Michael Jackson was transferred to a hospital on the way to court

15 minutes after the start of the fourth session for selecting the jury members, Judge Melville announced that Michael Jackson had been taken to the hospital because he felt unwell on the way to court. He cited the cause of the illness as the flu. Melville addressed the 100 people sitting in the courtroom and said: “Mr. Jackson will not appear in court today.”

Melville added that he would discuss the matter in a press conference, along with Jackson’s doctor and defense attorneys.

Thomas Mesereau said that his client had been feeling very sick.

Outside Marian Medical Center, a crowd of about 50 Michael Jackson fans and also reporters—whose numbers kept growing moment by moment—was present. Santa Maria state police were preventing people who appeared to be reporters from entering the hospital, and hospital officials had installed a white covering over the entrance doors of the emergency room so it would not be clear what was happening there.

As a result of this incident, the jury selection process was pushed back by one week. The next session date has been announced as February 22.

Source: Yahoo News