A judge ordered Michael Jackson's doctor to show up to court Wednesday when he deals with the possibility of delaying the start of the trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
"The defense is not 100 percent ready at this time," said defense lawyer Michael Flanagan. "We are in the process of getting ready."
In response, the Pastor said he was speechless.
Under fire, the defense says they were unable to get evidence from the coroner's office. They also want surveillance video from the mansion from the Los Angeles Police Department.
While Pastor aimed his remarks at the defense counsel, he also put the prosecution team on notice. Pastor has lectured attorneys from both the prosecution and the defense about their obligations to share what evidence they plan to use.
Murrays says he is innocent of causing Jackson's death. Yet Murray's defense attorneys have not produced witness statements and reports from defense experts, which they need for trial.
That's not fast enough for the court. Despite multiple warnings, the defense says they may not be able to do that until the trial is underway.
"The defense is not 100 percent ready at this time," said defense lawyer Michael Flanagan.
A new controversy in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray: This one centers around an attorney Murray wants to hire. That attorney once worked for one of Michael Jackson's lawyers. There was a court hearing on the case Thursday.
Lawyer Nareg Gourjian used to work with Mark Geragos. Geragos defended Michael Jackson in the lead-up to the pop star's trial on molestation charges.
The question for the judge in Murray's trial is whether Gourjian might have confidential information about Jackson that could now be turned around to defend Murray.
Both the judge and Geragos are concerned about a potential conflict of interest.
"It's a very difficult situation. I love Nareg like a son. He used to work for me. But my duty as a lawyer is to protect my client, even after his death," said Geragos.
Geragos was joined in court by attorney Howard Weitzman, who now represents the Jackson estate.
"I'm told that a conflict does exist. If that's the case, then the judge will make a decision, but we're not about to waive any conflict," said Weitzman.
The judge wondered out loud why, out of 51,000 attorneys in Los Angeles County, Murray invited Gourjian to help in his defense. The judge will hear from all attorneys in chambers next week in a on camera exparte for this matter. (This to be held behind chambers off record) as neither party wanted to address publicly.
" This is a recipe for dissaster" Judge Michael Pastor preached on the precendings today in the courtoom
“Sony/ATV is a great company and the Estate owns half of it but no one, not even Sony/ATV, will ever own Mijac while John McClain and I remain in charge.” JOHN BRANCA
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT JOHN BRANCA ON MIJAC
“Yes, there is a matching right that Michael granted to Sony/ATV but they only get to administer the catalog for a limited term AND only if they agree to unprecedented favorable terms.
We will not relinquish ultimate control and ownership to anyone.
We have favorably refinanced the loans on Mijac which will be paid off and the catalog WILL absolutely be passed to Michael’s children as long as we have anything to say about it.”
Adding “Sony/ATV is a great company and the Estate owns half of it but no one, not even Sony/ATV, will ever own Mijac while John McClain and I remain in charge.”
Branca then went on to explain Sony’s role in Michael’s Estate, “The current Sony team is the one Michael chose to work with on the Thriller 25 release and they are good partners.
As stated in the recent court filings, they worked with us to refinance the burdensome debt that had been placed on Michael’s interest in Sony/ATV to very favorable terms, an important achievement which insures that Mijac and Michael’s masters remain secure for the benefit of Michael’s children for years to come.”
to those such as Banksy who fight the system and proves his work on the street... will he be a no show for the Big Oscar gathering next week?
Corporations like to control things (it’s in their nature), and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a way of thinking, and acting, just like a corporation: as the once-a-year organizing police force of Hollywood pageantry and taste. Nevertheless, it still came as a bit of a shock when the Academy laid down the law to Banksy. He’s the super-secretive and mysterious outlaw wizard of street art, the infamous British graffiti prankster — and now filmmaker —
At the very least, he may be the most wanted man in show business. But the Academy doesn’t want him.
Exit Through the Gift Shop is one of the five pictures nominated for an Oscar this year in the Best Documentary category, and a couple of weeks ago, Banksy’s representatives put out a simple request to the Academy. They said that if Exit Through the Gift Shop won, Banksy would like to accept the award without having to reveal his identity.
The Oscars turned him down flat.
Said the Academy’s executive director, Bruce Davis: “The fun but disquieting scenario is that if the film wins and five guys in monkey masks come to the stage all saying,
‘I’m Banksy,’ who the hell do we give it to?” The organization’s executives think that they’re doing preemptive damage control, but what they’re really doing is blowing a rare opportunity.
Because a little dose of Banksy is exactly what Hollywood, and the Academy Awards, need.
Despite his film "Exit Through the Gift Shop" being nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary in this year's Academy Awards, people close to the film say the artist won't show up. If he does will he be in disquise word on the street possibly dressed as a monkeyman maybe 4- 5 of them all looking alike...He will steal the show.
"It's beautiful. Things people don't have the courage to do -- he's doing."
parts of the music company EMI which they seized control
of from British financier Guy Hands this month, plans to put
the company up for sale shortly, the newspaper said.
Several potential bidders for Warner Music, including Clive Calder, founder of Zomba, Russian investor
Leonard Blavatnik, Universal Music, Sony Music and several private-equity firms might also be interesting in buying EMI.
Some of those names are also considered potential buyers of EMI, which Citi took control of after Hands' private-equity firm, Terra Firma, struggled to meet the terms of its loan agreements.
Warner's private-equity backers --Thomas H. Lee Partners, Bain Capital and Providence Equity Partners --have to decide whether to totally cash out of the music business or just sell the publishing arm.
Warner Music Group is rushing a sale of the company before EMI Group Ltd. comes up for auction and has so far attracted more than 20 potential bidders, the New York Post reported, citing unidentified persons.
Jackson’s original stake would shrink as more investors
entered the Goldman-crafted venture. “Like Bill Gates, [Jackson]
would have a smaller stake in a multibillion-dollar company,”
Goldman declared in a talking-point memo dated April 15, 2003.
News that Warner Music Group is seeking a buyer while it looks to purchase EMI has opened up all kinds of possiblities. Enough to get Mijac Michael Jackson's Music Publishing administrators attention to move over to SONY/ATV and merge the two.
Michael’s MiJac Publishing has been administered by Warner Chappell, part of what is now Warner Music Group. MiJac includes not only Michael’s hits that he wrote, like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” but a vast number of other hits including those of Ray Charles,Curtis Mayfield, and Sly and the Family Stone.
Value: $130 million
Jackson's music publishing company, Mijac, is administered by Warner/Chappell. Based on a reported value for Mijac of at least $75 million in 2005, Billboard estimates Mijac currently has a value of around $150 million. At that value, it generates about $25 million per year in revenue.
In the last 12 months, according to sources, that number could have doubled to as much as $50 million.
Jackson also owns half of Sony/ATV, formed in 1995 when Sony paid Jackson $90 million for 50% of ATV Music Publishing. Barry Massarsky of Massarsky Consulting says that Sony/ATV is comparable to BMG Music Publishing two years ago when Universal Music Group acquired it for $2 billion.
Massarsky estimates Sony/ATV is worth about 80% of BMG at the time of acquisition, or $1.6 billion. Jackson's share is half that, or $800 million.
Based on a multiple of eight to 10 times net publisher's share, Jackson's share of the company's revenue is $80 million per year.
A simultaneous sale of the two companies might make it harder for them to find buyers, the Post said. Some units, such as Warner Music’s Warner/Chappell publishing business would compete with a similar bigger division at EMI, the newspaper said.
According to sources, this arrangement was written into the MiJac contract with Warner Chappell years ago. It would be triggered by the release of the next Jackson album–in this case, the recent “Michael”–and the repayment of loans.
THE CALL FROM CONRAD MURRAY TO MS SADE ANDING CAME IN JUNE 25, 2009 11:51am
HERE, CONRAD MURRAY IS TELLING THIS WOMAN "OH, I'M GOING TOTAKE YOU TO SEE MICHAEL JACKSON" Phone records show Dr. Murray`s call to Sade was at 11:51 a.m. that day. The call to 911 placed at 12:21. So did Sade actually hear the horrifying sound of Michael Jackson gasping his final breaths and, if so, why the delay between what she heard and the 911 call?
Aired February 3, 2011 - 19:00:00 ET (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s pumping his chest, but he`s not responding to anything, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did anybody witness what happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, just the doctor, sir. The doctor`s been the only one here.
SADE ANDING, DR. MURRAY`S FORMER GIRLFRIEND: I feel like it was my fault. I really felt like, if he wouldn`t have called me, maybe all that stuff that happened wouldn`t have happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, shocking claims from a devastated woman who says she was on the phone with Michael Jackson`s personal physician at the very moment Michael Jackson was dying.
Sade Anding told ABC`s "Good Morning America" about a bizarre call she got from Dr. Conrad Murray, who she says had been pursuing her romantically.
ANDING: I`m like, "Hey, what are you doing? What`s up?"
He just said, "Well," and then he took forever. And that`s when I realized he wasn`t even on the phone.
I`m like, "Hello? Hello?" It sounded like maybe it was in his pocket or something, because there was noise like (HISSING). And I heard like coughing and like (COUGHS) and like mumbling of voices.
He never got back on the phone. And then I hung up. And I kept calling and calling, and I kept texting him, and then I never heard from him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Phone records show Dr. Murray`s call to Sade was at 11:51 a.m. that day. The call to 911 placed at 12:21. So did Sade actually hear the horrifying sound of Michael Jackson gasping his final breaths and, if so, why the delay between what she heard and the 911 call?
Straight out to Brian Oxman, attorney for Michael Jackson`s father, Joe.
Brian, so great to have you on ISSUES. What do you make of this jaw dropper?
BRIAN OXMAN, ATTORNEY FOR JOE JACKSON: It`s almost what you don`t hear her say, Jane, that seems be to be the most exciting and the most devastating.
She didn`t hear any screaming. She didn`t hear any, "Michael! Michael, start breathing!" She heard no commotion. A little bit of coughing.
Oh, my goodness, Jane. It`s as if, oh, well, he`s not breathing, OK. It`s what she didn`t hear which is so devastating.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: How do you think this is going to impact?
OXMAN: I think that this business of Conrad Murray making Whoopi with his girlfriend on the telephone is going to really upset the jury. Here he is, he`s supposed to be taking care of Michael Jackson and, instead, while the man is dying, he`s there talking to his girlfriend, making all kinds of innuendoes to her about how he`s going to take her here and going to take her there.
I`m sorry. It`s just grossly negligent. It`s reckless.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sade Anding`s interview on ABC`s "Good Morning America" turned out to be a shocker to her, too. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He told you he had two kids? ANDING: He told me he only had two kids. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had seven. ANDING: He had seven? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He told you he was divorced, and he wasn`t. ANDING: So he was still married? So he`s -- wow. See, he told me he was divorced. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you don`t even know now that he`s still married?
ANDING: No. No. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a shock? ANDING: Yes! That is a big shock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you lie about one thing, you think that`s going to hurt him, too, that he was allegedly lying to her?
OXMAN: You betcha. No question about it. He`s telling every story under the sun. But here`s an interesting point, Jane. It`s she`s a double-edged sword.
Here Conrad Murray is telling this woman,
"Oh, I`m going to take you to see Michael Jackson."
He obviously was so excited about showing all of his friends and girlfriends, lying to them about his marriage, so he could take them to see Michael Jackson. That goes to his intent. He had no intention of harming Michael, and the defense is going to make a big deal of it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brian, love seeing you. Thank you so much for coming on. See you soon.
Kenny Ortega in his fight to be dropped as a defendant in Katherine Jackson's Wrongful Death lawsuit against AEG. Filed by the Boesch Law Firm Representing Mr. Ortega.
Kenneth Ortega was wrongfully and mistakenly named as a
defendant in this case. He has been extremely hurt and mistaken
by this misguided complaint. Publicily naming him as a defendant
allegedly responsible for his friend's death.
Some excerpts from the filing:
The only arguable allegation against Mr. Ortega is that
he is "an agent or joint venturer" with AEG. Not only is
this allegation false and known by plantiff's counsel to be
false but also this bare allegation cannot sustain a complaint against this individual. Kenneth Ortega does not belong
as a defandant in this case. His demurrer should be
sustained without leave.
Plantiff alleges that defendant Ortega was "one of a number of "joint ventures with one another" and thereby owed Jackson a duty as a result of the joint venture relationship. This allegation is without merit, false and known by plantiff's counsel to be false.
Kenneth Ortega is not a joint venturer with AEG in
any business and there is no alleged joint venture at
all regarding Michael Jackson's health care.
It goes on to say : He is not a joint venturer in any business with AEG or Dr. Conrad Murray no elements of a joint venture are pled here.
Defendant Ortega as an alleged agent for AEG the disclosed alleged principal cannot be liable for a breach of contract cause of action.
Plantiff complaint alleges that Mr. Ortega is liable for the actions of Dr. Conrad Murray due solely to the
AEG-MURRAY Agreement .
There is no Ortega-Murray Agreement . There is in fact no Murray-Ortega Agreement.
Indeed, the extent of the allegations is that "AEG falsely
represented to Michael Jackson that they were looking out
for his best interest and well being and that they would provide
a Dr. and equipment to Jackson to keep him healthy."
There is no specification of the substance of the statements nor
any allegations that defendant Ortega himself made any such
statement. Plantiff only alleges that AEG directors and
managingagents including Randy Phillips directly communicated
these representations to Michael Jackson.
Plantiff cannot Plead A contract Between Defendant
Ortega and Jackson As stated in Ortega's Demurrer there
are no charging allegations against Ortega.
He is not a party to the AEG-Jackson Agreement .
This fact would be clear had plantiff attached the Agreement
to their complaint or properly alleged to the terms.
Futhermore, there is no allegation anywhere in the complaint that Defandant Ortega is a party to the AEG-JACKSON AGREEMENT. Without any allegation of an independant contractual between Ortega and Jackson, no cause of action can properly be pled against
Defendant Ortega for a breach of contract.
The demurrer to the first cause of action should be sustained without leave to amend.
