The ongoing lawsuit brought by the family of pop star Michael Jackson against concert promoter AEG Live continues today with further testimony from Jackson's mother Katherine.
Katherine first made an addendum to statements she made that were shown during a video deposition from 2012. The clip, shown last week by AEG, features the performer's mother saying that she didn't believe Michael would have wanted to tour past the age of 50. The claim seemed to fly in the face of a Jackson family accountant's testimony that the star would have earned $1.5 billion playing more than 200 shows had he not passed away. Katherine clarified on Friday that Michael could have handled the initial series of 50 scheduled shows if they were spaced. out. She said Michael could have handled "a million shows" if they were spaced out, but she says she called AEG CEO Randy Phillips to warn him that the company's expectations for the performer were too much, and he was wearing down.
Jackson passed away due to an overdose of sleep-aid propofol administered by Conrad Murray, a doctor the family claims AEG hired for Michael. AEG has reputed allegations that it hired Murray, but Katherine stated that she didn't know of Murray until after Michael's death.
The mother, 83, was emotional throughout the hearing when speaking about her son.
"The most difficult thing is to sit there in this court and listen to all the bad things they say about my son," she said. "[They] call my son a freak, saying he is lazy. My son was not lazy. That is the biggest lie around."
The judge adjourned the hearing two hours early due to Katherine's physical exhaustion. AEG's attorneys delivered several complex questions in a short span of time, and the mother seemed to be struggling to keep up. Katherine is expected to take the stand again Monday morning.
