Michael Jackson Wrongful Death Case: Concert Promoter Not Responsible

Concert promotion company AEG Live, was found not liable for Michael Jackson’s untimely 2009 death by a California jury on Wednesday, October 2, 2013.

Back in 2009, Michael Jackson’s prescribing doctor prior to his death, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of his former client. Dr. Murray was sentenced to four years in prison, but was expected to serve less than two years of his sentence due to California’s growing prison overpopulation problem.

The sentencing of Dr. Murray did not spell the end of the legal battles surrounding the case of Jackson’s death – or the end of legal issues revolving around Dr. Murray himself. On Wednesday, the jury finding AEG Live not liable for Jackson’s death marked the end of a legal “thriller” which began by Jackson’s family point the finger at the concert promoter for the responsibility of Jackson’s death. The family claimed that AEG Live had acted negligently in hiring Conrad Murray, and thus they should be liable for Jackson’s death, especially because a court previously found that the doctor had committed involuntary manslaughter.

This jury didn’t see it that way.

While they did find that A.E.G. Live did indeed hire Dr. Conrad Murray, they also found that the doctor was a competent one. Because of this, the concert promotion company was not found liable in the death of the pop icon, despite a different court’s previous ruling.

The jury’s finding in the Michael Jackson wrongful death case was made based on the particularities of this specific case. Does it mean that a concert promoter, who hires a doctor for a client who later dies, is never responsible for a client’s death? Absolutely not. To be held liable for someone’s death, you need not pull the metaphorical trigger – nor do you have to purchase the murder weapon. Continuing with this line of metaphors, the gun shop could be held liable in a gun crime victim’s death for negligently selling the gun that ended up in the hands of the murderer. Likewise, had the jury found that Dr. Murray was not entirely competent as a medical practitioner, they would have been completely justified in finding AEG Live in Jackson’s death, for the company would have negligently hired an unfit doctor.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by the death of a loved one, and you believe there many be other individuals or parties that share responsibility for the death of the loved one, reach out to us at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg for a free consultation. Call us at 561-266-9191 or email us at daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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