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Michael Jackson: Tour promoters AEG Live cleared Michael Jackson: Family lose case against AEG Live
(about 2 hours later)
A jury has found Michael Jackson's concert promoters, AEG Live, not guilty of negligence in hiring the doctor who killed him. The family of Michael Jackson has lost a negligence case against concert promoters AEG Live over the death of the 50-year-old pop star.
The Jackson family had been seeking $290m (£180m) for emotional losses, plus an unspecified amount for economic losses - a sum AEG called "absurd". A jury concluded the doctor looking after Jackson ahead of his concert tour was not unfit for his job - and so AEG had not been negligent in hiring him.
Dr Conrad Murray was jailed for four years for involuntary manslaughter over the pop star's 2009 death. Jackson died in 2009 after taking an overdose of a surgical anaesthetic.
Jackson died at the age of 50 from an overdose of a surgical anaesthetic. Dr Conrad Murray was jailed for four years for involuntary manslaughter for administering the drug.
He had been due to stage a series of comeback concerts in London.
"I couldn't be more pleased with the way the jury came out. They got it exactly right," AEG Live lead defence lawyer Marvin S Putnam said after the verdict was read out.
To reach its verdict, the jury of six men and six women had to go through five key yes-no questions seeking to establish whether AEG was responsible for Murray's hiring in the first place and concerning his competence for the job.To reach its verdict, the jury of six men and six women had to go through five key yes-no questions seeking to establish whether AEG was responsible for Murray's hiring in the first place and concerning his competence for the job.
The jury decided that AEG Live did hire Dr Murray but found that he was not unfit or incompetent for the job, which was one of the requirements for the Jackson lawsuit to succeed. The jury decided that AEG Live did hire Murray but found that he was not unfit or incompetent for the job.
In the civil trial, the family claimed the promoters failed to properly investigate the former cardiologist. The company denied hiring Murray, saying the singer insisted on having him as a doctor. Delivering the verdict, jury foreman Gregg Barden said: "That doesn't mean we felt he was ethical."
More than 50 witnesses testified during the trial, including Jackson's mother Katherine and his eldest son, Prince. The ruling was welcomed by AEG Live, who argued that they hired Murray at the request of Jackson and had no knowledge of the star's drug dependency.
Conrad Murray is due to be released later this month after serving two years in jail. "I counted Michael Jackson a creative partner and a friend," said AEG Live executive Randy Phillips, who had testified at the trial.
"We lost one of the world's greatest musical geniuses, but I am relieved and deeply grateful that the jury recognised that neither I, nor anyone else at AEG Live, played any part in Michael's tragic death."
Jackson's 83-year-old mother Katherine was in court for the verdict, and appeared emotional as it was read out, Reuters news agency reports.
Her lawyer, Kevin Boyle, said the family was "of course.. not happy with the result as it stands now. We will be exploring all options legally and factually and make a decision about anything at a later time."
In closing arguments, the Jackson lawyers had suggested the damages they were seeking could exceed $1bn - amounts AEG Live had described as "absurd".
Comeback tour
Michael Jackson died on 25 June 2009 at his rented home in Los Angeles where he was rehearsing for a series of worldwide 'This Is It' concerts.
It was billed as his comeback tour, coming four years after he had been acquitted in a high-profile child molestation case that took a toll on his reputation and his finances.
But the five-month civil case heard about his battles with chronic pain and insomnia and a reliance on powerful painkillers.
He died after Murray administered an overdose of the hospital anaesthetic propofol to help him sleep.
Katherine Jackson and the star's three children had argued that AEG Live were negligent in failing to properly investigate Murray before hiring him and ignoring signs that the singer was in poor health.
The concert promoters said only Jackson and Murray knew he was taking the drug and they would have pulled the plug on the tour if they had known.
More than 50 witnesses testified during the trial, including Katherine Jackson and the star's eldest son, Prince.
Murray is due to be released later this month after serving two years in jail.