Jackson trial ends with modest victory for singer's mom

by **Admin** Sat Oct 05, 2013 8:20 pm

Jackson trial ends with modest victory for singer's mom
On behalf of Hill, Jordan & Greer, PC posted in Wrongful Death

October 5, 2013

The jury came back with the verdict in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial earlier this week. Having listened to heart-wrenching testimony from Jackson's family and blistering statements from AEG Live for five months, the panel spent just 13 hours answering the questions on the verdict form.

The first question was whether AEG had hired Dr. Conrad Murray as Jackson's personal physician for the concert tour. The panel said yes, AEG had hired Murray.

The next issue to tackle was whether Murray was competent. If he weren't, AEG could be liable for negligent hiring. The panel determined that Murray was competent, putting an end to deliberations and the case (unless the plaintiffs appeal).

Jackson's mother Katherine was happy about the first part of the verdict. She said the family had been trying to prove for years that AEG had hired Murray. During the trial, AEG executives had claimed that Murray was Jackson's employee and that the AEG employment contract found in Murray's car was invalid.

Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011. This verdict, in fact, comes just weeks before his scheduled release from prison.

The highly publicized trial was, for many, exhausting to watch. The details of the singer's life were difficult to hear. The callousness of the AEG executives was, at times, appalling. If there was any one takeaway from the proceedings, it was that the collaboration may have been doomed from the start. Jackson emerged as a troubled figure and in frailer health than the public or AEG realized. AEG showed itself to be completely at sea when it came to dealing with the difficult superstar.

The foreman expressed his feeling to reporters after the verdict was read. He said that, for him, there were no winners in this case.

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