AEG Trial Session 38: Interrogation of Tim Leiwek, the Most Important Former Figure at the Company
After lunch, a video of Tim Leiwek’s deposition—the former CEO of AEG’s parent company—was shown.
In 2009, Tim Leiwek was the highest-ranking person in the company. He said the parent company had 130 subsidiaries. The LA Kings hockey team is one of them.
Kevin Boyle, the Jacksons’ attorney: “Are you aware that the LA Kings have a doctor available?”
Tim Leiwek: “I think so. I don’t know who hires the team’s doctors.”
Boyle: “Do the doctors work for the team or for the players?”
Leiwek: “I don’t know.”
Dr. Gordon Matheson, who is the doctor for Stanford University’s sports team, had said yesterday that, to prevent conflicts of interest, the doctors for that team serve the athletes and stay in dormitories away from the team’s coaches and staff.
Randy Phillips, in an email dated March 5, 2009—the day the This Is It tour conference was held in London—wrote to Tim Leiwek that Michael was terrified and drunk and had locked himself inside the hotel room. In response, Leiwek wrote: “Are you kidding me?” During his deposition, Leiwek said he didn’t remember that email.
Kevin Boyle asked Leiwek five times, and Leiwek said five times that he didn’t remember anything: “I’ve told you five times—doesn’t that count as enough?”
Leiwek said Phillips had said in a phone call that Michael was suffering from an alcohol hangover; they were running late, and Phillips was worried and anxious. Leiwek said he was in an important meeting and told Phillips to explain what happened later. Leiwek said that in the next call, everyone had calmed down.
On March 13, 2009, Leiwek wrote to Phillips: “Phil (Anschutz, the founder and owner of the company) can be a miserly, suspicious person. He thinks he’s the smartest of everyone.”
Kevin Boyle asked whether Leiwek remembered that email. Leiwek said he didn’t remember such statements.
Leiwek said the production of the This Is It tour was expensive, and Phillips had an issue with it. Leiwek didn’t remember the exact cost. He also didn’t remember a board meeting held with Anschutz present regarding the tour’s budget.
He said he had seen Dr. Teme, Michael’s dismissed manager, once or twice in passing. They had never talked about Michael.
Boyle asked whether Mr. Anschutz was concerned that a black market had been set up for tour tickets. Leiwek said he didn’t remember a specific email, but Anschutz was worried about it.
Leiwek met Michael four or five times. Regarding the first meeting with Michael, he said that Michael wanted to hold the tour and that AEG was interested in collaborating. The second meeting was held at the home of American businessman Ronald Burkle. Jesse Jackson, a friend of Michael’s, was also there. Leiwek said that meeting had no particular reason—they just prayed. The third meeting took place in Las Vegas. Michael wanted to talk with Anschutz about making a film.
Leiwek said he had never met Dr. Murray, hadn’t given him an email or received one from him, and hadn’t spoken to him by phone. He didn’t remember when he first heard the name Murray. He said that when they were putting together the pre-tour budget, he hadn’t heard anything about Murray.
He said he didn’t remember the emails sent to him on June 19 titled “Trouble in the Front Line.” In those emails, company executives and Michael’s associates reported on Michael’s illness. Leiwek said he only knew that Michael had missed some rehearsals.
At the end of the hearing, Katherine Jackson’s lawyers said that instead of showing the deposition film of Dr. Finkelstein—Michael’s doctor on the tour—perhaps they should subpoena him as a witness. The judge had not allowed part of Finkelstein’s deposition film, in which he talks about Dr. Forcest, another doctor on the tour, to be shown in court.
The witness tomorrow will be T.J. Jackson, Michael’s cousin and guardian of his children.
Source: eMJey.com / ABC7