Michael Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson and the children of the deceased pop icon got their day in court as lawyers for the involved parties argued that the lawsuit the family brought against AEG Live LLC during 2013 should receive a new trial. The family had alleged that the concert promoter was responsible for providing Jackson with the services of Conrad Murray, the doctor who applied a lethal dose of propofol and other drugs. Still, the Jacksons face an uphill battle in getting a new decision.
The original trial spanned for nearly five months during 2013 and received years' worth of coverage from tabloids and other media. The original court ruled that there was no indication that AEG was responsible for Murray's actions, or that they hired Murray at all. The Jackson family attorneys allege that the judge in the case was incorrect in dismissing the negligence charges and that jurors were given an "improper verdict form," according to Billboard.
The appellate justices bombarded the Jackson family attorneys (the family did not actually attend the hearing) with similar questions as those that put wholes in their case during the original trial, wondering how AEG would have any knowledge of the dangerous drug regiment the pop star received and what the relationship was between doctor and patient.
"What is the fault of AEG in this?" Appellate justice Sandy Kriegler asked. "I'm just lost in all of this."
Another justice noted that no logical employer would assume a doctor was applying propofol on top of regular sleep aids, an action the court labelled "beyond the pale." The drug is in fact only legally allowed to be applied in a hospital setting, and researchers since Jackson's death have marveled how long the performer was able to survive without REM sleep.
No date has been set for a ruling on whether a new trial will be granted but things don't look good for the Jackson family cause based on the questioning.
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