A Los Angeles jury decided Wednesday that AEG Live hired Dr. Conrad Murray, but also concluded that the concert promoter was not liable for Michael Jackson's drug overdose death.
The jury decided that Murray was competent, so even though AEG Live hired him, it was not liable for Jackson's death and didn't owe the Jackson family millions of dollars in compensation, CNN's Miguel Marquez reports.
"I counted Michael Jackson a creative partner and a friend," the company's CEO Randy Phillips said. "We lost one of the world's greatest musical geniuses, but I am relieved and deeply grateful that the jury recognized that neither I, nor anyone else at AEG Live, played any part in Michael's tragic death."
The verdict brings the five-month-long trial to a close.
"We have said from the beginning that this case was a search for the truth. We found the truth. AEG hired Dr. Conrad Murray, the man who is in jail for killing Michael Jackson," according to a statement from family matriarch Katherine Jackson and her lawyers. "All options regarding the balance of the jury verdict are being considered."
More details emerge into Michael Jackson's life and who was responsible for his death as the Jackson family’s wrongful death trial against concert promoter AEG continues.
Michael Jackson's former wife Debbie Rowe took the stand again yesterday, shedding some light on what it was like to live with Jackson, and what it was like for his kids after he died.
In a second day of testimony, “Rowe mesmerized jurors talking about her life with the king of pop, including his journey into addiction, which she said started after this horrific accident in 1984 that burned Michael Jackson's scalp,” reports CNN’s Ted Rowlands.
But Rowe also dwelled on the good times with her ex-husband as photos of her, Jackson, and their children were shown in the courtroom.
"He wanted to be the best parent he could be,’ Rowe said.
Rowe tearfully testified that in Munich “she saw doctors administer doses of propofol to induce Jackson’s sleep—the drug that eventually killed him,” Rowlands reports.
“She said she told her boss, Jackson's dermatologist Arnie Klein, that she was worried that Jackson was addicted to propofol.”
According to AEG lawyers, that’s the reason they called her as a witness.
AEG Attorney Marvin Putnam says, “I don’t know how she couldn't do anything but help our case, she let everyone know that people in Michael's life were worried about his propofol use as early as the late eighties, early nineties."
But Rowlands says the most dramatic moment came when Rowe was asked about how Jacksons death affected the children.
“She referred to Paris Jackson’s recent suicide attempt saying, ‘She's devastated,she tried to kill herself.. She doesn’t feel she has a life anymore.’”
Sources close to the Jackson family tell CNN that Paris Jackson – Michael Jackson's 15-year-old daughter was rushed to the hospital early Wednesday morning after cutting one of her wrists.
– CNN's Miguel Marquez has the latest from Los Angeles
READ MORE: Michael Jackson's daughter hospitalized
It's a stunning piece of evidence that could help determine the outcome of the Jackson family's lawsuit against concert promoter AEG Live. An email from AEG Live's co-chairman says Michael Jackson's personal physician Conrad Murray needed to get Jackson in shape to perform onstage. CNN obtaining the deposition – exclusively.
READ MORE: AEG exec called Michael Jackson 'freak' before signing concert contract
Katherine Jackson spoke out for the first time after losing custody of her three grandchildren yesterday, telling ABC's Nightline that she's devastated after a judge granted temporary custody to 34-year-old T.J. Jackson.
Jackson also addressed the controversy surrounding her reported disappearance, saying, "I am here today to let everybody know that I am fine and I am here with my children, and my children would never do a thing to me like that, holding me against my will. It's very stupid for people to think that."
Criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson, who is not related to the Jackson family, sits down with Zoraida on Early Start today to weigh in on Katherine Jackson's comments and the custody battle.