Karen Faye in A.G. Court Session 9: I’m Not Blaming Michael for Using Medication

Friday’s testimony by Karen Faye resumed, and this time it was the turn of Marvin Ponton, the company’s lawyer, to ask his questions.

Yesterday, Karen Faye tried to show that many people were aware of Michael’s condition and his need to use painkillers—including one of A.G.’s senior executives. The company’s lawyer had called Michael’s first day of trial a fraud: “Mr. Jackson tricked everyone.” But Karen Faye believes that’s not the case. Michael didn’t trick anyone. The company knew everything, but it didn’t take a step to help Michael.

On the second day of her appearance in court, Karen Faye said she doesn’t blame Michael for using painkillers because he needed them. In the last days of Michael’s life, Faye said she saw him become frail. Michael Bush, the costume designer who had worked with Michael for more than 25 years, after a June 2009 costume fitting at Staples Center, told Karen Faye that she could see Michael’s heartbeat under his skin.

She said: “Oh my God, Turkle. I could see Michael’s heartbeat under his skin.”

Turkle (Turkle) was the nickname Michael had chosen for Karen Faye.

As Karen described what she had heard from Bush, she started crying again. Judge Yvette Palazelos then asked Karen what Bush’s tone of voice was like.

Karen Faye: “He said ‘Oh my God.’ He was very shocked.”

At that moment, Karen tried to inform Frank Dileo, Michael’s manager, about the issue.

“Frank was saying, ‘I have everything under control. Don’t worry about anything.’ I said, but he was losing weight quickly. Why don’t you ask Michael Bush to tell you that he’s taking smaller sizes in Michael’s pants? He’s losing weight.”

Frank went to Bush, and Karen heard Frank say: “Okay, bring him a bucket of chicken.”

Karen Faye: “His response was very cold. It hurt my heart.”

In a ruling, the judge had allowed Catherine Jackson’s lawyers to review Frank Dileo’s emails to the company’s executives in court. But on Friday, Kevin Boyle, Catherine’s lawyer, informed the court that the company’s lawyers had told him that Frank Dileo’s computer had disappeared.

Kevin Boyle—though he didn’t reveal that this might have been a trick by the company—said these emails could have contained conversations between Frank Dileo and the company’s executives. He noted that perhaps he could obtain a copy of these emails through a lawyer who had worked with him before Frank’s death in 2011.

Karen, whose first assignment for Michael was styling his face and hair for the Thriller album cover image, said that Michael didn’t have enough muscle mass while preparing for the This Is It tour. She continued by explaining that over the years, Michael’s muscular legs had become thinner and his face had become more bony. For the TII tour, he needed more weight.

Karen said Michael wasn’t happy with his image in one of the videos filmed for display during the tour. At his request, Karen helped the technicians retouch his image. But when she was asked to do a similar thing for the documentary film This Is It, which was made and released after Michael’s death, she refused. She was hesitant at first about working on the documentary, but then decided not to cooperate. She hesitated because:

“When he died, everyone lied and said Michael was doing fine. But they all knew that wasn’t true. I thought retouching images was also part of that lie. My first feeling was that I didn’t want to lie. But at the same time, my heart ached. I told myself that if this film is released, I want him to look okay.”

Karen Faye also said she had helped prepare Michael to be placed in the coffin.

Karen recalled that after the Dangerous Tour, she had told a drug-therapist that she was afraid the medication would cause Michael’s death. She said that Michael’s hospitalization in an addiction treatment clinic in England was suggested by Elizabeth Taylor. You can read the details of this story in four parts on this page.

“I was afraid he would die. Sometimes he was okay, but sometimes I worried about him.”

Karen Faye said that in the middle of the History Tour, which took place around the world in the years 1996 and 97, she stepped away from the tour. She said the problems between her and the tour manager, as well as Debbie Ro’s jealousy—who at the time was the King of Pop’s wife and pregnant—were the reasons for her decision. In yesterday’s session, Karen said Debbie Ro was a nurse who accompanied them on the Dangerous Tour with a medicine bag. Karen Faye said that a few years later she resumed working with Michael, and when she returned to Michael’s team, Debbie apologized to her.

“Debbie told me she was jealous of my being with Michael. She thought Michael loved me more than her.”

This makeup artist said that when Michael’s older sister Rebbie came to her for information, Karen shared her concerns about Michael’s medication use with her. Karen said she didn’t remember the date of that conversation. She also said she had similar conversations with Latoya and Randy Jackson. According to Faye’s testimony, family members tried over the years to take Michael back to the addiction treatment clinic.

“I never heard that they succeeded. I’m sure they did everything they could to help him in any way possible.”

Karen did, however, admit that she had never seen Michael taking medication.

Despite nearly three decades of friendship, Karen never talked to Michael about two topics: medication use and sexual abuse allegations.

“I avoided talking about those two things like the plague, sir—allegations and medications. My duty as a friend was to provide a calm, non-chaotic environment for him. I wanted him to feel safe beside me. I didn’t want to talk about these issues and put him in a tight spot. I could never blame him for using pain medication because he was truly in pain.”

Ponton asked Karen whether Michael had ever asked her for medication.

Karen answered yes: “He once asked me if I had pain pills. I told him no, I didn’t.”

Karen also said she had personally ordered medication for Michael several times—for example, Latisse eyelash strengthening medication and Propecia hair strengthening medication. Karen also thought about using Botox as a way to treat Michael’s sweating on stage, which damaged his hair extensions, but she never used it.

In 1993, Karen helped Michael record a statement. In that statement, Michael announced that because he needed pain medication, he required medical treatment and he would cancel several remaining concerts of the Dangerous Tour. Michael also said that the reason for the medication was the emergence of sexual abuse allegations against him.

Michael’s recorded voice reading this statement was played in court on Friday:

“My friends and doctors have advised me to seek the guidance of professionals as quickly as possible to end a process that has turned into addiction. At this time, I must accept that I need treatment to restore my health. I have realized that continuing the tour is no longer possible, and I must cancel the remaining concerts. I know I can handle this problem, and after this experience, I will be stronger.”

Karen said that during the 2005 trial, she became worried again about Michael’s medication use. Every morning early, she would wake up and go to Neverland at 3 a.m. to help Michael get ready for court. Before Michael went to court, they watched Three Stooges and listened to classical music so Michael could calm down a bit.

At that time, Michael complained of severe back pain. The pain covered a large area of his back. This back pain was the result of an incident that happened to Michael during the 1999 concert in Munich. On Friday, the lawyers for both sides showed two versions of the video related to this incident in court. Catherine’s lawyer showed the video of the incident, which was said to be the beginning of Michael’s back pain and also his renewed use of painkillers. The company’s lawyer then played the continuation of that film, in which Michael continues performing with no sign of pain.

According to Karen, Michael’s back pain flared up due to both physical and mental pressures. Karen said that in 2005, Michael’s back problem became so severe that he was hospitalized.

On that day, Karen tried to keep the courtroom atmosphere a bit brighter despite the tears she was shedding, and she made jokes occasionally. She answered the company’s defense lawyer, Marvin Ponton, who was asking her questions:

“I’m sixty years old, sir, and you’re asking me about a thirty-year period of my life. I’m doing my best. By the way, how many years do you have?”

When the audience’s laughter ended, Karen cleverly referenced Ponton’s endless objections from the previous day’s session.

“By the way, you didn’t have any objections this time?”

At that moment, one of the fans in court shouted “Bravo, girl,” and raised her thumbs in a sign of victory.

Some time later, when one of the company’s lawyers interrupted the Q&A process, Karen said: “Oh my God, another objection? Again, consultation?”

When Ponton asked about her blog and Twitter—where she wrote that A.G. paid her and, of course, owned Michael’s life—Karen Faye stayed on her point.

“As far as I know, I’ve always told the truth.”

Before the session that day, Karen had written on Twitter: “Another hard day ahead. Thank you for your love and support. Michael’s fans always look after Michael and the truth.”

The tenth day of the trial will be held on Monday. On that day, two TII tour choreographers, Travis Payne and Stacey Walker, will take the stand as company witnesses. It’s said that these two will defend Michael’s health. Apparently, Travis Payne said that the idea that Michael was sick was ridiculous and wrong. Travis Payne is one of Michael’s longtime collaborators on his tours.

The two witnesses will arrive earlier than expected because they are traveling abroad for work. Travis Payne is the choreographer for Michael Jackson’s Immortal tour, which has shows in Japan this month. The Michael Jackson Immortal tour is produced and performed by Cirque du Soleil and the Michael Jackson Foundation. The profits and losses of this tour are shared between the two. Immortal has been the highest-grossing tour in America.

Source: eMJey.com / CNN & AP & NBC & Reuters