The defense testimonies against the Jackson family began on Tuesday, beginning with John Meglin, the CEO of AEG Live's Concerts West division. Up until this point, the attorneys for Michael Jackson's mother Katherine and his children have questioned members of AEG and the Jackson family, but now AEG will call its own witnesses. A reappearance of some testifiers can be expected, including Katherine, who wrapped up the prosecution with two days of testimony this week.
Much of the lawsuit revolves around who hired Conrad Murray, the doctor convicted of manslaughter for administering a fatal dose of propofol to Michael. The Jacksons allege that AEG hired the physician, while the company argues that Michael himself brought Murray on. The subject of Murray's hiring was one of the topics discussed by Meglin. He said that although AEG certainly looked into hiring a physician to care for Michael, the $5 million a month salary that Murray demanded was too much for the company to afford. Murray has not testified as to who hired him, as he is currently appealing his manslaughter conviction and doesn't want to be involved in the other legal skirmish.
Much of AEG's defense will aim to prove that Jackson was a drug addict, and his own bad habits led to his death, versus the stress applied by AEG while preparing for the "This Is It" concert series. AEG's lawyer Marvin Putnam said that "all of the many, many doctors" previously employed by Michael would be featured at the stand.
Katherine testified on Tuesday that Michael never had a drug problem, correlating with a letter she and several of her other children wrote to People magazine, accusing it of printing false statements about his drug use.
"We categorically deny ever planning, participating in, or having knowledge of any kind of intervention, whatsoever," the statement read.
However, Katherine's words were called into question when she admitted in court that the family had staged an intervention for Michael in 2002.
"I wanted them to stop lying," she said, explaining the letter. "I was worried about all the lies they were telling about the family."
The "lies" may have resulted in her son's death, unfortunately.
