A look at key moments this past week in the wrongful death trial in Los Angeles between Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and concert giant AEG Live LLC, and what is expected at court in the week ahead:
THE CASE
Jackson's mother wants a jury to determine that the promoter of Jackson's planned comeback concerts didn't properly investigate Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by a criminal jury for Jackson's June 2009 death. AEG's attorney says the case is about personal choice, namely Jackson's decision to have Murray serve as his doctor and give him doses of a powerful anaesthetic as a sleep aid. Millions, possibly billions, of dollars are at stake.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEK
- Las Vegas plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Gordon told jurors that Jackson in 2002 seemed to know a lot about propofol, the powerful anaesthetic that killed him seven years later.
- Gordon testified he denied a request by Jackson for a shot of the painkiller Demerol after a procedure and said the singer seemed accustomed to getting special treatment from doctors.
- An expert told jurors that he didn't believe Murray's anticipated $US150,000 ($NZ192,000) a month salary posed an automatic conflict of interest in the cardiologist's care of Jackson.
WHAT THE JURY SAW
- An entire day of videotaped testimony that allowed AEG Live to present the statements of two doctors who treated Jackson and a security guard who introduced Jackson to Murray in 2007.
- Smaller crowds of fans and reporters show up to the trial, just days after emotional testimony by Jackson's ex-wife drew large audiences.
QUOTABLE MOMENTS
- "He just seemed to be more familiar with it than most people. He knew it was white and looked like milk. And most people don't really, you know, relate to it like that," Gordon, recalling Jackson's comments about propofol before a procedure in 2002.
- "He looked like he had just lost his best friend," Dr. David Adams said of Murray's appearance during a March 2009 meeting in which Jackson asked Adams to accompany him on his "This Is It" tour.
- "There was nothing usual or customary about what he was doing, at all," Gordon said about Jackson bringing Murray to a medical appointment and allowing the doctor to pay for the visit.
WHAT'S NEXT
AEG will continue its defence case, possibly showing jurors more testimony from Jackson's former doctors and experts who will put the singer's finances and medical history in context.
AP
source: newshub archive
