A Winning Move for Katherine Jackson Against AEG
On Monday this week, an email linking AEG to Michael Jackson’s death was revealed in court. Katherine Jackson’s lawyer called the email a “winning card.”
AEG was responsible for organizing the This Is It tour. Michael died just a few days before the tour began. Michael’s mother, who blames the company for her son’s death, had filed a lawsuit in court long ago. The case will officially begin next month. Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor who caused an unforgettable death by injecting an anesthetic, and Michael’s eldest son will be among the witnesses in court.
The judge has determined that Katherine Jackson and her lawyers have enough evidence to allow their claims to be put to a jury in a trial. Katherine claims that the company hired Dr. Murray and supervised his work. She also believes the company could have predicted that Murray’s treatment method for Michael would be disastrous.
Judge Yvette Palazuelos said that Katherine Jackson’s lawyers have evidence showing the company did not carry out the necessary checks regarding Dr. Murray’s work history; otherwise, they would have realized that this doctor was struggling with heavy debts. The fact that Dr. Murray had been Michael’s and his children’s personal doctor in Las Vegas for a period of time does not lessen the company’s responsibility to investigate Murray.
Although the company’s lawyer told the court that it was impossible for the company to have known that Michael was being injected with drugs by Dr. Murray, the judge reminded the court that there is evidence that Paul Gongaware, the former AEG co-CEO, had worked with Michael on his tours, and during those concert tours, the tour doctors injected Michael with painkillers and sedatives. Gongaware had told the court handling Michael’s murder case that before joining the company, he worked for Michael on the tours as tour manager, including the Dangerous and History tours, and therefore he was aware of Michael’s medical necessities.
Kevin Boyle, Katherine Jackson’s lawyer, said:
“Now that the judge has confirmed that there is evidence linking the company’s actions to Michael’s death, the Jackson family has been freed from the negative publicity the company had spread against them. The truth that the company has hidden from the public since the day Michael died will come to light. We are waiting for the day of the trial so that more facts will be revealed to everyone.”
Emails exchanged by the company during Michael Jackson’s rehearsal days for the This Is It tour indicate that the company was concerned about Michael’s health, but nevertheless insisted that Michael attend the rehearsal sessions. For that purpose, they had instructed Dr. Murray to arrange things so that Michael could be prepared to attend the rehearsal sessions. One of the most important pieces of evidence Katherine Jackson has is an email that Paul Gongaware sent eleven days before Michael’s death.
Dr. Murray had kept Michael from attending a rehearsal session, and one day later Kenny Ortega, in an email, expressed his distress about Michael’s health. In response, Gongaware wrote:
“We need to remind Murray that it’s AEG that pays his salary, not MJ. We need to remind him of his duties.”
This email is important because the company has always denied hiring Murray and paying him in its legal documents.
After meeting with Michael at a rehearsal session, Kenny Ortega wrote a worrying email to Randy Phillips, the company’s CEO, saying that two different people were surrounding Michael: first, the strong and determined person everyone knows; and second, a person struggling with physical weakness. Ortega warned that they needed to use a specialist to help Michael get through this difficult situation.
In his reply, Phillips, while praising Murray, scolded Ortega and told him to mind his own business:
“He (Murray) is a completely successful doctor. We’ve checked everything. He doesn’t need this job . So he is completely fair and ethical.”
This is happening while Murray was struggling to pay his debts, and his multiple relationships—he was a married man— with women who dance nude in clubs show his moral weakness.
With reference to another email, Katherine’s lawyers argue that Randy Phillips was actively trying to encourage Murray to bring Michael into rehearsal sessions. This email, sent from the company’s team by Wally’s accountant to an insurance agent, states:
“Randy Phillips and Dr. Murray are responsible for MJ’s attendance at rehearsal sessions.”
In the summer of this year, another part of these emails had leaked to the Los Angeles newspaper by Howard Mann, Katherine’s former business partner. You can read the details in here.
If the court finds the company at fault, a full-blown bankruptcy could be in store for this company, which is currently being put up for sale for $8 billion. Katherine could obtain damages worth several billions from this company.
Source: eMJey.com / CNN