Jury in Jackson case find in favour of AEG

The jury in the $1.5 billion case brought by Michael Jackson's family against AEG, promoters of his This Is It tour, have found that whilst AEG did employ Dr Conrad Murray, the company was not liable for his subsequent negligence finding that a licensed doctor Murray was not "unfit" or "incompetent" for the job he was hired to do, even if he proved to be unethical in the treatment he then provided to the late king of pop. The jury found that AEG didn't have a responsibility to go digging into Murray's personal life - to discover his acute financial problems, which possibly made him more prone to provide the prescription drugs Jackson craved in order to keep his job and it was reasonable for AEG to therefore assume he would perform the tasks he was hired to do in a responsible way.   It was the King of Pop’s own actions that kept his use of the surgery-strength anesthetic propofol a secret from AEG Live and his own choices that led to his untimely death at the age of 50. The jurors found the company had no reason to suspect a licensed doctor with no malpractice claims would violate his Hippocratic Oath with dangerous practices.  Marvin Putnam, the promoter’s lead attorney said “What really happened behind those locked doors? That was between Michael Jackson and his physician.” AEG CEO Randy Phillips told reporters: "I counted Michael Jackson as a creative partner and a friend. We lost one of the world's greatest musical geniuses, but I am relieved and deeply grateful that the jury recognised that neither I, nor anyone else at AEG Live, played any part in Michael's tragic death". Kevin Boyle, one of Katherine Jackson’s lawyers, said “We of course are not happy with the result as it stands now” and that the family were exploring legal options. Jackson's Estate was not involved in the lawsuit. 

AEG face $40 billion Jackson claim

TMZ reports that Katherine Jackson and the children of Michael Jackson are suing AEG Live for a whopping $40 billion, arguing that AEG Live - promoter of Michael Jackson's ill-fated 'This Is It' show - is liable for the singer's death because it hired and managed Dr Conrad Murray, the medic convicted of causing the late king of pop's death through negligent treatment. Having had some claims removed from the suit, AEG counters that Jackson himself chose Murray and was the doctor's day-to-day manager, and therefore it is not liable for his actions.

French fans launch Jackson action

In another bizarre twist in the Michael Jackson story, a group of French fans of the King of Pop are launching a legal action in France against Dr Conrad Murray, who has now been convicted of involuntary manslaughter after the singer's death in 2009 in the USA. They are each claiming symbolic damages of one Euro for the 'emotional damage' the death has had on them. Murray was sentenced to four years in prison.

Jackson insurance claim poised to go to court

The $17.5 million insurance claim against Lloyd’s of London underwriter Cathedral Underwriting is poised to go to court in the USA after insurers said that the singer had failed to disclose his medical history and the treatments he was receiving prior to his death. The claim relates to AEG’s ‘This is It’ London shows. His physician, Dr Conrad Murray, faces trial oncriminal charges over his death.

Elsewhere in Jackson world, organisers of the ‘Forever Michael’ tribute planned for Cardiff in October have withdrawn their invitation to Kiss after frontman Gene Simmons made a number of ill judged comments about Jackson’s relationships with young boys.

Jackson Tribute splits family

The proposed tribute to Michael Jackson, 'Michael Forever: The Tribute Concert' which seems to have the support of some but not all of the Jackson clan, including Michael's mum, Katharine, sister LaToya, and brothers Tito, Jackie and Marlon, now seems to have fallen foul of the late King of Pop's estate. The co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, John Branca and John McClain, have released a statement confirming that they have no involvement in the Michael Jackson tribute event and nor did they authorise the use of Michael's name for it. Two of Michael's brothers, Jermaine and Randy, had already issued a statement saying they felt it was inappropriate to stage a big charity tribute show when Conrad Murray's manslaughter trial in relation to their brother's death was likely to still be going through the motions in court. The proposed October 8th event in Cardiff, announced at a press conference by Chris Hunt of Global Live Events, has no confirmed performers as yet. A previous tribute concert in Europe planned by Jermaine Jackson in the months after his brother's death was scuttled after promoters ran into problems and some of the singers listed as performers said they had scheduling conflicts.