Jury Decides against Wrongful Death Verdict in Jackson Case

Joseph Tacopina earlier discussed the deposition of Michael Jackson’s children as part of the wrongful death action filed by their maternal grandmother, Katherine Jackson, following the death of her son, pop star Michael Jackson.

In early October, a California jury ruled against Mrs. Jackson and the children of Mr. Jackson. While the jury agreed with the plaintiff that A.E.G. Entertainment hired the doctor whose actions led to the death of Mr. Jackson, the jury, as noted by Joseph Tacopina during discussions, found the company was not negligent in assuming Dr. Conrad Murray was professionally fit to care for Mr. Jackson.

Points about the case include the following:

• In 2011, Dr. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for administering a lethal dose of the drug Propofol to Mr. Jackson. Now that Dr. Murray has been released from jail, he plans to return to work as a physician if he can gain reinstatement of his medical license.
• Lawyers for A.E.G. Entertainment profiled Mr. Jackson as a classic drug abuser, manipulating nurses and doctors to obtain needed drugs. Although emails from A.E.G. Entertainment produced in court described Mr. Jackson as “the freak,” as a business decision, lead defense counsel stated A.E.G. “never would have agreed to finance this tour if it knew Michael Jackson was playing Russian roulette every night in his bedroom.”

In a statement that sums up the lawsuit, jury foreman Gregg Barden noted “[s]omebody had to die for us to be here. … It was really a tragic situation.” Lawyers for Mrs. Jackson state an appeal is possible.

If a loved one is killed due to the negligence of another in New York, it’s crucial to consult skilled legal counsel, such as Joseph Tacopina, about the possibility of pursuing a wrongful death action.