All The Michael Jackson News That’s Fit To Print

Brian Oxman, who represents Joe Jackson, told Reuters the suit will be filed within that timeframe because California law stipulates that wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within one year of a person’s death, and defendants must be given 90 days notice before the filing.

Reuters pointed out that while Murray’s ongoing criminal suit can result in jail time, the main purpose of civil lawsuits, such as Joe Jackson’s, “is winning monetary damages against a defendant.”

Jackson, 50, died June 25 with the coroner ruling his death a homicide caused by acute propofol intoxication, with other sedatives a contributing factor.

The singer hired Murray in May to be his personal physician during his preparation for his comeback “This Is It” tour. For six weeks prior to his death, the Houston cardiologist treated the King of Pop’s insomnia by giving him a nightly cocktail of 50 milligrams of propofol, the generic name for Diprivan, diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine via an intravenous drip.

The amount of propofol given to Jackson “was reckless, and it amounts to second-degree murder,” Oxman told Reuters. “The continuous administration of drugs over six weeks – he (Murray) gave him propofol every night – that is Russian roulette, that is loading six bullets into a gun with only six chambers.”

The lawsuit will also focus on the fact that Murray waited to call an ambulance that fateful day in June. Earlier this month a prosecution report was leaked that included a witness statement saying the doctor stopped trying to resuscitate Jackson in order to collect propfol bottles.

“The bottom line is, had [paramedics] gotten there earlier and had they been called right away, chances are he could have been revived,” Oxman said, according to CNN.

On February 8 Murray pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges after turning himself in at a branch courthouse near Los Angeles International Airport. He was released from jail that afternoon after posting $75,000 bail. He is due back in court for his next hearing April 5. At that point another date will be scheduled for his preliminary hearing.

On a happier note, Jackson is being honored June 14 with an induction into the Apollo Theatre’s hall of fame in New York City. Aretha Franklin will also be inducted. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony will receive the theatre’s arts and humanitarian award.

Jackson and his brothers’ career as the Jackson Five kicked off after the group performed at the historic Harlem theatre’s Amateur Night back in the late 1960s.

The singer and his music are also being celebrated in August with the four-day MJFanvention convention. The event takes place Aug. 26-29 at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville, Ind. Aug. 29 would have marked Jackson’s 52 birthday.

Fans will have the chance to tour MJ’s boyhood home in nearby Gary, Ind., in addition to attending a special tree-planting ceremony as a “homage to Jackson’s passion for the environment,” according to the Post-Tribune.

Jackson family members will be at the convention to take part in Q&A sessions and sign autographs.

Michael’s niece, Genevieve Jackson, is set to perform along with “The Triple Dose Band,” a group led by MJ’s cousin, Keith Jackson.

Tickets are on sale now through the MJFanvention.com. According to the Post-Tribune, around 15,000 fans are expected to attend the convention.

Click here for the Reuters article.      

Click here for the CNN article.

Click here for the AP article.

Click here for the Post-Tribune article.    

Click here for MJFanvention’s Web site.