The defense continued its witness testimonies as AEG aims to reveal how deep pop star Michael Jackson's drug problems were. The Jackson family is suing the concert promoter, alleging that it hired Conrad Murray, the doctor convicted of manslaughter for administering a fatal dose of propofol to the performer. AEG denies the claims and is trying to prove that Michael had a hidden drug problem that resulted in his death.
On Thursday, the company brought to the stand David Fournier, a nurse who had worked for Jackson for nearly ten years. Fournier had ceased his employment with the performer when the nurse refused to take part in a medical procedure, citing Jackson's behavior as "goofy." The pop star was to undergo a scheduled cosmetic procedure, but Jackson was behaving strangely and Fournier thought it unsafe to apply anesthesia. The operation was cancelled and the nurse left during the fallout.
He said that Jackson frequently tried to hide the depths of his alleged addiction. During a previous surgery, Fournier had to assist the performer with his breathing, finding out later that Jackson had developed a new medical condition and had not informed him (the condition was not revealed in court). Fournier explained that Jackson had an implant in his abdomen that dumbed down the effects of drugs such as Demerol and other opiates. The judge then told the nurse that the implant could not be commented on, as Fournier had never seen it and it was therefore hearsay. Video depositions of Jackson's other doctors also indicated the existence of the implant however.
Fournier also testified that Jackson had a high tolerance for some drugs, although he couldn't say for certain the cause was because of heavy use or genetic factors.
The defense testimony will continue next week, when AEG is expected to bring to the stand Debbie Rowe, a former nurse for Jackson and the mother of his children, Prince, Paris and Blanket.
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