LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The promoters of
Michael Jackson’s last tour were “so
excited” about making huge profits that
they did not bother to hire a competent
doctor for the star, his family’s lawyer
said Tuesday in closing arguments.
As a five-month trial draws to a close,
Jackson attorney Brian Panish said the
self-styled King of Pop was “an easy
target” for AEG Live, which was
managing his “This is It” tour starting in
London in 2009.
“We may never see the likes of Michael
Jackson again,” Panish told the 12-
member jury in a courtroom in
downtown Los Angeles, where the trial
opened in April and has seen nearly 60
witnesses and over 800 pieces of
evidence.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009 from an
overdose of the anesthetic propofol at
his rented Holmby Hills mansion
outside Los Angeles, where he was
rehearsing for the “This is It” shows at
London’s 02 Arena. He was 50 years
old.
Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of
involuntary manslaughter in a criminal
trial in 2011 for giving the drug to the
“Thriller” star — who suffered from
chronic insomnia — to help him sleep.
He was jailed for four years.
In the civil trial, the singer’s mother
Katherine Jackson, 83, is seeking
massive damages — her lawyers have
cited $1.5 billion in lost income and an
unspecified amount for emotional loss
and other damages — for Jackson’s
death.
She alleges that AEG Live negligently
hired an inappropriate and
incompetent doctor for her son —
Murray is a cardiologist — and missed a
series of red flags about his failing
health in the run-up to his death.
“They chose not to check anything
about Dr. Murray’s background .. They
chose to run the risk, to make a huge
profit, and they lost and they’re
responsible,” he said.
“AEG wanted the King of Pop in their
arena in London. They would do
whatever it took to get him on stage…
They were so excited about how much
money they were going to make,” he
added.
“They knew what they were getting. Now
they want to come in and deny it.”
Summing up his case, he said Jackson
may have been one of the world’s most
famous entertainers but in his mind he
was like “a real-life Peter Pan.”
“He was an easy target” for the
corporate promoter, long experienced
in running tours for some of the biggest
acts in the world, he said.
AEG Live counters that it did not sign a
contract with Murray, and that a
promised $150,000 a month for his
services would come from an advance it
was making to Jackson, meaning
effectively that the star hired his own
medic.
The promoter’s lead lawyer, Marvin
Putnam, is due to present his side’s
closing arguments after Panish
concludes his summing up.