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
- Jurors watched the videotaped testimony of Dr. William "Barney" Van Valin II, who was one of Jackson's doctors in the early 2000s. Van Valin said Jackson had a box of the anaesthetic propofol in his bedroom at Neverland Ranch and wanted him to administer it to help him sleep. Van Valin refused.
- Van Valin said he stopped treating Jackson for pain issues after realising the singer was seeing another physician who was also giving him injections of painkillers.
- Dr. Paul Earley, a paid expert, testified that he believed Jackson's life expectancy was diminished because of his prescription drug use, but that he couldn't estimate by how much.
- Earley's opinions were challenged by a plaintiff's attorney, who pointedly questioned him about writing a study on the anaesthetic propofol that was paid for by AEG Live. The company paid $US52,000 ($65,000) for the study, which Earley insisted was the basis for a small portion of his opinions in the case.
WHAT THE JURY SAW
- Videotaped testimony of three of Jackson's doctors who described their treatments of the pop singer, including details of shots of the painkiller Demerol and painful injections into his back to try to alleviate pain from an injury sustained during a concert in the late 1990s.
QUOTABLE MOMENTS
- "Each time, it's like playing Russian roulette," Earley said of Jackson's usage of propofol in his bedroom without proper medical monitoring equipment and an anaesthesiologist present.
- "Unfortunately because of his pain related problems, he was re-exposed to the drugs over and over again," Earley said of Jackson's use of opioid drugs.
- "I told Michael, that's dangerous," Van Valin recalled, referring to Jackson's use of propofol in his home in the early 2000s.
- "He had no fear of the stuff," Van Valin said of Jackson's perception of propofol.
- "Michael would seek out avenues of sleep helpers, and that's another aspect of his secrecy," Dr. Allan Metzger said about Jackson, who he treated for more than 30 years of the singer's life and who said he often wasn't informed of other treatments the singer received.
WHAT'S NEXT
Jurors will continue to hear videotaped testimony by Metzger and AEG Live is expected to call its final witnesses. When AEG finishes its case, Katherine Jackson's lawyers will begin calling their rebuttal witnesses. The trial is expected to go to the jury by the end of the month.
AP
source: newshub archive
