ALL ANTHONY McCARTNEY (AP) ARTICLES FROM 'THE BIG STORY' WEBSITE THREAD

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HERE ARE ALL THE STORIES THAT ANTHONY McCARTNEY WILL BE UPDATING ON THE AP WEBSITE "THE BIG STORY" - LET'S KEEP ALL HIS STORIES FROM THAT SITE HERE PLEASE.


Lawyer details Jackson's life, struggle with drugs
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY

Apr. 29

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's family and friends knew he was addicted to prescription medications, but the only ones who refused to acknowledge it were the promoters of his ill-fated final series of comeback concerts, an attorney for the singer's mother told a jury on Monday.

Lawyer Brian Panish traced Jackson's addiction in opening statements during the trial of a wrongful death lawsuit against concert giant AEG Live, telling jurors the company ignored numerous warning signs about the singer's health in his final months.

The opening remarks included emails between AEG executives about Jackson's health. Panish also played a clip of the singer performing days before his death in June 2009.

"You're going to hear the whole story about what happened in the death of Michael Jackson," the attorney said.

Jackson's mother, brother Randy and sister Rebbie sat in the front row of the courtroom as Panish detailed aspects of Jackson's life. Jurors looked at numerous slides and several scribbled notes. A couple of jurors nodded their heads when the lawyer referenced Jackson's achievements, including successful concert tours and a Super Bowl performance.

Panish told the jury of six men and six women that it would ultimately have to decide whether Jackson's mother and his three children deserve compensation for AEG's conduct. Millions, possibly billions, of dollars are at stake, but Panish did not give a suggested damage figure in his opening remarks.

He did, however, praise Michael Jackson.

"His stirring voice, his musical genius, his creativity and his generosity and his huge heart was extinguished forever," he said.

An attorney for AEG was expected to begin addressing the panel later Monday.

Katherine Jackson sued the company in September 2010, claiming it failed to properly investigate physician Conrad Murray before allowing him to serve as Jackson's tour doctor as he prepared for his "This Is It" shows. She is also suing on behalf of her son's three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket.

AEG denies it hired Murray, and its attorneys have said they could not have foreseen the circumstances that led to Jackson's death at age 50.

A jury previously convicted Murray of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors said he gave Jackson a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol in 2011. The hospital-grade anesthetic was being administered as a sleep aid.

Panish told jurors they would be putting together a puzzle, with Jackson, Murray and AEG Live as the three pieces.

He said Jackson suffered from addiction to prescription medications and Demerol at times during his life, and the problem increased when he was keeping up a rigorous schedule. Panish cited a 1984 accident that injured Jackson during a Pepsi commercial suit as causing the singer tremendous physical pain throughout his life.

"People who knew him believed he had a problem with prescription medication," Panish told jurors. He said the only group that claims they didn't know about Jackson's addiction issues were AEG and its executives.

The lawyer showed a brief clip of Jackson rehearing for the "This Is It" shows and a clip of the singer dancing in the early stages of his presentation. He also showed footage of 1999 show in Munich in which Jackson was performing when a bridge dropped 50 feet with the singer on it. Despite pain, Jackson continued performing, Panish said.

Panish said Jackson turned to Demerol to relieve his pain.

Panish also detailed Murray's money problems, including an impending foreclosure and other debts. AEG also had issues as well, the lawyer told jurors, saying the company was feeling intense pressure from concert promoter Live Nation.

He said AEG saw the Jackson shows as a way to make a lot of money and better compete with Live Nation. The company was so concerned with getting Jackson to perform, "They didn't care who got lost in the wash," Panish said

Emails between AEG executives will be some of the key evidence in the case, which may last 90 trial days.

Panish displayed a March 2009 email sent before a press conference featuring Jackson, in which AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips wrote to Tim Leiweke, the former CEO of AEG'S parent company, that Jackson was drunk and refusing to address fans.

"This is the scariest thing I have ever seen," Phillips wrote Leiweke. "He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self-loathing and doubt now that it's show time. He's scared to death."

Panish said Jackson's behavior was just one of several warning signs that the company ignored before the death.

Jackson's mother and his two oldest children, Prince and Paris, are listed as possible witnesses. An AEG attorney said Monday the company intends to call Murray as a witness.

Murray did not testify at his criminal trial.

Panish attempted to steer blame away from the singer and toward AEG.

"Michael paid the ultimate price. He died," Panish said. "Michael has taken responsibility."

___

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

Anthony McCartney can be reached at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[ijustcan'tstoplovinguMJ]

IMHO i think murray should have been prepaired for something like that to happen using a major drug is risky and he should have been prepaired to bring michael back if he slipped away!
and another thing when he was resussitating michael he should have kept going and not stopped to hid the bottles. i read this somewhere that he stopped trying to bring michael back just to hide the bottles! if this is wrong someone please redirect me!

[Admin]

Murray never tried to resuscitate Michael. he is a liar. Michael passed when Murray was not aware of his situation - I believe he fell asleep after all the late night drugging of Michael. He was faking with the paramedics-and they knew it. They thought he was crazy and we all know now he was just covering his BUTT! The dude is evil period!

[ijustcan'tstoplovinguMJ]

oh ok! thank you! he is "a cold man" sorry lol! he is evil!

[MJ Mod]

Michael Jackson's oldest son, Prince, and other relatives to be called to testify at trial

By: The AP
June 25, 2013

A lawyer for Michael Jackson's mother says the entertainer's oldest son Prince will testify in the family's negligence case against concert promoter AEG Live LLC.

Attorney Brian Panish expects the 16-year-old to take the witness stand on Wednesday, becoming the first of three Jackson family members to testify.

Panish also wants to call TJ Jackson, the co-guardian of Jackson's three children, and TJ's brother Taj.

Prince Jackson is listed as a plaintiff in the case filed by his grandmother against AEG Live. The lawsuit claims AEG negligently hired the doctor who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.

AEG denies wrongdoing and says it did not hire the doctor.

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Testimony in Jackson case focuses on paparazzi

By: Anthony McCartney
June 27, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scrutiny by paparazzi has made it more difficult for the children of Michael Jackson to grieve for their dead father, a family cousin who serves as co-guardian of the singer's children told a jury on Thursday.

TJ Jackson said the three children don't like the attention, and he supports any legislative effort to curb photographers from pursuing images of the sons and daughters of celebrities.

"In my opinion, I know it's making everything harder for the kids to grieve and recover and progress," Jackson said.

The comments came as Jackson testified during a civil trial involving the death of the pop star about his relationship with his famous uncle and the singer's parenting of his children.

He cited remarks made Tuesday by Halle Berry in Sacramento as the Legislature considers a bill that would change the definition of harassment to include photographing or recording a child without the permission of a legal guardian.

Anyone convicted of a first offense could spend between 10 days and a year in jail.

TJ Jackson said he had to consider whether Michael Jackson's youngest son Blanket should attend martial arts classes on Tuesday because photographers would be interested in getting a shot of the 11-year-old on the fourth anniversary of his father's death.

TJ Jackson is Tito Jackson's son and a member of the musical group 3T with two of his brothers.

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Stylist warned Jackson manager singer might die

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY and SARAH PARVINI
June 28, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's longtime stylist told jurors Friday that she tried to warn the singer's manager that concert promoter AEG Live LLC would look responsible if the singer died because of numerous signs his health was declining.

Hair and makeup artist Karen Faye testified about two emails she sent to Jackson's manager Frank Dileo within the five days before the singer's death that his health was deteriorating. In one of the messages, Faye warned Dileo that he and AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips might become "villains" or "financial victims" if Jackson were to die while preparing or performing a series of comeback shows called "This Is It."

Faye said she struck a dire tone in the messages because she felt that earlier concerns about Jackson's health had been ignored.

Faye sent the warning that Jackson may die in a message on June 20, 2009 — five days before the singer died of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol. Two days later, on June 22, she sent the warning about Dileo, Phillips and tour director Kenny Ortega being held financially responsible for the entertainer's demise.

"I don't think you, Kenny, or Randy deserve becoming the villains, or the financial victims," her email states. She wrote that the message was "between you and me alone."

She told jurors she was concerned the men "could be responsible for that in some way. Just kind of like where we are right now," she said, referencing Katherine Jackson's ongoing civil case against AEG Live.

Ortega was initially sued by Jackson's mother, but was dismissed from the case.

Faye's emails described Jackson as emaciated, paranoid and unable to perform. She told jurors Friday that while the singer's performances dramatically improved in his final two rehearsals, she was still not convinced he would be able to perform the 50-concert schedule of "This Is It," let alone its premiere.

Katherine Jackson claims AEG executives missed signs about the singer's health and failed to properly investigate the doctor convicted of administering a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

AEG denies it hired Conrad Murray, the former physician convicted of giving Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol. The company also denies it pushed Jackson to rehearse.

Faye told jurors that she was never pressured by AEG executives Randy Phillips or Paul Gongaware to get Jackson to rehearse.

The stylist testified earlier in the trial that she overheard Gongaware tell Jackson's assistant to get him out of a locked bathroom and to a rehearsal. Gongaware denies that conversation ever happened.

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Doctor witness in Jacksons V AEG case says he thought Michael Jackson had a drug problem.

By: Anthony McCartney
July 8, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor who treated Michael Jackson during a 1993 concert tour that had to be canceled when the singer entered rehab testified Monday about the signs that led him to conclude the singer had a problem with prescription pain medications at the time.

In videotaped testimony, Dr. Stuart Finkelstein said he was later asked by concert promoter AEG Live to act as Jackson's personal physician during the ill-fated "This Is It" tour in 2009 but wanted to know if Jackson was "clean."

AEG executive Paul Gongaware said he didn't believe Jackson had any prescription drug issues, Finkelstein testified.

Finkelstein's testimony was recorded during a February deposition that was played for jurors hearing a negligence lawsuit by Jackson's mother against AEG Live LLC. Katherine Jackson claims AEG failed to properly investigate another doctor who later gave her son an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and that the company ignored warning signs about her son's health.

Finkelstein said he first suspected Jackson had a dependence on pain medications in 1993 while working on the "Dangerous" tour. He recounted spending 24 hours in the singer's hotel suite and administering morphine intravenously to deal with Jackson's pain.

He said he gave Jackson morphine during their first meeting because the singer's buttocks were scarred from previous unspecified treatments and he was concerned about giving an injection of the painkiller Demerol.

He said he also noticed that Jackson appeared to have a high tolerance for morphine and had on a patch that administered another opiate drug.

Finkelstein said he gave Jackson one other painkiller treatment before the "Dangerous" tour was halted after what he described as an intervention by Elizabeth Taylor and others in Mexico City.

The doctor, who now specializes in addiction medicine and works for concert promoters treating injuries to performers, said he relayed his concerns about Jackson's painkiller use to Gongaware, then a "Dangerous" tour worker.

Gongaware is now a top AEG Live executives and a friend of Finkelstein, the physician said.

Finkelstein said he and Gongaware had five to 10 conversations in 2009 about working on Jackson's "This Is It" shows. Finkelstein said he wanted $40,000 a month and was not hired.

Jackson died after Dr. Conrad Murray administered an overdose of the anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009. Murray, who agreed to work on the "This Is It" shows for $150,000 a month, provided Jackson with propofol as a sleep aid.

AEG Live denies it hired Murray and says it bears no responsibility for Jackson's death.

Finkelstein is the first medical professional who treated Jackson to testify in the case, now in its 11th week.

Last week, jurors heard from addiction medicine specialist Dr. Sidney Schnoll, a paid expert witness who said he did not see anything in Jackson's medical history that indicated the singer was addicted to any medications. His analysis was based on medical records that dated back to the late 1990s, after the "Dangerous" tour.

Finkelstein said many of his records involving his "Dangerous" tour treatment of Jackson had been stolen.

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DIRECTOR SAYS JACKSON'S BEHAVIOR FRIGHTENED HIM

By: Anthony McCartney
July 10, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The director of Michael Jackson's ill-fated comeback concerts told a jury on Wednesday that he was frightened when Jackson was shivering and seemed lost at one of his final rehearsals.

The rehearsal occurred six days before Jackson died in June 2009, Kenny Ortega testified during a lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother.

"I saw a Michael that frightened me," Ortega said, calling Jackson's appearance "very, very troubling."

Jackson's condition prevented the singer from rehearsing that day. Ortega said.

The director-choreographer also said Jackson had missed numerous rehearsals for his planned "This Is It" concerts and appeared to be under the influence of a substance on at least four occasions when he did attend the sessions.

Jackson's state was "fairly obvious" to others involved in the production, he said.

Ortega later broke down while reading an email he sent to the CEO of concert promoter AEG Live LLC describing Jackson as a "lost boy." The singer's mother Katherine Jackson also appeared to cry during the court proceedings in which her son's final days were described.

Ortega testified in the negligent hiring lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother against AEG Live.

She claims the company missed warning signs about her son's health and failed to properly investigate the doctor later convicted of involuntary manslaughter after giving him an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.

AEG denies it hired Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. The company also says there was no way it could have known the doctor was giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid.

Ortega previously detailed his observations about the June 19, 2009, rehearsal during Murray's criminal trial.

The director said he repeatedly called Murray that night, but his only concern was for Jackson's health. Ortega and Jackson worked on two previous concert tours and had been friends for years.

Jurors hearing the case have heard about Jackson's inability to rehearse from other witnesses, but Ortega was the highest-ranking tour worker to testify at the civil trial and had the most direct contact with AEG executives and Jackson.

He told the jury he had to work directly with Murray to coordinate Jackson's rehearsal schedule.

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AEG attacks projection of $1B earnings for Jackson by Anthony Mccartney, AP

July 16,2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An expert who projected Michael Jackson could have earned more than $1 billion on his comeback concerts testified Tuesday that his analysis didn't include a breakdown of the singer's yearly earnings over his lifetime and projected a longer concert tour than the superstar had ever performed.

Arthur Erk, a certified public accountant who is an expert in musician's royalties, said his analysis didn't take into account thousands of pages of figures detailing Jackson's spending over the years.

His projection that Jackson would have earned between $1.1 billion and $1.5 billion if he performed a 37-month, 260-show tour and crafted a Las Vegas show came under attack Tuesday by a lawyer for concert promoter AEG Live LLC. He said his figures were a conservative estimate of Jackson's earning potential if he had lived.

Erk is testifying for Jackson's mother in her lawsuit against AEG Live, claiming the company is liable for her son's death because it failed to properly investigate the doctor who administered a fatal overdose of an anesthetic propofol in June 2009. At the time of his death, Jackson was preparing for 50 comeback concerts in London called "This Is It," but there was the possibility the singer would have embarked on a worldwide tour.

The accountant based his calculations on documents prepared by AEG, but on cross-examination conceded that the company never projected the singer would earn more than $1 billion after the "This Is It" shows opened. He said he didn't have information regarding Jackson's earnings over his lifetime.

Erk's estimate contemplated Jackson receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in merchandise, endorsement deals and royalties from a Las Vegas show based on his music and archival footage.

AEG Live attorney Sabrina Strong showed Erk a chart that showed that Jackson's three previous solo tours comprised 275 shows over a 10-year span. She challenged Erk's contention that he was being conservative by projecting Jackson would have performed 260 shows over a three-year period.

Strong also attacked Erk's calculation that Jackson would have spent $134 million between ages 50 and 65. She cited testimony from Jackson's former business managers and accountants in depositions that Jackson was historically outspending his earnings by millions of dollars each year. She questioned why Erk and associates who helped him compile his analysis didn't review tens of thousands of pages that detailed Jackson's spending over the years.

Erk said that wasn't part of his job as a hired expert and he relied on figures about Jackson's monthly spending prepared by the singer's accountant before his death.

"We boiled down what we thought was necessary to do the calculations," Erk said.

Jackson died an estimated $400 million in debt.

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Promoter plotted out worldwide tour for Jackson

By: Anthony McCartney
July 17, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Documents displayed for a jury Wednesday showed the promoter of Michael Jackson's ill-fated comeback concerts had contemplated a worldwide tour for the entertainer in the year before his death.

The documents prepared by AEG Live LLC envisioned 186 shows, with Jackson earning $132 million for his performances — far less than the $835 million that an accountant who previously testified for the Jackson family had projected the singer would pocket from 260 shows around the globe.

The company's plans and calculations were presented to jurors hearing a negligent hiring lawsuit filed by Katherine Jackson against AEG Live. Katherine Jackson's lawyers used the tour schedule to show the company had plans to mount an international comeback for the entertainer and that their expert's assertions were supported by AEG's own plans.

The AEG Live figures were intended to counter the previous estimate of Jackson's earning power prepared by certified public accountant Arthur Erk.

Erk had said Jackson could have earned more than $1 billion if merchandise sales, endorsement deals and the creation of a Las Vegas show were included in his take.

However, a lawyer for AEG Live got Erk to concede Tuesday that his projections were not based on historical figures of Jackson's earnings or spending.

The touring schedule drafted by AEG Live in September 2008 included shows in Europe, India, Australia and the United States. It was prepared by a top AEG Live executive trying to coax Jackson back on stage for the first time in more than a decade.

Jackson eventually agreed to do a series of concerts in London's O2 Arena. He died in June 2009 while rehearsals were underway for the "This Is It" shows.

His last tour had been in 1997, but the singer was scheduled to perform 50 shows in London beginning in July 2009. Jackson had not agreed to perform shows in any other countries.

Jackson died of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol administered by a doctor in June 2009. His mother claims AEG Live failed to properly investigate the doctor who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

A jury of six men and six women is hearing the lawsuit and would consider possible damages if AEG is found liable.

The company denies it hired the doctor or bears any responsibility for the superstar's death.

AEG Live projected that Jackson would earn between $22 million and $30.7 million for the London "This Is It" shows. The singer did not have any sponsorship or endorsement deals for performances.

Jurors also watched a clips from deposition testimony by Jackson's daughter Paris, who said her father told her that he didn't plan to perform after the London shows but did intend to take his children on a worldwide tour.

"He still had a lot of music that he was still working on, but he kind of needed to relax," Paris Jackson said.

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Michael Jackson's Mother Begins Testimony

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY
July 19, 2013

Michael Jackson's mother tearfully described finding out about her son's death and testified on Friday that she had expressed concerns about his comeback concert schedule to the promoters of the shows.

Katherine Jackson said she called Randy Phillips, the CEO of AEG Live, to voice her view that her son could have done 50 shows — but not if they were spaced closely together.

"He couldn't do every other night like AEG wanted him to do at first," she said.

Jackson also said she had called her son's manager, Tohme Tohme, to raise concerns about the "This Is It" schedule.

She didn't provide any additional details about the calls.

Jackson was expected to be the final witness called by her attorneys in the negligence lawsuit against AEG Live that has lasted 12 weeks. The defense case is scheduled to begin next week.

Her testimony was stopped in the early afternoon after her lawyer said she only had about three hours of sleep Thursday night and was tired.

The decision was made by Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos after defense attorney Marvin S. Putnam asked Jackson several questions about her decision to file the case and she had difficulty understanding and recalling dates.

Palazuelos spoke with Jackson briefly before dismissing her until Monday.

Katherine Jackson has been a courtroom fixture during the civil trial, sitting in the front row as witnesses described her son's creativity and interactions with AEG Live executives.

The Jackson family matriarch sued AEG Live in 2010, claiming it failed to adequately investigate Dr. Conrad Murray, who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving the singer an overdose of anesthetic in 2009.

AEG denies it hired the doctor or bears any responsibility for the singer's death.

Katherine Jackson also said she had heard from her other children that Michael Jackson was abusing prescription medication, but she didn't know what to believe. She said she visited him in Las Vegas a few years ago to ask him about it.

"He promised, he kept saying, 'I'm OK,'" she told the jury. "Sometimes the mothers are the last to know."

She said she told her son, "I don't want to hear on the news that you're not here anymore."

She did not say when the meeting occurred.

Under questioning by Putnam, she said it had been difficult to see and hear unflattering descriptions of her son.

"It hurts to sit here and listen to all these things," Jackson said. "To listen to how sick my son was and nobody was trying to help him."

She said an email written by Paul Gongaware, a top AEG Live executive, that described her son as lazy was especially hurtful.

"My son is not lazy. You don't get to be the biggest," she said, pausing, "by being lazy."

She broke down as she described the day her son died and learning the news from another of her son's managers, Frank Dileo.

"I just started screaming," she said, crying and clutching a tissue in one of her hands.

Katherine Jackson said she had never met Murray before her son's death. She said she saw him pacing at the hospital and had to inquire who he was.

"My son needed another doctor, not Dr. Murray," she said.

The former cardiologist was convicted in 2011 and remains jailed.

Putnam asked Katherine Jackson about her decision to sue AEG Live. She said she didn't discuss it with her children or her grandchildren before filing the lawsuit.

"This was your decision alone," Putnam said.

She said it was.

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Jackson's mother resumes testimony in LA courtroom

By: Anthony McCartney
July 22, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's mother testified Monday that she does not believe her son had any responsibility for his own death.

Katherine Jackson was responding to a question from attorney Marvin Putnam, who represents AEG Live LLC, the promoter of her son's ill-fated "This Is It" concerts.

Katherine Jackson, 83, is suing AEG Live, claiming it failed to properly investigate Dr. Conrad Murray, who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving the singer an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.

Putnam told jurors during opening statements in the negligence lawsuit in April that the case centered on personal responsibility — specifically Michael Jackson's decision to ask Murray to administer propofol as a sleep aid while he prepared for his shows.

AEG Live denies it hired the doctor or bears any responsibility for Michael Jackson's death.

Katherine Jackson said she believes AEG Live hired Murray, not her son. She said she never heard of the cardiologist until her son died, and indicated that she felt Murray bore responsibility for her son's death.

"Even though he asked for it, he could have said no," Katherine Jackson said of Murray.

She said she asked prosecutors to drop a $100 million restitution claim against Murray because he has several children.

"His money should go to the children," she said.

Putnam also asked Katherine Jackson about her son's payments to her over the years. She said he directly paid many of the expenses on her home and would occasionally give her cash as a gift.

Katherine Jackson said she didn't keep track of the payments and appeared to grow annoyed at the questions.

"What does this have to do with the death of my son," she asked Putnam.

The attorney also asked about Katherine Jackson about conversations she had with her son about prescription drug use.

She said she asked him about it when he lived in Las Vegas and he denied he was abusing prescription medications.

"I'm a mother, quite naturally he denied it," she said. "He wouldn't want me to think that."

She said she was aware her son took medications for pain in his back and scalp after he sustained injuries over his career. She said she never saw signs that her son was abusing medications, including when she and several of her children went to the singer's Neverland Ranch for an intervention.

Her son was fine but upset that they thought he had a problem.

Katherine Jackson began her testimony on Friday. She tearfully described learning about his death and told jurors that he had been her primary means of financial support throughout his life.

"Michael took care of me, my every need, my every want," she said Friday. "He gave me everything."

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Spectator banned from Jackson trial over photo
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES — A spectator attending the civil trial over Michael Jackson's death was banned Wednesday by a judge after he snapped a photo in a courthouse hallway that included jurors hearing the case.

Earlier on Wednesday, jurors watched the videotaped testimony of a physician who said he treated the late singer to help him stop taking Demerol.

Bailiffs confiscated William Wagener's cellphone and ordered him to return on Thursday to find out whether the ban will remain in place or other disciplinary actions will be taken.

Wagener said he inadvertently snapped the photo on his smartphone while riding an escalator. He cooperated with bailiffs to retrieve the photo and said he did not send it to anyone.

The photo is the latest incident that has raised concerns about the security around jurors hearing the negligence case filed by Jackson's mother against AEG Live LLC. Two alternate jurors were approached by a woman last month who told them not to award any money to the Jackson family.

In recent days, tiny windows on the courtroom door were blocked after jurors reported seeing someone press a camera to the window and snap a photo during the proceedings. Videotaping and photography in the courthouse are banned without a court order, and a judge blocked a request by news outlets to broadcast the trial.

Bailiffs or a court clerk give daily reminders of the courtroom's rules, which include a ban on any transmissions from inside the trial or loud outbursts during the testimony.

Wagener, 67, said he posts updates on the trial on Facebook and YouTube and has sold rights to videos he made during Jackson's 2005 criminal trial. He said if he's banned from the trial, it will hurt his ability to cover the case. He said being in the courtroom is the only way to hear the inflection of lawyers and witnesses and get a full sense of the proceedings.

Earlier, in a videotaped testimony, one of Jackson's former physicians described how in 2002 he placed an implant in Jackson's abdomen to block the effects of opioid medications such as Demerol.

Dr. Alimorad Farschcian said Jackson told him that he wanted to stop taking Demerol for the sake of his children. The Miami-based physician became close to the entertainer after treating him for a sprained ankle, spending time at Neverland Ranch and meeting Jackson's mother on Christmas Day in 2002.

Farschcian said the implant kept the singer off of Demerol for at least nine months and Jackson's mother Katherine seemed pleased when he described it to her and her son showed her the device.

Katherine Jackson testified on Monday that she never saw the device and could never prove her son abused prescription medications.

The Jackson family matriarch is suing AEG Live, claiming it negligently hired another doctor, Conrad Murray, who was convicted of administering Jackson a fatal dose of anesthetic in 2009. No trace of Demerol was found in Jackson's system when he died.

AEG Live denies it hired Murray, and its attorneys have said Jackson hid his addiction struggles, and the company bears no responsibility for his death.

Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos said she would consult with another judge about how to handle Wagener and the photo of jurors.

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Nurse details anesthetic treatments for Jackson by ANTHONY McCARTNEY

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson had a high tolerance for certain drugs and wasn't always forthcoming with his medical history, a nurse anesthetist who treated the singer testified Thursday.

Witness David Fournier told jurors he had worked with Jackson for a decade until the relationship ended in 2003, when Fournier refused to participate in a medical procedure.

Jackson was acting "goofy" and was slow to respond to standard questions before a scheduled cosmetic surgery that was canceled after Fournier refused to administer an anesthetic, he said.

The incident came a few months after Fournier said he had to help Jackson breath while undergoing another procedure and later determined that Jackson had not disclosed a new medical condition.

"He wasn't honest with me," Fournier said.

At the time, Jackson had an implant in his abdomen to block the effects of Demerol and other opiate drugs.

Fournier testified that he had given the singer a relatively large dose of a powerful anesthetic and needed to know how Jackson was going to react.

Fournier testified as a defense witness in a negligence case filed by Jackson's mother against AEG Live LLC, the promoter of Jackson's comeback shows.

Katherine Jackson claims the concert promoter failed to properly investigate the doctor who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid in 2009.

AEG denies it is liable for Jackson's death. Its lawyers have said Jackson hid his prescription drug use from nearly everyone.

Fournier said his incomplete medical records show he administered propofol to Jackson at least 14 times between 2000 and 2003. He estimated he gave the singer the drug numerous other times over the years for a variety of cosmetic and dental procedures.

He noted in his records that Jackson had a high tolerance for certain drugs, which Fournier said could be attributed to a variety of factors, including genetics.

During cross-examination, Fournier said Jackson never requested any specific drugs, including propofol, during procedures or asked to be sedated for longer than was necessary. He said the singer didn't exhibit any drug-seeking behavior or signs that he was doctor-shopping.

Fournier said he knew that Jackson had received an above-average number of anesthetic treatments over his lifetime, and many were related to procedures needed after Jackson was badly burned in a shoot for a Pepsi commercial in 1984.

Fournier said it was not common to administer an anesthetic during cosmetic procedures, but the ones done on Jackson were complex and involved dozens of injections. Some of the procedures were near Jackson's eye and sedation was necessary to keep him still, Fournier said.

Fournier also said he never had any indication that the singer was using propofol as a treatment for insomnia.

Jackson's physician Conrad Murray had been giving the singer nightly doses of propofol as Jackson prepared  for his ill-fated "This Is It" shows.

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Jackson's ex-wife says med visits concerned her

By: Anthony McCartney
August 15, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's ex-wife acknowledged Thursday that she was concerned that some of his frequent medical visits were motivated more by a desire for drugs than by the treatments he received.

Debbie Rowe testified during the trial of a lawsuit that she told Jackson about her concerns when he would go to his longtime dermatologist more than once a week in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Rowe worked in the office of the dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein.

"I didn't understand why he would come in twice in one week," Rowe said, adding that she was concerned he might be in search of drugs rather than treatments for blemishes with collagen injections. "I didn't necessarily see what he wanted to have done."

Rowe has offered a conflicting portrait of Jackson's medical treatments during her testimony, saying earlier that she never saw him engage in doctor shopping or request specific pain medications. She said many of the visits were legitimately tied to treatments for the skin-lightening condition vitiligo and scars he sustained after being burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.

Rowe, clutching a tissue and breaking down at times, described Jackson as suffering debilitating pain throughout the nearly 20 years that the pair were close friends. She said her husband trusted his doctors and depended on them to give him proper medications.

"When it came to the pain ... it was more begging for relief than anything," Rowe said. "He respected doctors so he wouldn't question what they were doing."

Rowe is the mother of the singer's two oldest children, Prince and Paris Jackson. She and the pop star were married from 1996 to 1999.

She is testifying in a lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother against AEG Live LLC, the promoter of Jackson's ill-fated "This Is It" comeback concerts.

Rowe hugged Katherine Jackson and held her hand during a break in testimony. Rowe was called to the witness stand by AEG Live attorneys but told the jury on Wednesday that she was not testifying for either side and wouldn't have come to court if she hadn't received a subpoena.

Jackson's scalp was badly burned when his hair caught on fire while filming a 1984 Pepsi commercial. The injuries left his scalp with painful scarring that required surgeries and injections of medications to try to lessen the pain and repair the damage.

Rowe said the injuries as well as the effects of vitiligo left Jackson feeling like he was disfigured. The singer was forced to wear wigs and de-pigment his skin and struggled to deal with the effects while in the public eye.

On another matter, Rowe said Jackson was devastated by his divorce from Lisa Marie Presley and because he didn't have any children. Rowe said she told him they should have a baby together.

By that time, she and Jackson had been friends for more than a decade, with Rowe holding the singer's hand as he received injections for numerous medical procedures and talking with him several times a week.

"I wanted him to be a father," she said. "I wanted him to have everything he didn't have growing up. I wanted him to experience it with his own child, with his own children."

Rowe broke down when describing her recent relationship with her daughter Paris. She said she had been in daily touch with the teen until she had to be hospitalized on June 5, when paramedics were summoned to the Jackson family home in Calabasas. Paris, 15, took Motrin pills and cut her arm with a kitchen knife, according to emergency dispatchers.

Rowe was asked how Jackson's death had affected his only daughter.

"She is devastated," Rowe said. "She tried to kill herself. She is devastated. She has no life. She doesn't feel she has a life anymore."

Jackson family representatives have not provided an update or publicly classified her hospitalization as a suicide attempt. Jurors have heard from her older brother, Prince, but have only seen Paris through a couple clips of her deposition and have heard references to her struggling with her father's death.

Katherine Jackson claims in her lawsuit that AEG Live failed to properly investigate the doctor later convicted of giving her son an overdose of the anesthetic propofol while he prepared for a series of comeback shows in 2009.

AEG denies it hired Conrad Murray or bears any responsibility for the singer's death.

Marvin S. Putnam, the company's lead defense attorney, said in opening statements that the case was about Jackson's personal choices and his desire to use propofol as a sleep aid.

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