Six men and six women will decide whether concert promoters AEG Live were to blame for the death of Michael Jackson in a $40 billion civil lawsuit that could last three months. The twelve jurors have been chosen after a month-long search, while three alternative jurors still have to be chosen. Opening statements should begin later this week, or early next week, reports said. Jackson’s 82-year-old mother Katherine is suing AEG Live, the promoters of the singer’s ill-fated series of concerts in London, for the wrongful death of her son. She alleges that the company was negligent in hiring Dr Conrad Murray to care for the singer while he rehearsed for the 50 shows. Dr Murray is currently serving time for the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson. The concert promoters argue that they could not have foreseen that Murray posed a danger to the singer, who died from a lethal dose of the surgical anaesthetic Propofol that Murray was administering to help Jackson with sleep problems. Potential witnesses in the trial include Jackson’s mother, his two oldest children Prince and Paris, Dr Conrad Murray, singers Prince and Diana Ross and Jackson’s ex-wives Lisa-Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe. Katherine Jackson and her son’s children are seeking $40 billion in damages for loss of the singer’s earnings and other damages. The final amount will be determined should the 15 members of the jury find that AEG are responsible for negligence in the singer’s death.
