzzle that plaintiff's lawyer Brian Panish said he intended to piece together for the jury in the coming weeks.

He told the panel that AEG, motivated by its desire to overtake a competitor, created a conflicted situation for Murray in which he chose a huge payday over properly caring for Jackson.

The company also ignored Murray's troubled finances and Jackson's string of health problems as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts titled "This Is It," Panish said.

"They didn't care who got lost in the wash," Panish told the jury. He repeated the adage, "the show must go on," to describe AEG's actions toward both Jackson and Murray.

Defense attorney Putnam countered that the company couldn't have known Jackson was using propofol or the depth of his addiction. He said Jackson hid the drug abuse from his family, and medical professionals were barred from telling anyone about it due to doctor-patient confidentiality.

Putnam told the panel that it was Jackson who wanted Murray's treatments, and the singer ultimately was responsible for his own death.

"This case is about personal choices," Putnam said. "Also, it was about his personal responsibility. There's no question that Michael Jackson's death was a terrible tragedy. I believe the evidence will show it was not a tragedy of AEG Live's making."

Panish, however, urged the jury of six men and six women to reject placing blame on Jackson.

"Michael paid the ultimate price. He died," Panish said. "Michael has taken responsibility."

During his opening remarks, Panish displayed several emails between AEG executives discussing Jackson's health.

One was sent by AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips before Jackson's news conference announcing his "This Is It" shows. The message to Tim Leiweke, former CEO of AEG'S parent company, stated that Jackson was drunk and refusing to address fans.

"This is the scariest thing I have ever seen," Phillips wrote to Leiweke. "He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self-loathing and doubt now that it's show time. He's scared to death."

The trial will feature testimony from Debbie Rowe, who was married to Jackson and who Putnam said witnessed the entertainer receiving propofol treatments in the 1990s.

"Ms. Rowe knew this was incredibly dangerous," Putnam said, and she insisted on staying by Jackson's side while he was under the effects of the anesthetic.

Panish told jurors it would be up to them to decide any possible damage award to Jackson's mother and children. If Jackson had lived, he could have earned at least $1.5 billion, the lawyer said.

Copyright Associated Press
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Blessings!
OnTheWingsOfLove!

[onthewingsoflove]

Notice that when the writer writes about the day's proceeding it is done in the past tense, such as "during the proceedings that resumed Tuesday."  When I last checked, today is still Tuesday in the US! Why not say "during the proceedings that resumed today"?


Yes, smells scripted and spoon feed to the reporters if you ask me!

Stay blessed!
OnTheWingsOfLove!

[Faithad777]

An attorney for AEG told jurors, "This case is about the choices we make and the responsibilities that go with them"

Michael was hounded almost all of his life, and "they" did try to get rid of him not just once, but several times starting with THE PEPSI ACCIDENT, then THE STAGE FALLING/DROPPING TOO FAST, THE 1993 ALLEGATIONS, THE 2003 ALLEGATIONS, please let me know if I'm missing something.  All of these incidents cannot be explained away as coincidences or accidents, and the blame cannot be put on Michael, he had no control over these incidents, and these are not the choices that he made.