LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The CEO of AEG Live offered conflicting testimony Wednesday about Michael’s demeanor as the family’s wrongful death suit against the firm continues. Randy Phillips was called to the stand Wednesday (June 5th) by attorneys representing Katherine Jackson. Phillips is the lead defendant in the case filed by the Jackson family. By Phillps’ written account, in the hours leading up to the March 5, 2009 news conference when Michael announced his This Is Itconcert series at London’s O2 Arena, the star was drunk and despondent. By another account of Phillps’, he was just hungover.
Jackson family lead attorney Brian Panish took issue with the conflicting statements after he called the executive to the stand. “Was Mr. Jackson drunk?” Panish asked. “No, to the best of my knowledge no,” Phillips testified. “Was he despondent?” Panish asked. “No,” Phillips replied.
Later Panish produced an e-mail writted by Phillips to AEG President Tim Leiwicke the day of the news conference. “MJ is locked in his room drunk and despondent,” Phillips wrote. “Tohme (MJ’s manager) and I are trying to sober him up and get him to the press conference.” “Are you kidding me?” Leiwicke responds. “I screamed at him so loud the walls are shaking. Tohme and I have dressed him and they are finishing his hair and then we are rushing him to the O2. This is the scariest thing I have ever seen, he is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self loathing and doubt now that it is showtime. He is scared to death. Right now I just want to get through this press conference,” Phillips writes.
After showing the e-mail to the jury, Panish asked his witness if he had yelled at Michael on the day the e-mail was written. “In the two-and-a-half hours this all took place, if you take it out of context the answer won’t make any sense,” Phillips said. The executive later acknowledged “I raised my voice”. “So the answer is no? Did you or did you not scream at Mr. Jackson? Yes, no or I don’t remember?” Panish asked. Phillips said he couldn’t answer the question.
READ MORE: http://www.jackson-source.com/news/1140-jacksons-vs-aeg-day-24
Source: Jackson Source / MJ-Upbeat.com
Recent Comments