Michael Jackson’s wrongful death trial opens as lawyer slams AEG Live as ‘ruthless’ for hiring Conrad Murray
Michael Jackson died in 2009 because a "ruthless" group of concert promoters pushed the drug-addicted superstar and ignored his downward spiral, a lawyer for the star’s heirs said Monday.
In his opening statement in the Jackson wrongful death trial in Los Angeles, lawyer Brian Panish said the concert company AEG Live was so desperate to stage Jackson’s comeback show that it negligently hired Dr. Conrad Murray, the jailed doctor whose prescriptions caused the King of Pop's overdose death.
"There will be no question in your mind they were ruthless," he told jurors. "They wanted to ... be No. 1. They wanted to be No. 1 at all costs."
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"There were no rules. It didn't matter to them what it took. They were going to get it done," Panish said of the deal to stage the 50-show gig at London's O2 arena. "No matter what problems Michael Jackson had ... there was nothing, nothing going to get in the way."
AEG, he added, "didn't care who got lost in the wash."
The concert company has denied any wrongdoing in the civil lawsuit filed in 2010 by Katherine Jackson and Michael's three children.
The company claims Michael Jackson personally hired Murray and that it had no obligation to do a background check or supervise the medicine man’s day-to-day actions.
The heirs are asking for jury damages estimated in the billions.
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He said AEG knew about the opiate dependence because AEG honcho Paul Gongaware worked on his "Dangerous" tour in 1992 and 1993.
The pain doctor on that tour, Dr. Stuart Finkelstein, previously testified that Jackson needed an intervention and detox during the earlier concert series - and that Gongaware was made aware, Panish said.
AEG approached Finkelstein about joining the "This Is It" concert series, but decided to hire Murray for $150,000 a month even though Finkelstein only asked for $40,000 a month, Panish said.
"They ignored the obvious red flags and hired Dr. Murray," he told jurors.
He said Murray was "financially desperate" at the time, facing foreclosure on a Nevada home, overdue child support and heavy debt.
"His financial condition made him susceptible to pressure and created a conflict between his patient's need and AEG's needs," Panish argued. "AEG put Dr. Murray in a position where if he said MJ can't go, he (wouldn't) get paid anymore. His contract was over."
Murray is serving four years for manslaughter after a jury found he gave Jackson the hospital-strength anesthetic propofol to treat his insomnia.
Panish stopped short of suggesting AEG knew about the propofol but showed jurors excerpts from a June 14, 2009, email — sent two weeks before Jackson’s death — which suggests Murray was pressured into keeping Jackson happy and available.
In the email, Gongaware revealed a plan to meet with Dr. Murray to discuss Jackson's absence at a recent rehearsal.
"We want to remind him that it's AEG, not MJ, who's paying his salary," Gongaware's email, shown to jurors, said.
"Does this sound like some company who wants to make sure everything is being done to care for an artist?" Panish asked the jury. "Does this sound like a company that exercised reasonable care in supervising and retaining a doctor? Remember, in 11 days, Michael Jackson is dead."
Lawyers for AEG are expected to give their opening statements later Monday.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/opening-statements-michael-jackson-trial-article-1.1330384
