MJ wrongful death suit / kitkat gegen AEG

  • Michael Jackson death trial takes odd twist
    By Alan Duke, CNN
    September 5, 2013 -- Updated 1035 GMT (1835 HKT)


    STORY HIGHLIGHTS


    * NEW: Co-author of AEG Live propofol study was hired after losing pizza parlor job
    * NEW: Study co-author was "destitute, dead broke," AEG Live expert testifies
    * AEG Live funded the expert's propofol research paper
    * The wrongful death case is nearing an end after four months


    Los Angeles (CNN) -- The co-author of a study on propofol addiction funded by AEG Live and used in their defense in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial lost his medical license for writing illegal drug prescriptions, according to testimony.


    Dr. Torin Finver was hired to help with the AEG Live study after he lost his job at a pizza parlor and took a job driving a Goodwill truck, said Dr. Paul Earley, who testified Wednesday as an expert witness for the concert promoter.


    Finver was "destitute, dead broke, and I wanted to help him," Earley, himself a recovering heroin addict, testified.


    The revelation was a bizarre twist in the trial of the billion-dollar lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother and three children, which is being heard by a Los Angeles jury. The four-month-long trial is nearing a conclusion.


    AEG Live lawyers will announce if they have any more witnesses to call before playing the video depositions of three more doctors on Friday. Jackson lawyers would then take several days to call rebuttal witnesses before closing arguments are heard, which is likely to happened around
    September 23.


    Earley testified that he never disclosed to AEG Live lawyers that his co-author had lost his medical license. Ironically, the company is being accused of the negligent hiring of Dr. Conrad Murray, convicted in Jackson's death because it allegedly failed to check Murray's background before hiring him.


    Jackson lawyer Kevin Boyle also grilled Earley over his nondisclosure that he was working as a paid consultant in AEG Live's defense when he submitted the study for publication in a medical journal.


    He said the concert promoter did not try to influence his findings, which were published in March in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.


    Jackson lawyers are hoping the controversy over Earley's work for AEG Live will distract jurors from his conclusion that Michael Jackson was a drug addict with a "grave prognosis" that would have shortened his life had he not died of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009.


    Each dose of an anesthetic his doctor gave him to help him sleep was like playing "Russian roulette," Earley said.


    Murray told investigators he gave Jackson infusions of propofol for 60 nights to treat his insomnia as the entertainer prepared for his comeback concerts.


    Lawyers for the concert promoter hired Earley in their effort to downplay damages the company might have to pay if found liable in the pop icon's death. How much longer Jackson might have lived -- and earned money touring -- will be important if the jury decides AEG Live is liable for damages in Jackson's death. Jackson lawyers contend he would have earned more than $1.5 billion touring the world over the next several years.


    Katherine Jackson and her three grandchildren sued Michael Jackson's last concert promoter, contending the company is liable in his death because it hired, retained or supervised the doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter.


    AEG Live lawyers contend it was Jackson, not the promoter, who chose and controlled Murray, and say AEG executives had no way of knowing about the dangerous treatments the doctor was giving Jackson in the privacy of his bedroom.


    Earley: Jackson went 'doctor shopping'


    Despite writing a blog six weeks after Jackson's death titled "Michael Jackson: Addiction in the Privileged," Earley testified Tuesday that there "was insufficient evidence that he was addicted to propofol."


    "He was given propofol initially for appropriate medical procedures, but at some point, he began seeking out physicians who would administer propofol to him," Earley testified.


    The last two instances of "doctor shopping" for propofol were late March and April of 2009, when Jackson asked an anesthesiologist to go on tour with him and then asked a nurse to help him find an anesthesiologist, he said.


    Earley said there was no evidence Jackson's search for a doctor to give him propofol continued after AEG Live Co-CEO Paul Gongaware sent an e-mail to the singer's assistant on May 6, 2009, telling him Murray had agreed to take the job as his personal physician for the "This Is It" tour. "Done at $150k a month," Gongaware wrote.


    "Sounds like he got it," Earley testified.


    The Jackson family's lawyers contend that AEG Live executives ignored warning signs that Jackson's health began deteriorating after Murray began attending to him on a daily basis. Show workers sent e-mails describing a paranoid and frail Jackson who couldn't perform his standard dances or remember words to songs he had sung for decades.


    A Harvard Medical School sleep expert, testifying in June for the Jacksons, concluded that the 60 nights of propofol infusions apparently robbed Jackson of rapid eye movement sleep, which is vital to keep the brain and body alive.


    "The symptoms that Mr. Jackson was exhibiting were consistent with what someone might expect to see of someone suffering from total sleep deprivation over a chronic period," Dr. Charles Czeisler testified.


    Expert's conflict?


    Soon after AEG Live's lawyers hired Earley as a consultant on propofol addiction in 2011, they agreed to fund his scientific research, which resulted in his paper titled "Addiction to Propofol: A Study of 22 Treatment Cases." The American Society of Addiction Medicine published the study in March.


    Earley insisted in his testimony that AEG Live's funding did not influence the conclusions of his study or his testimony in the trial. But the Jackson lawyer hammered the doctor about the lack of disclosure to the scientific journal and his collaborator that he was being paid to be an expert witness in the trial.


    He informed them that he was doing research for the company, but the trial aspect was "irrelevant," Earley said.


    "It's irrelevant to health care professionals," he said. "It wouldn't affect their understanding of the paper."


    http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09…on-death-trial/?hpt=en_c2

  • ..Prince wird möglicherweise noch einmal aussagen müssen... AEG habe der Richterin gesagt, sie würden möglicherweise Katherine und Prince noch einmal in den Zeugenstand rufen... außerdem sollen möglicherweise - laut Alan Duke / CNN - 7 weitere Zeugen aussagen.


    Alan Duke @AlanDukeCNN
    AEG Live surprises judge today saying it may call Katherine and Prince Jackson back for more testimony in MJ wrongful death trial.
    Alan Duke @AlanDukeCNN
    The surprise was they now say they may call 7 more witnesses. Tuesday they indicated it would be maybe 3.

  • sollte nicht jermaine noch aussagen? las das (gestern/vorgestern ?) irgendwo..


    ..echt? ..wär mir jetzt neu...:grübel


    ..oder meinst du DAS?..haste selbst eingestellt..:pfeif:



    @merrillosmond


    Jermaine Jackson will not be at gala tonight as he was served a court injunction and cannot leave USA.
    pic.twitter.com/KSlyuOUNpQ



    ..naja..hat irgendeinen Gerichtstermin...kann alles sein..auch "Unterhalt" etc...:tatort

  • 7. September 2013


    Diese Woche hatte ein weiterer Expertenzeuge für AEG Live ausgesagt, Dr. Paul Earley. Kurz nachdem AEG Live ihn im 2011 als Berater in Bezug auf Propofolabhängigkeit angestellt hatte, erklärte sich AEG Live bereit, eine wissenschaftliche Recherche von Dr. Earley mit dem Titel “Süchtig nach Propofol: Eine Studie von 22 Behandlungsfällen” zu finanzieren. Dieser Studie wurde im März dieses Jahres publiziert.
    Dr. Earley bestand in seiner Aussage darauf, dass die Finanzierung der Studie keinen Einfluss auf seine Schlussfolgerungen in seiner Zeugenaussage hatte bzw. dass AEG Live nicht versucht hatte, die Resultate seiner Studie zu beeinflussen, als Jackson Anwalt Brian Panish ihn im Kreuzverhör zur Rede stellte.
    Die Jackson Anwälte hämmerten während des Kreuzverhörs auf den Zeugen ein, dass er dem wissenschaftlichen Journal “The American Society of Addiction Medicine” und seinem Mitarbeiter nicht offengelegt hatte, dass er für diesen Prozess von AEG Live als Expertenzeugen bezahlt worden sei. Dr. Earley erwiderte, dass er sie darüber in Kenntnis gesetzt hatte, dass er für AEG Live Recherche betrieb. Dass er dafür bezahlt wurde, im Prozess für AEG Live auszusagen, erachte er als “irrelevant”, so Earley.
    Während Earleys Zeugenaussage kam auch heraus, dass Dr. Torin Finver, der Co-Autor dieser von AEG Live finanzierten Studie über Propofolabhängigkeit seine Approbation verloren hatte, weil er illegal rezeptpflichtige Medikamente verschrieben hatte. Nachdem er seine Stelle bei einer Pizzeria und als Lastwagenfahrer für eine Wohltätigkeitsinstitution verloren hatte, wurde Finver von Earley angestellt, um bei der AEG Live Studie mitzuhelfen. Finver war “verzweifelt, komplett bankrott und ich wollte ihm helfen,” so Earley, der seinerseits ehemals heroinsüchtig war.
    Diese Enthüllung wurde von CNN als “bizarre Wendung” in diesem Prozess bezeichnet. Earley hatte gegenüber den AEG Live Anwälten nie offengelegt, dass seinem Co-Autor der Studie die Approbation entzogen worden war. Ironischerweise, so CNN, wird AEG Live im laufenden Prozess damit beschuldigt, Conrad Murray fahrlässigerweise angestellt zu haben, weil sie es u.a. unterlassen hatten, Murrays Background zu prüfen, bevor sie ihn angestellt hatten. Die Jackson Anwälte hoffen, dass die Kontroverse betreffend Earleys Arbeit für AEG Live die Geschworenen von dessen Schlussfolgerung ablenken wird, dass Michael Jackson medikamentenabhängig war mit einer “ernsthaften Prognose”, die seine Lebenserwartung verkürzt hätte, wenn er nicht an einer Überdosis Propofol verstorben wäre; diese Aussage wäre relevant bei einer allfälligen Berechnung der Schadenssumme durch die Geschworenen.
    Jede Dosierung dieses Narkosemittels, die Murray Michael Jackson verabreicht hatte, um ihm zu Schlaf zu verhelfen, war als ob er “russisches Roulette” gespielt hätte, so Earley.
    Obwohl Earley sechs Wochen nach Michael Jacksons Tod einen Blog mit dem Titel “Michael Jackson: Addiction in the Privileged” geschrieben hatte, meinte Earley in seiner Aussage vor Gericht, dass “nicht genug Beweise [vorlagen], dass Michael Jackson abhängig war von Propofol. [...] Anfangs wurde ihm Propofol im Rahmen von notwendigen medizinischen Eingriffen verabreicht, aber irgendwann begann er damit, sich nach Ärzten umzusehen, die ihm Propofol verabreichen würden”, so Earley. Die letzten beiden Male, als dies vorkam, war im März und April 2009, wie zuvor ausgesagt wurde. Als Paul Gongaware, co-CEO von AEG Live, am 6. Mai 2009 eine E-Mail an einen Assistenten von Michael Jackson geschrieben hatte, in der er diesem mitteilte, dass Murray damit einverstanden war, als persönlicher Arzt von Michael auf Tour zu gehen (“Gemacht für $150’000 pro Monat”), schien es, als ob er einen willigen Arzt gefunden hatte, so Earley.
    Quellen: jackson.ch, cnn.com Sharen mit: Facebook Twitter


    Copyright © jackson.ch ____________

  • Hier nochmals Van Valin-Aussagen aus dem CNN-Artikel.


    Michael Jackson's pain was real, doctor testifies
    By Alan Duke, CNN
    updated 4:28 AM EDT, Sun September 8, 2013
    http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/08/showbi…rial/?hpt=hp_t2


    Los Angeles (CNN) -- Before Michael Jackson asked a doctor to treat his insomnia with propofol, he tried falling asleep to the physician reading him bedtime stories.
    The pop star's desperate decades-long search for sleep ultimately led to his death when he overdosed on the surgical anesthetic on June 25, 2009.
    The trial to decide if Jackson's last concert promoter is liable for his death is nearing an end after more than four months of testimony.
    AEG Live's lawyers plan to rest their defense case this week, with Jackson lawyers presenting several rebuttal witnesses. Closing arguments are likely the last week of September.
    Dr. Barney Van Valin, whose video testimony was shown to jurors Friday, refused Jackson's request for propofol infusions in 2003, but six years later -- in Dr. Van Valin's words -- another physician "put him to sleep like a dog."
    Jackson's mother and three children contend AEG Live is liable for his death because the company hired, retained or supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson's propofol overdose. Murray told investigators he gave Jackson nightly infusions of the drug to treat his insomnia the last two months of his life.
    AEG Live lawyers argue Jackson, not their executives, chose and controlled Murray and that the company had no way of knowing about the dangerous treatments in the privacy of the singer's bedroom.
    The producers ignored warning signs that Jackson's health was deteriorating, and instead of finding another doctor to intervene, they kept Murray and made him responsible for getting Jackson to rehearsals for his comeback concerts, the Jacksons contend.
    MJ and doctor were "best friends"
    Dr. Van Valin's practice is near the Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, where Jackson lived until his acquittal in a child molestation trial in 2005.
    "We were best friends, you know," Dr. Van Valin testified. "I didn't have a better friend and I don't think he did."
    Dr. Van Valins Praxis ist in der Nähe der Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, Kalifornien, wo Jackson bis zu seinem Freispruch in einem Kindesmissbrauchs -Prozess im Jahr 2005 lebte."Wir waren die besten Freunde , wissen sie " bezeugte Dr. Van Valin. "Ich habe keinen besseren Freund und ich glaube nicht, dass er es hatte. "


    Jackson "would just show up" at Van Valin's home every week or so without warning, he said. The doctor would open his door to leave for work in the morning "and he would just be standing there."
    Jackson " würde einfach kommen, " zu Van Valin nach Hause jede Woche oder so ohne Vorwarnung , sagte er. Der Arzt würde seine Tür öffnen , für die Arbeit in der Früh verlassen ", und er würde nur dort stehen . "Sein Fahrer sagte ihm einmal , Jackson habe an seiner Tür gewartet für 35 Minuten , wollte nicht klopfen , weil er dachte , dass war unhöflich .
    His driver told him once that Jackson had been waiting at his door for 35 minutes, not wanting to knock because he thought that was impolite.
    Van Valin's children would stay home from school some days Jackson visited.
    "I'd come home from work and there's Michael there at the house and they're watching cartoons or, you know, eating pizza," Van Valin said. At first it was a novelty, but after several years it was routine, he said.
    Van Valins Kinder würden von der Schule zu Hause bleiben einige Tage wenn Jackson sie besuchte.
    "Ich würde nach Hause kommen von der Arbeit und da war Michael im Haus und sie sahen Cartoons , aßen Pizza , " sagte Van Valin . Am Anfang war es ein Novum , aber nach einigen Jahren war es Routine , sagte er.
    The doctor was asked under cross examination if Michael Jackson a good father.
    "No, he is an amazing father," he answered. "Because I'm a good father and he was better than me. He respected them and as they respected him and he would correct them gently."
    Der Arzt wurde im Kreuzverhör gefragt ob Michael Jackson ein guter Vater war..
    "Nein, er war ein wundervoller Vater , " antwortete er. "Ich bin ein guter Vater , und er war besser als ich. Er respektiert sie und weil sie ihn respektierten würde sie sanft korrigieren. "
    Doctor: Jackson didn't fake pain to get drugs
    AEG Live's defense includes the contention that Jackson cultivated friendships with doctors to gain access to drugs to feed a secretive addiction. But Van Valin denied Jackson ever used their friendship to get prescriptions to medication that were not clinically indicated.
    Although he was compelled to testify as a witness for AEG Live, Van Valin's testimony boosted the Jackson case by showing that Jackson's use of painkillers was medically justified by chronic pain suffered in a 1997 stage accident, Jackson lawyers said.
    The doctor said Jackson showed the "classic symptoms of lower back pain" and an MRI study confirmed a bulge in a disc in his lower spine consistent with where his pain was.
    Der Arzt sagte, Jackson zeigte die "klassischen Symptome von Schmerzen im unteren Rücken" und einer MRI-Untersuchung bestätigt eine Ausbuchtung in einer Scheibe in seiner unteren Wirbelsäule und konsistent mit dem sein Schmerz war.
    Dr. Van Valin said he never suspected Jackson was faking his pain to get painkiller shots.
    "I looked for that because there are plenty of people that come in and try to scam me, so I'm always looking for that," he testified.
    Dr. Valin hat nie in Verdacht das Jackson seine Schmerzen vortäusche um Schmerzmittel zu bekommen. Ich schaute danach weil es viele Leute gibt die kommen und versuchen mich zu betrügen, so ich schaue immer danach" sagte er aus.
    While the doctor said "nothing implied" that Jackson was abusing painkillers, there was one incident during house call in 2002 that caused him to suspect Jackson might be getting additional shots of the powerful opioid Demerol from another doctor. He noticed "a little blood spot" on Jackson's T-shirt after he gave him a shot, he said.
    "I lifted it up and there's a little Band-Aid over it and I said, 'Michael,' I said, 'you have another doctor that gave you a shot.' I said, 'You realize what risk you put yourself and me at by doing that? Who came and gave you a shot?' 'Oh, no, I didn't -- it was not a shot.'" Van Valin said. "But it was. He was lying."
    Während der Arzt sagte, " das nichts angedeutet hat " , dass Jackson missbrauchte Schmerzmittel, gab es einen Zwischenfall während eines Hausbesuches im Jahr 2002 der dazu führte, dass er vermutete,Jackson könnte eine weitere Aufnahme des mächtigen Opioids Demerol von einem anderen Arzt erhalten haben.
    Er bemerkte, " ein wenig Blut " auf Jacksons -T- Shirt , nachdem er ihm einen Schuss gab , sagte er.
    "Ich hob es auf und es gibt ein Pflaster darüber und ich sagte , ' Michael ', sagte ich, " Sie haben einen anderen Arzt, der Dir einen Schuss gab . " Ich sagte: " Du weiß welches Risiko Du Dich selbst und mich aussetzt. Wer kam und gab Dir einen Schuss ? " Oh , nein, Es war es nicht ein Schuss ' " Van Valin sagte. "Aber es war es . Er log . "


    AEG Live contends Jackson kept doctors in the dark about other doctors' treatments. The argument is important to their contention that his dangerous drug use would have shortened his life even if he had not died in 2009. The shorter his life expectancy, the less money they might be ordered to pay in damages if found liable in his death.
    "I told him, I said, 'You know what, I can't do this, okay, 'cause if you're doubling up, you know, I give you a shot and then you've already had one,' I said, 'I could kill you,'" Van Valin testified.
    " Ich sagte ihm . ' Weißt du was, ich kann das nicht , okay, ' Weil es verdoppelt sich, ich kann Dir keinen Schuss gebenund dann hast Du schon einen :" Ich sagte: "Es könnte Dich töten ", " sagte Van Valin .
    Van Valin remained close friends with Jackson even though he stopped treating him soon after that incident, he said.
    Van Valin blieb weiter mit Jackson befreundet auch wenn die Behandlung bald nach diesem Vorfall endete.
    Bedtime stories versus Diprivan
    The doctor's testimony revealed more about Jackson's relationship with the drug that killed him -- the surgical anesthetic propofol, also known as Diprivan. AEG Live lawyers contend it was a drug Jackson knew a lot about, but that their executives had no knowledge of.
    Debbie Rowe, Jackson's former wife, testified earlier that German doctors infused the singer with it in a Munich hotel on two nights to help him sleep between "HIStory" tour shows in 1997. Jackson lawyers pointed out that Paul Gongaware, who is now the AEG Live co-CEO, was Jackson's tour manager then.
    Five years later, Jackson asked Van Valin to help him go to sleep.

  • ..es geht weiter:


    "Sometimes, he'd say, 'Barney, do me a favor, see if I can sleep, I'm going to get under the covers on that rollout couch,' and he said, 'Just read me out of a book,'" Van Valin testified. "I'd find a book that looked interesting and I'd just start reading or I'd tell him stories. That didn't work because often times he got excited about the story and say, 'That really happened?' or something. Anyway, I'd read to him -- and when it seemed like he was asleep I'd slip out, you know, kind of hard because the door made a little noise. If I thought he was asleep I'd leave, and once in awhile he'd say, 'Good night, Barney,' and when I got to the door, he wasn't asleep at all."
    "Manchmal , würde er sagen:" Barney, tu mir einen Gefallen , schaue ob ich schlafen kann , ich werde unter der Bettdecke auf diesem Rollout Couch gehen ', und er sagte: " Lies mir aus einem Buch , ' " bezeugte Van Valin . "Ich versuchte ein Buch zu finden , das interessant aussah und ich fing an zu lesen, aber das funktionierte nicht oft , weil er oft über die Geschichte aufgeregt/neugierig war und sagte:"Ist das wirklich passiert? . oder etwas , Jedenfalls würde ich für ihn lesen - und wenn es schien, dass er eingeschlafen war verscuhte ich herauszuhuschen , was ziemlich schwer war , weil die Tür ein wenig Lärm machte und wenn ich dachte, er sei eingeschlafen , versuchte ich zu gehen und auf einmal würde er sagen: " Gute Nacht, Barney, " und wenn ich an die Tür kam, war er nicht eingeschlafen, überhaupt nicht. "
    Dr. Van Valin hat auch versucht Jackson mit Sedativa zu helffen , darunter Xanax , ohne Erfolg , sagte er.



    Dr. Van Valin also tried to help Jackson sleep with sedatives, including Xanax, without success, he said.
    Jackson, however, revealed to him in 2003 that he had a stash of propofol in a closet of his Neverland Ranch bedroom, Van Valin said.
    "He said, 'Would you put me to sleep, I haven't been able to sleep for four days,' and I said, 'With what?' And he goes, 'Well, I have this stuff,' and I said, 'Mike, I don't do I.V. sedation. You need an anesthesiologist to do that.' And he said, 'Oh, it's safe, man, I used it for all those years between shows and I got put to sleep.' I said, 'I can't imagine that was good sleep." You know, he said, "No, it works really well."
    He said Jackson told him that during his world tours him a doctor "would put in the I.V. and put me to sleep, and he'd stay there for eight hours and wake me up 'cause I would go -- if I had three days between shows, I would have three days I didn't sleep and, you know, that I couldn't put on the show I wanted to have, you know, I mean, I want my shows to be, you know, as high end as possible."
    "Sounds like a doctor who did his job, not like this other guy, who just started the drip and left the room and basically put him to sleep like a dog," Van Valin said.
    Jackson was "pretty complacent" when he rejected his request for help with propofol and he never asked for it again, Van Valin said.


    Jackson, eröffnete ihm im Jahr 2003 , dass er ein Versteck von Propofol hatte in einem Schrank seines Neverland- Ranch Schlafzimmer, sagte Van Valin .
    " Er sagte: ' Würdest Du mir schlafen helfen, ich habe vier Tage lang nicht geschlafen ", und ich sagte: ' Mit was ? ' Und er sagt, " Nun, ich habe dieses Zeug ', und ich sagte:" Mike , ich mache keine IV- Sedierung. Man benötigt einen Anästhesisten , das zu tun . " Und er sagte: " Oh , es ist sicher , ich habe es benutzt in all den Jahren zwischen den Shows und wurde eingeschlafen. " Ich sagte: "Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen , dass es guter Schlaf war. " Weißt Du sagte er: "Es funktioniert wirklich gut. "
    Er sagte Jackson sagte ihm das während seiner Welttourneen ein Arzt " würde die IV setzen und legte mich in den Schlaf , und er dort acht Stunden bleiben würde und weckte mich , weil ich gehen würde - wenn ich drei Tage zwischen den Shows hatte würde ich drei Tage nicht schlafen und Du weiß, dass ich dann nicht die Show nciht machen kann, die ich haben wollte,Du weißt ich möchte die best möglichen Show machen." Klingt wie ein Arzt , der seinen Job tat , nicht wie dieser andere Kerl, der gerade erst als der Tropf begonnen hat das Zimmer verließ und schälferte ihn im Grunde wie ein Hund ein", sagte Van Valin .
    Jackson war " ziemlich selbstgefällig ", als er seinen Antrag auf Hilfe abgelehnt hatte und hat ihn nie wieder nach Propofol gefragt, sagte Van Valin .



    Dr. Conrad Murray told CNN's Anderson Cooper in April that Jackson had "his own stash" of propofol in his home before he began treating him with it in 2009.
    "I did not agree with Michael, but Michael felt that it was not an issue because he had been exposed to it for years and he knew exactly how things worked," Murray said. "And given the situation at the time, it was my approach to try to get him off of it, but Michael Jackson was not the kind of person you can just say 'Put it down' and he's going to do that."
    Jackson lawyers argue that AEG Live was negligent for not checking out Murray's distressed financial situation before agreeing to pay him $150,000 a month. It created a conflict of interest that led Murray to ignore safe practices and his responsibility to Jackson's health, they contend.

  • Michael Jackson's pain was real, doctor testifies
    By Alan Duke, CNN
    September 8, 2013 -- Updated 1921 GMT (0321 HKT)



    STORY HIGHLIGHTS


    *Jackson had a stash of propofol in his Neverland bedroom, doctor testifies
    * Bedtime stories, Xanax couldn't put Michael to sleep, he says
    * Doctor saw no signs Jackson was addicted to painkillers in 2002
    * Wrongful death trial nears an end after more than four months of testimony


    Los Angeles (CNN) -- Before Michael Jackson asked a doctor to treat his insomnia with propofol, he tried falling asleep to the physician reading him bedtime stories.


    The pop star's desperate decades-long search for sleep ultimately led to his death when he overdosed on the surgical anesthetic on June 25, 2009.


    The trial to decide if Jackson's last concert promoter is liable for his death is nearing an end after more than four months of testimony.


    AEG Live's lawyers plan to rest their defense case this week, with Jackson lawyers presenting several rebuttal witnesses. Closing arguments are likely the last week of September.


    Dr. Barney Van Valin, whose video testimony was shown to jurors Friday, refused Jackson's request for propofol infusions in 2003, but six years later -- in Dr. Van Valin's words -- another physician "put him to sleep like a dog."


    Jackson's mother and three children contend AEG Live is liable for his death because the company hired, retained or supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson's propofol overdose. Murray told investigators he gave Jackson nightly infusions of the drug to treat his insomnia the last two months of his life.


    AEG Live lawyers argue Jackson, not their executives, chose and controlled Murray and that the company had no way of knowing about the dangerous treatments in the privacy of the singer's bedroom.


    The producers ignored warning signs that Jackson's health was deteriorating, and instead of finding another doctor to intervene, they kept Murray and made him responsible for getting Jackson to rehearsals for his comeback concerts, the Jacksons contend.


    MJ and doctor were "best friends"


    Dr. Van Valin's practice is near the Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, where Jackson lived until his acquittal in a child molestation trial in 2005.


    "We were best friends, you know," Dr. Van Valin testified. "I didn't have a better friend and I don't think he did."


    Jackson "would just show up" at Van Valin's home every week or so without warning, he said. The doctor would open his door to leave for work in the morning "and he would just be standing there."


    His driver told him once that Jackson had been waiting at his door for 35 minutes, not wanting to knock because he thought that was impolite.


    Van Valin's children would stay home from school some days Jackson visited.


    "I'd come home from work and there's Michael there at the house and they're watching cartoons or, you know, eating pizza," Van Valin said. At first it was a novelty, but after several years it was routine, he said.


    The doctor was asked under cross examination if Michael Jackson a good father.


    "No, he is an amazing father," he answered. "Because I'm a good father and he was better than me. He respected them and as they respected him and he would correct them gently."


    Doctor: Jackson didn't fake pain to get drugs


    AEG Live's defense includes the contention that Jackson cultivated friendships with doctors to gain access to drugs to feed a secretive addiction. But Van Valin denied Jackson ever used their friendship to get prescriptions to medication that were not clinically indicated.


    Although he was compelled to testify as a witness for AEG Live, Van Valin's testimony boosted the Jackson case by showing that Jackson's use of painkillers was medically justified by chronic pain suffered in a 1997 stage accident, Jackson lawyers said.


    The doctor said Jackson showed the "classic symptoms of lower back pain" and an MRI study confirmed a bulge in a disc in his lower spine consistent with where his pain was.


    Dr. Van Valin said he never suspected Jackson was faking his pain to get painkiller shots.


    "I looked for that because there are plenty of people that come in and try to scam me, so I'm always looking for that," he testified.


    While the doctor said "nothing implied" that Jackson was abusing painkillers, there was one incident during house call in 2002 that caused him to suspect Jackson might be getting additional shots of the powerful opioid Demerol from another doctor. He noticed "a little blood spot" on Jackson's T-shirt after he gave him a shot, he said.


    "I lifted it up and there's a little Band-Aid over it and I said, 'Michael,' I said, 'you have another doctor that gave you a shot.' I said, 'You realize what risk you put yourself and me at by doing that? Who came and gave you a shot?' 'Oh, no, I didn't -- it was not a shot.'" Van Valin said. "But it was. He was lying."


    AEG Live contends Jackson kept doctors in the dark about other doctors' treatments. The argument is important to their contention that his dangerous drug use would have shortened his life even if he had not died in 2009. The shorter his life expectancy, the less money they might be ordered to pay in damages if found liable in his death.


    "I told him, I said, 'You know what, I can't do this, okay, 'cause if you're doubling up, you know, I give you a shot and then you've already had one,' I said, 'I could kill you,'" Van Valin testified.


    Van Valin remained close friends with Jackson even though he stopped treating him soon after that incident, he said.


    Bedtime stories versus Diprivan


    The doctor's testimony revealed more about Jackson's relationship with the drug that killed him -- the surgical anesthetic propofol, also known as Diprivan. AEG Live lawyers contend it was a drug Jackson knew a lot about, but that their executives had no knowledge of.


    Debbie Rowe, Jackson's former wife, testified earlier that German doctors infused the singer with it in a Munich hotel on two nights to help him sleep between "HIStory" tour shows in 1997. Jackson lawyers pointed out that Paul Gongaware, who is now the AEG Live co-CEO, was Jackson's tour manager then.
    Five years later, Jackson asked Van Valin to help him go to sleep.


    "Sometimes, he'd say, 'Barney, do me a favor, see if I can sleep, I'm going to get under the covers on that rollout couch,' and he said, 'Just read me out of a book,'" Van Valin testified. "I'd find a book that looked interesting and I'd just start reading or I'd tell him stories. That didn't work because often times he got excited about the story and say, 'That really happened?' or something. Anyway, I'd read to him -- and when it seemed like he was asleep I'd slip out, you know, kind of hard because the door made a little noise. If I thought he was asleep I'd leave, and once in awhile he'd say, 'Good night, Barney,' and when I got to the door, he wasn't asleep at all."


    Dr. Van Valin also tried to help Jackson sleep with sedatives, including Xanax, without success, he said.


    Jackson, however, revealed to him in 2003 that he had a stash of propofol in a closet of his Neverland Ranch bedroom, Van Valin said.


    "He said, 'Would you put me to sleep, I haven't been able to sleep for four days,' and I said, 'With what?' And he goes, 'Well, I have this stuff,' and I said, 'Mike, I don't do I.V. sedation. You need an anesthesiologist to do that.' And he said, 'Oh, it's safe, man, I used it for all those years between shows and I got put to sleep.' I said, 'I can't imagine that was good sleep." You know, he said, "No, it works really well."


    He said Jackson told him that during his world tours him a doctor "would put in the I.V. and put me to sleep, and he'd stay there for eight hours and wake me up 'cause I would go -- if I had three days between shows, I would have three days I didn't sleep and, you know, that I couldn't put on the show I wanted to have, you know, I mean, I want my shows to be, you know, as high end as possible."


    "Sounds like a doctor who did his job, not like this other guy, who just started the drip and left the room and basically put him to sleep like a dog," Van Valin said.


    Jackson was "pretty complacent" when he rejected his request for help with propofol and he never asked for it again, Van Valin said.


    Dr. Conrad Murray told CNN's Anderson Cooper in April that Jackson had "his own stash" of propofol in his home before he began treating him with it in 2009.


    "I did not agree with Michael, but Michael felt that it was not an issue because he had been exposed to it for years and he knew exactly how things worked," Murray said. "And given the situation at the time, it was my approach to try to get him off of it, but Michael Jackson was not the kind of person you can just say 'Put it down' and he's going to do that."


    Jackson lawyers argue that AEG Live was negligent for not checking out Murray's distressed financial situation before agreeing to pay him $150,000 a month. It created a conflict of interest that led Murray to ignore safe practices and his responsibility to Jackson's health, they contend.


    http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09…on-death-trial/?hpt=hp_t2

  • LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has dismissed two executives from a negligence lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's mother against the promoters of his planned comeback concerts.


    Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos ruled Monday that lawyers for Katherine Jackson hadn't proven claims that Randy Phillips, CEO of AEG Live LLC, and promoter Paul Gongaware could be held responsible the death of the pop star.


    The judge ruled that a jury should determine whether AEG Live hired the doctor later convicted of giving Michael Jackson a lethal overdose of anesthetic in June 2009.


    Katherine Jackson's lawyers have attacked the actions of Gongaware and Phillips during the months leading to the death. They have claimed the men missed warning signs about the superstar's health and created a conflict of interest for his physician.


    AEG Live denies any wrongdoing.


    http://www.fox43tv.com/news/na…-jackson-lawsuit_54070433

  • Diese Woche wohl keine Zeugenaussagen mehr - ein Jurymitglied besucht einen kranken Angehörigen, daher wurde alles verschoben. Die Anwälte werden stattdessen andere Dinge wie Instruktionen für die Geschworenen bearbeiten, am Montag solle es dann weitergehen und man erwarte nach wie vor, dass die AEG-Seite dann im Laufe der Woche fertig werde.


    Anthony McCartney ‏@mccartneyAP 5h
    Detail from updated story: There will be NO testimony this week in the Jackson vs AEG Live case so a juror can visit an ill family member.
    Anthony McCartney ‏@mccartneyAP 5h
    Testimony will resume Monday Sept. 16. AEG Live is still expected to rest that week and then the rebuttal case will begin.
    Anthony McCartney ‏@mccartneyAP 5h
    The lawyers will use this week to take care of important work such as jury instructions and the verdict form.



    Phillips und Gongaware sind raus aus dem Fall. Die Richterin sagte, die Anwälte der Jacksons hätten nicht beweisen können, dass Phillips und Gongaware für den Tod des Pop-Stars verantwortlich gemacht werden könnten.


    A judge has dismissed two executives from a negligence lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's mother against the promoters of his planned comeback concerts.
    Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos ruled Monday that lawyers for Katherine Jackson hadn't proven claims that Randy Phillips, CEO of AEG Live LLC, and promoter Paul Gongaware could be held responsible the death of the pop star.
    http://www.fox43tv.com/news/national/jud…awsuit_54070433



    Katherine muss vielleicht doch noch einmal aussagen? Vor einigen Tagen hieß es ja noch, AEG werde wahrscheinlich keine Zeugen mehr vorladen, nur noch Video-Aussagen abspielen. Alan Duke (CNN) twittert nun, ein AEG-Anwalt habe gesagt, er plane, Katherine für Montag vorzuladen, dieser Plan könne sich aber noch ändern.


    Alan Duke ‏@AlanDukeCNN 4h
    AEG lawyer just said he plans to call Katherine Jackson to testify Monday although plan could change.

  • 10.09.2013 International


    Michael-Jackson-Prozess: AEG-Live-CEOs freigesprochen

    Der Prozess der Jacksons gegen AEG Live aufgrund vermeintlicher Mitschuld am Tod Michael Jacksons läuft seit fast fünf Monaten (Foto: Sony Music) Los Angeles - Im Prozess der Jackson-Familie gegen AEG Live aufgrund vermeintlicher Mitschuld am Tod Michael Jacksons sollen die Co-CEOs von AEG Live, Randy Phillips und Paul Gongaware von den Anschuldigungen freisprochen werden.


    Wie "Pollstar" berichtet, hat Richterin Yvette Palazuelos die zwei CEOs in einem vorläufigen Urteil als Angeklagte entlassen. Das Unternehmen AEG Live sei jedoch weiterhin angeklagt. Katherine Jackson, die Mutter des verstorbenen "King Of Pop", hat AEG Live beschuldigt, Michael Jacksons Leibarzt Conrad Murray fahrlässig angeheuert zu haben und damit Mitschuld am Tod von Michael Jackson zu tragen. Murray selbst wurde bereits wegen fahrlässiger Tötung verurteilt.


    Randy Phillips und Paul Gongaware haben beide mehrere Tage vor dem Gericht aussagen müssen. Gegenstand der Verhöre waren u.a. E-Mails zwischen Phillips, Gongaware und dem Music Director Kenny Ortega. Der Prozess von Katherine Jackson und der drei Kinder Michael Jacksons gegen AEG Live läuft seit mittlerweile fast fünf Monaten. Im Rahmen des laufenden Prozeses wurden zudem Unterlagen vorgelegt, die eine Comeback-Welttournee mit 186 Terminen veranschlagen, die dem "King Of Pop" 312 Millionen US-Dollar hätten einbringen sollen.


    Während die Jackson-Familie von der Schuld AEG Lives überzeugt ist, argumentiert der Konzern, dass Jackson den Leibarzt selbst eingestellt habe. "Dies ist ein großer Erfolg für Phillips und Gongaware, die seit über vier Monaten einen Prozess erdulden müssen, an dem sie niemals hätten teilhaben sollen", so Marvin Putnam der Kanzlei O'Melveny & Myers LLP laut "Pollstar". "Die Jacksons haben deren guten Ruf ohne jegliche Basis durch den Dreck gezogen. Phillips und Gongaware hätten niemals angeklagt werden sollen."


    http://www.musikmarkt.de/Aktue…-Live-CEOs-freigesprochen

  • >>Attorneys for AEG say that they will wrap up the defense in the next week by calling two Jackson family members, including the late singer’s son, Prince.<<
    Anwälte für AEG sagen, sie werden die Verteidigung in der nächsten Woche abschließen, indem sie zwei Mitglieder der Mitglieder der Jackson Familie in den Zeugenstand rufen, einschließlich des Sohnes des verstorbenen Sängers, Prince.http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/09/0…ackson-lawsuit/

  • Krass. Wurde Thome eigentlich schon mal ausfindig gemacht? So wie sich die Notizen von Michael lesen, muss Thome ja richtig Dreck am Stecken haben.


    Mich machen diese Notizen richtig traurig. Anscheinend hatte Michael wirklich NIEMANDEN, dem er sich anvertrauen konnte und den er um Hilfe bitten konnte oder den er um Rat fragen konnte. Er war den Leuten um sich herum völlig ausgeliefert.... :sad

  • Ivy ‏@Ivy_4MJ 10h Parts are redacted but it looks like AEG uncovered an email at Dileo's computer from Karen which is contradictory to what she says now
    Öffnen Schließen Antworten Retweeten Retweetet
    Löschen
    Favorisieren Favorisiert Mehr
    Tweet einbetten Ivy ‏@Ivy_4MJ 10h In one motion AEG is claiming Karen Faye selectively withheld documents so she could present a one sided story to the jurors


    Vielleicht hören wir doch noch was von den Mails auf dem Dileo-Computer.
    Hier ist noch eine Info von Ivy was man aus den Gerichtsdokumenten entnehmen kann. In einem Antrag behauptet AEG das Karen Faye Dokumente zurückgehalten hat, so dass sie der Jury eine einseitige Story präsentieren konnte. Teile sind geschwärzt, aber es sieht danach aus das AEG ein E-Mail von Karen Faye auf dem Dileo-Computer aufdeckte, die gegensätzlich zu dem ist was sie sagte.

  • Michael Jackson's mom must testify again,
    AEG lawyer says

    By Alan Duke
    September 12, 2013



    Los Angeles (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's mother will be called back to testify by AEG Live as its
    last witness in their defense of Katherine Jackson's wrongful-death lawsuit on Monday,
    an AEG Live lawyer said Wednesday.


    AEG Live lead attorney Marvin Putnam said he would question the 83-year-old Jackson family matriarch
    "about the absurdity of the damages" she wants the jury to award if they decide the concert promoter is
    liable in the pop icon's death.


    A Jackson lawyer argued that AEG Live's "intent is to show the lawsuit's purpose is greed," while the judge
    suggested that any mother could be expected to say "there is no amount of money that would substitute
    for the loss of her son."


    Putnam has frequently cited in interviews a "statement of damages" letter sent to him by a Jackson lawyer
    last year capping possible damages at $40 billion, but the judge ruled that he could not refer to it in court
    because it was not a sworn filing in the case.


    Jackson lawyer Kevin Boyle pointed out that the lawsuit complaint only says that damages would be "according
    to proof at trial," based on testimony by several expert witnesses who have testified.


    Katherine Jackson and grandchildren Prince, Paris and Blanket contend that AEG Live is liable in the singer's death
    because it negligently hired, retained or supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
    AEG Live argues that Jackson chose and controlled Murray and that its executives had no way of knowing about
    the dangerous treatments he was giving him in his bedroom.


    Jackson expert Arthur Erk -- a certified public accountant who has managed and audited the business affairs of
    many top artists -- testified that he was "reasonably certain" that Jackson would have earned at least $1.5 billion
    from touring, endorsements and sponsorships had he not died from a propofol overdose preparing for his comeback tour.


    "It is very difficult to assess the value of the King of Pop," Jackson lawyer Deborah Chang told the judge Wednesday.
    "How do you even do that?"


    The non-economic damages suffered because of Michael Jackson's death could be enormous considering
    "what happened to Paris Jackson," she said.


    Jackson's 15-year-old daughter attempted suicide in June and remains in a treatment program.


    The $40 billion estimate made last year was not a court filing but was a "best guess" before the expert
    reports were completed, Chang said.


    Jackson lawyers seemed to welcome the prospect of AEG Live calling their client as their final witness,
    considering how jurors reacted when she was on the stand in July. Jurors leaned forward and paid close
    attention during her two days of testimony as the last witness in their case.


    "Why are you here?" Jackson lawyer Brian Panish asked her.


    "Because I want to know what really happened to my son," she said. "And that's why I am here."


    Panish asked Jackson how it made her feel to be asked probing and personal questions about her family
    by AEG Live lawyer Marvin Putnam.


    "It makes me feel real bad, because my son was a very good person," she said. "He loved everybody.
    He gave to charity. He was in the Guinness Book of World Records for giving to charity."


    in July, she told jurors she filed the wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live "because I want to know what
    really happened to my son."


    If jurors decide that AEG Live is liable in Jackson's death, they could award damages based on the loss
    of the mother's and children's relationship with him and the amount of money he was unable to earn because
    his life was cut short.


    After AEG Live rests its case -- which lawyers indicated would happen Monday -- the Jackson lawyers would have
    a chance to call several rebuttal witnesses. Closing arguments in the trial, which began in April, could be heard
    as soon as next week.






    http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09….html?sr=sharebar_twitter

Jetzt mitmachen!

Du hast noch kein Benutzerkonto auf unserer Seite? Registriere dich kostenlos und nimm an unserer Community teil!