Jurors in the Michael Jackson case were shown an email on Monday (Tuesday NZ time) in which the top executive at AEG Live LLC expressed grave concerns about treatments Jackson was receiving from his longtime dermatologist.
The email sent by AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips said the company was “scared to death” of drug injections given to Jackson.
Phillips told jurors the email was a response to a US$48,000 bill that Jackson’s manager received for the treatments by Dr. Arnold Klein.
“He scares us to death because he is shooting him up with something,” Phillips wrote.
The email was sent to Jackson’s business manager Michael Kane after a meeting was held at the singer’s house to address his health and missed rehearsals.
The treatments included numerous shots of cosmetic drugs such as Restalyne and botox, as well as other unidentified intramuscular shots, Phillips said, citing the bill.
Klein’s attorney has defended the doctor’s treatment of Jackson.
Katherine Jackson is suing AEG Live, claiming it failed to properly investigate her son’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, and missed warning signs about his failing health.
Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol.
AEG denies any wrongdoing, and Phillips and other executives have testified during the trial that it would have been inappropriate to ask about or intervene in Jackson’s medical care.
Earlier in the day, Phillips was told by a judge to answer questions posed by a lawyer for Katherine Jackson without arguing and that his demeanour might be hurting his case.
Jurors were sent from the courtroom before Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos addressed Phillips, who has sparred with attorney Brian Panish throughout his testimony. The lawyers have been repeatedly warned by the judge about the behaviour.
“Arguing with the lawyers isn’t really going to help,” Palazuelos told Phillips. “It’s not going to help your case. It’s not going to help anybody.”
Phillips said Panish was repeatedly asking him questions about the same subject.
“I’m just trying not to say the wrong thing,” Phillips said.
The admonition by the judge came after Panish asked Phillips about characterisations of Murray that Phillips made in an email sent five days before the singer died.
Phillips acknowledged that some of the statements – including that AEG Live had checked out Murray and that the former cardiologist didn’t need the job – turned out not to be true.
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When Panish asked if Phillips had acknowledged that some of his statements to the director of Jackson’s “This Is It” shows weren’t true, the executive said: “Honestly, only to stop you from badgering me, yes.”
Palazuelos briefly stopped the testimony and issued the warning.
Jessica Stebbins Bina, a defence attorney for AEG Live, said some of Panish’s questions had been argumentative. The judge disagreed.
– AP
