Michael Jackson 'made some bad choices'
[1] Michael Jackson's drug-taking meant he "was
playing Russian roulette in his bedroom every
night", a lawyer for AEG Live told the court in the
singer's wrongful death trial.
[5] During closing arguments, Marvin Putnam told
the jury that the star died because of his own "bad
choices". "You can't blame someone else for his
bad choices."
The Jackson family want $290m in personal
[10] damages from concert promoters AEG over his
2009 death. The singer died at the age of 50 from
an overdose of the surgical anaesthetic propofol,
ahead of a series of comeback concerts in London.
The family claims AEG Live failed to properly
[15] investigate Dr Conrad Murray - the former
cardiologist who was convicted of involuntary
manslaughter in 2011 - and missed warning signs
about the singer's health.
But, summing up on Wednesday, defence
[20] lawyer Mr Putnam claimed the star never told the
producers that he was using propofol to overcome
his chronic insomnia. "AEG only learned the truth
after Mr Jackson passed," he added. "AEG would
have never agreed to finance this tour if they knew
[25] Mr Jackson was playing Russian roulette in his
bedroom every night," Mr Putnam told jurors.
'Speculation and guesswork'
Mr Putnam reiterated that it was Jackson, not
AEG, who insisted on hiring Murray - then his
[30] family doctor - as his on-site doctor for the ‘This Is
It’ tour in London. "He didn't ask AEG," the lawyer
said. "He said, 'We're using this doctor'. He was a
grown man of 50 and as a grown man he is
responsible for his own health and his own choices
[35] no matter how bad those choices may be. It was
his money and he certainly wasn't going to take no
for an answer," he said.
Mr Putnam focused on emails and excerpts
from proposed contracts, arguing that there never
[40] was a contract between Murray and AEG. "You
can't negligently hire someone unless you hire
them," he said, adding: "The evidence is very clear
that Michael Jackson was the one who hired Dr
Murray."
[45] He dismissed the Jackson family claim for
$290m in damages, based on the singer's potential
earnings, as "speculation and guesswork". "I'm
sorry, that's an absurd number. And they haven't
even remotely proved it."
[50] Jackson lawyer, Brian Panish, is expected to
have one last chance to respond to the closing
arguments before the jury retires to consider. Nine
of the 12 jurors must agree to secure a verdict.
Adapted from www.bbc.co.uk
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