AEG Trial Session 33: Michael Jackson’s personal chef takes the stand

Today, Kai Chase, Michael Jackson’s personal chef and his children’s cook, returned to the stand to be questioned by Jessica Stebbins, the attorney defending the company. Kai said that, besides Dr. Murray, he had not met any other doctors for Michael—Dr. Alan Metzger and Dr. Arnold Klein, as well as the nurse Sherylyn Lee. Stebbins asked Kai why, earlier, during a meeting at Michael’s home in the second week of June with company executives and Dr. Murray present, he hadn’t told the police about the breaking of a vase. Kai also had not previously said that Michael had been wearing a mask and many layers of clothing during that meeting, and that he had first provided this information to the defense attorneys in October 2012 during questioning for this case. Kai said that before that, the police had never asked him about it, so he didn’t say anything. Kai also spoke about the mask Michael wore that day. He said he was shocked to see Michael in that condition because Michael had never used a mask at home. Kai said that on the day of the meeting, Michael was terrified—you could see the fear in his eyes. During Stebbins’ questions, Kai said Michael had not told him that he was afraid of anything. Kai also joined a line of witnesses who said that in the final days of his life, during the summer, Michael complained about being cold. Kai said he didn’t know who had broken the vase. He only heard Frank Delio’s voice. He wasn’t allowed to mention what he had heard in court. He also said that before that, he hadn’t repeated Delio’s statements to the police or in the Murray trial. Kai had said in his questioning that during the meeting, people were raising their voices. Stebbins said that during his questioning, Kai had stated that MJ had never told him he intended to step away from the concerts. Kai explained that Michael was excited about the tour, but he had only once felt that Michael was having doubts about holding the tour—because Michael had told Kai, “They’re killing me.” Kai said Michael needed rest. Kai said he was hired by Michael, but his wages were paid by AEG. He said he didn’t know whether Michael intended to return that money to the company. His wages were paid weekly. Kai worked for Michael in March and April. He was fired in April due to financial issues. He returned to work in June. After Michael’s death, he asked the Michael Foundation to pay his June wages, and he was paid in full. Kai had previously said that after returning home in June, he had gone shopping, but the credit card he was given was not accepted. Today, he said that this credit card belonged to Amir Williams, Michael’s assistant. Kai said he didn’t know what food Michael and his children ate while he was away from work in May. He guessed they got food from outside. (Kai apparently didn’t know that after he left, a male chef worked in the home.) Kai said that on the day Michael died, the house security guard, Albert Alvarez, asked Kai and the servants to leave the house. Alvarez asked Kai to sign a document before leaving. The servants had already signed a confidentiality document, but Kai had not. Kai said the document he signed that day was not a confidentiality agreement. Kai said he couldn’t remember what document he had signed. At this moment, the company’s attorney argued about a written piece on the CNN website and claimed that Kai had written it for Larry King’s blog—Larry King being the CNN host, and part of CNN’s website. The piece was about Larry King’s interview with Kai Chase. Before Stebbins could show the writing in court, the Jacksons’ attorney requested a sidebar with the judge. After that, Stebbins began asking questions, and Kai rejected her claim, saying he had his own blog titled “Nibble by Kai Chase.” Stebbins continued questioning on this point, and Kai—clearly irritated—said: “Honey, I didn’t write for Larry King’s blog.” At that point, Stebbins asked Kai to use formal language when speaking in court. Kai repeated to the jury: “I didn’t write this blog. I have a blog where I write about food. I say this respectfully to you.” Stebbins then asked whether Kai had told Larry King in an interview that Michael ate well. Kai had said yesterday that Michael lost weight in June and wasn’t eating enough. Today, Kai explained and said: “When I fed him, yes, he ate well, because I prepared healthy and nutritious meals for him. He ate well because I fed him well. When I said Michael ate well, that’s what I meant.” Stebbins asked about the children’s bedtime schedule in Carolwood. Kai had said the kids were supposed to go to bed at a certain time. Today, he said he had never seen them go to bed because the bedrooms were on the upper floor and he wasn’t allowed to go there. However, he said Michael was strict as a father and, except on weekends, he didn’t allow the children to stay up late. Sometimes on Saturday or Sunday nights, they could stay up later than usual. Stebbins then tried to challenge Kai’s testimony that Paris had not gotten a “birthday” after her father’s death, and said it seemed that in 2010 a birthday party for Paris had been held at a roller rink. Kai said that based on what Paris had told him, she had made that statement, and he didn’t know whether Paris had celebrated birthdays in 2010, 2011, and 2012. But Paris had told him she didn’t want to hold a birthday party. From 2009 to 2012, Kai had met the kids at the Haynehurst home several times, but he had never seen them attend any birthday celebration. Kai now spends time every day with Catherine and Michael’s children and receives the same salary he had when he worked for Michael. Before Michael’s death, he hadn’t met Catherine and had never seen Catherine at Carolwood. He said that after Michael’s death, in interviews he talked about Michael and got paid. He said he only spoke about Michael’s meals and his love for his children. Kai said Catherine had given him two tickets to Michael Jackson’s “Immortal” show. Stebbins said it was a birthday gift because Kai had written on Twitter that it was “an amazing pre-birthday gift.” Kai said the tickets weren’t birthday gifts because Catherine Jackson is a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and doesn’t celebrate birthdays. In July 2012, Kai received a call from Sandra Ribera, Catherine Jackson’s attorney, to return to work. Ribera accompanied Kai during questioning and is acting as his attorney in the ongoing court proceedings. The company’s attorney asked Kai whether he knew who paid Ribera to accompany him during the questioning session. Kai didn’t know. Stebbins asked whether Kai was worried that if his testimony didn’t go well, Catherine Jackson would fire him. Kai said: “No, that’s nonsense.” After Stebbins, Deborah Chung, Catherine Jackson’s attorney, continued the questions. Kai said that Ribera hires all the female employees of the Jackson household, and that Kai and Catherine hadn’t discussed the AEG case. Chung also asked whether Mrs. Jackson had fired anyone because of their testimony in court. Kai denied it. Kai said Michael’s assistant, Amir Williams, was a 23-year-old young man. During his first meeting, Kai thought the client was actually Williams and asked his age. Kai is 45 years old. Kai said Williams worked in the archives at Neverland, Michael’s ranch, alongside his father, and he labeled Michael’s DVDs. Williams told Kai that employees who talked to Michael about unpaid wages would be fired. He hadn’t discussed this with Michael personally, and Michael had never told Kai not to go upstairs. Kai said Williams provided him with this information. Kai said his wages weren’t important to him because he had just been hired by Michael, and his first payment had been made on time. He worked for Michael for a total of eight weeks. Kai spoke about Paris’s testimony regarding Grace Rwamba (News) and said Paris’s statements surprised him. Grace was the children’s nurse, and Kai said he had a warm relationship with the kids. Paris, however, had spoken about Grace negatively. Kai: “She (Paris) is missing. She’s grieving; she misses her father. I know she was very close to Grace when she was a child.” Kai said he thought Paris felt that Grace had abandoned her, and that her anger toward Grace was because of that. He said Grace helped him care for the children and was very supportive. Paris attempted suicide on June 5. In those days, Grace returned to the children. When Kai testified in court, exactly two weeks had passed since that incident. Kai said he had gotten to know Grace closely for two weeks. Kai also said that Michael and Grace were very, very close friends. Grace was fired in December 2008. In earlier court sessions, it was established that Gang Wer, AEG’s manager, had told Grace they no longer needed her services because AEG was seeking to reduce Michael’s costs. Chung: “Do you believe Grace played the role of defender and protector for MJ and his children?” Kai: “Yes.” Chung: “And she was fired?” Kai: “Yes.” Kai said about Grace’s firing: “The kids felt rejected; they weren’t happy, they were upset.” Chung: “Do you know if Michael assigned her to a job?” Kai: “I’ve heard that.” Kai said he had heard Grace intended to go to London to prepare offerings for MJ and his children. Chung: “Did Paris have difficult days in the past two weeks?” Kai: “Yes.” Kai said Paris sought refuge with her grandmother, her mother Debbie, and Grace in order to get help. Kai said he had spoken with Amir Williams a lot about Michael’s weight loss, and Williams was also concerned. Kai said that four days after Michael died, he had been interviewed by Pals, and he didn’t think it was important to mention the meeting in which the vase had been broken. Kai: “They only wanted to know what happened on the day Michael died.” Chung also showed a transcript of Kai’s testimony in the 2011 court case of Conrad Murray, proving that Kai had never been asked about what Michael was wearing that day. On the day Michael died, the children were in his room and were present as witnesses. They were crying, and Kai was kept away from them. Chung: “On that day, was Paris present and willing to leave her father?” Kai: “Paris was very emotional. She was screaming and crying. We had to pull her down the stairs. They held her ankle so she wouldn’t go up. She was constantly going up the stairs and screaming ‘Daddy, daddy, daddy.’” After that, Alvarez asked Kai to leave the house, but he didn’t want to: Kai: “Who was supposed to stay with the kids? I knew they loved me and wanted me to be with them.” After that, Jessica Stebbins questioned the company and asked Kai whether there was any reason to believe Paris lied during the questioning session about the conversation she had with her father. Kai answered no. (Paris said her father had told her that Grace introduced herself as his wife and that when he got out of bed, she would sleep in his place. Paris described this story as unpleasant.) Stebbins also asked why it took three years for the kids to ask him to return. Kai said he thinks other employees were working in the house. Kai also said he was supposed to be Michael’s chef during the London tour, which is why he filled out the AEG employment form. Stebbins asked whether that form was also filled out by Murray; Kai didn’t know. Chung: “Did Mrs. Jackson ever offer you to provide medical care in exchange for receiving $150,000?” Kai: “No.” The judge interjected creatively: “What about food?” (Laughter from the audience) Kai: “No.” Source: eMJey.com / CNN & ABC7 & AP