Est. 1998
Murray’s Demand Was Outrageous
Marty Hom a concert tour director testified today that Murray originally demanded $5million to go on tour with Michael, ultimately settling for $150,000 a month. He said that his original demand “raised a red flag,” and was outrageous!
Hom, who testified as an expert witness, also said he would never tell a director he had checked out a doctor if he hadn’t, a reference to claims by the Jackson family about an AEG executive.
A portion of Hom’s March 25 video deposition was played to the jury in the lawsuit brought by Katherine Jackson, who contends that entertainment giant AEG negligently hired and supervised Murray. He administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to Michael to combat his insomnia. AEG says that Michael hired Murray and that any payments the company was supposed to make to the doctor were advances to the singer.
Anschutz Entertainment Group had deposed Hom as an expert witness, paying him $500 a hour. In an unusual move, Mrs Jackson’s attorneys played about 45 minutes of the deposition, taken under oath. Brian Panish, one of the family’s lawyers, said he played the testimony to ensure the jury heard it, even if AEG did not call Hom during the trial.
Hom also testified he had never been on a tour where the artist brought a doctor along, although he later said doctors toured with the Rolling Stones and Blink 182, but Hom did not work with them.
Much of Hom’s testimony centered on the relationship between a tour manager, performer and doctor. A key question in the lawsuit is whether Murray, who was in desperate financial straits, was more concerned with Michael’s interests or AEG’s.
Hom said it was not appropriate for the tour manager or promoter to inject themselves into the doctor-patient relationship.
Asked if it would be OK for someone to speak to the performer’s doctor without the artist present, he answered, “I thought it was the doctor’s responsibility to say no.”
He said he knew of no instance where a promoter or producer had a private conversation with the artist’s doctor.
He testified that when performers were ill, “my natural instinct is to go to that doctor and ask him, ‘Is that dancer going or musician going to be able to make that show in a week?”
Hom also testified that he knew of no instance where a promoter or tour manager paid the performer’s manager.
Mr Panish said outside court that he will later introduce evidence that AEG was paying Michael’s managers, which could be a conflict of interest.
Source: latimes.com & MJWN
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