Jackson – AEG trial DAY 52. KATHERINE JACKSON’S TESTIMONY and $5 for the privilege of knowing the TRUTH

There are two reasons for this post. One is to make a summary of Katherine Jackson’s testimony on Friday July 19^th and the second is to talk about those of us who use the court transcripts from TeamMichaelJackson. 

TEAMMICHAELJACKSON NEEDS HELP

Judging by the SOS tweets coming from the Team the situation with funds for the scripts and the Team member’s health is indeed desperate and the worst part of it is that very few in the fan community are giving a damn.

Everyone wants to have the transcripts but all have their reservations when it comes to donate a dollar for making the transcripts happen.

If people are afraid that Taaj Malik will make a fortune out of our donations they are wrong – the cost of the transcripts is much higher than the scarce sums occasionally dropping in towards buying them.

Some may not be supporting because of the Team’s openly anti-Estate position. I don’t like their vehemence against the Estate either especially since up till now we have not seen any serious arguments in favor of so much hate for the Estate.  I’m constantly on the look-out and waiting and waiting and waiting for something really incriminating to surface at this trial, but have not seen anything really substantial yet. 

The email sent by Branca on June 20^th enquiring about a possible substance abuse and offering help cannot be in any way thrown against him firstly because 1) he offered qualified medical help which was blatantly rejected, and secondly because 2) Branca knew of Michael’s condition in 1993 and had not met him for several years before 2009, so based on his earlier experience had valid reasons to suspect a relapse. He did not observe Michael’s state on a daily basis like AEG did and only heard about it from other people’s accounts and still he offered immediate help – only they didn’t pay any attention to it.

In short throwing Branca into one pile with AEG would be a tremendous bias. At the moment I don’t see anything about his actions bad enough to outweigh the great job he is doing to repay MJ’s debts (I’ve read on TMJ that they nearly finished with repayment of $400mln).

But though the TeamMJ curses against Branca do make me unhappy I am ready to put all differences aside until better times and acknowledge that the TeamMJ’s efforts in determining the truth about Michael’s death and seeking justice for him are purely heroic.

Doing what they are doing – on a daily basis and for several months too – is nothing short of heroism and a great example of selflessness which people these days lack very much indeed.

So it is absolutely indecent of us to take advantage of the Team and Taaj’s efforts and not contribute to their work or alleviate their burden at least a little bit. Saying a mere ‘thank you’ for their heroism and back-breaking toil is a somewhat inadequate reaction. The job they are doing is done at the expense of their health, time, well-being and ultimately life.

In this respect they are following Michael’s example, so those who know the real him will know the sacrifice it involves.

The worrying tweets from Taaj Malik of TeamMJ came yesterday, just on the day of Katherine Jackson’s testimony and if I were using this type of language I would also say WTF:

• I have ran myself into the ground, have spent thousands going up and down to court, have compromised my health, and no help from MJFam WTF!!

• YOU KNOW WHAT, Michael was alone whilst alive, alone now DEAD!!!!!

• If you all had a concert to go to, so he can KILL himself, you would be digging deep into ur pockets!!! I FEEL UTTERLY ashamed

• ONE PERSON HAS DONATED NEARLY $1,000 she is NEARLY EIGHTY YEARS OLD!!!! SHAME ON YOU!!! All talk the talk cant walk the walk, I cant physically do it any more, I CANT DO IT ANYMORE, JUSTICE4MICHAEL NEEDS HELP

• I don’t have TV firm backing me, paying me wage, i got it all myself! YOU wanna rely on media who didn’t even report Phillips SLAPPED MJ

• Michael has 40 MILLION fans on FB, how many THOUSANDS ON TWITTER???  Seems the only ONE who wants to know What happened to her son is Mrs Jackson, and handful that have donated for transcripts!! Rest can go take a jump!!

• I NEED EVERYONE OF YOU TO DONATE $5 payments via Paypal to Manager@TeamMichaelJackson.com KJ Transcripts coming up in ONE hour

• Those that have already donated, PLEASE do NOT donate again, MJFAM is a family, everyone SHOULD do their part

• My health has deteriorated beyond repair. after treatment yesterday my left side became paralyzed. i collapsed in the street, can’t walk

• I was not able to get to court today which was THE most important day of trial! To stand tall and strong for KJ.

First of all I whole-heartedly wish Taaj good health. It is a hard job to be helping the Heavens – we are only humans and human resources are not limitless, so I do wish Taaj full recovery and getting some good news to raise her spirits a bit.

Secondly, ingratitude is one of the worst sins possible, so if we don’t want to fall into it please rush to their site and donate your $5 each. I will never believe that none of us can afford it, so any remonstrations in this respect are useless. If Taaj receives thousands as a result so much the better – she will be able to use some for mending her health, and we can pride ourselves on helping someone in their time of trouble and doing a little bit of charity on the way. However I doubt that with the present attitude towards donating there is a danger of any surplus money ever.

And third, we need to do it not even for the TeamMJ but for the sake of truth, so that the truth prevails over lies. So discard your last doubts – you are doing it for yourself in the first place.

There is no time to wait, reflect, doubt or debate. Just GO and HELP and you will never regret the good deed done:  http://teammichaeljackson.com/archives/8530

This is the latest of what I’ve read in this connection on the TeamMichaelJackson site:

TeamMichaelJackson’s appeal July 19th, 2013:                                                                                                                                              PLEASE SUPPORT US TO PROVIDE YOU FUTURE TRANSCRIPTS.          We can only provide them for the next ONE week, as donations have run out, we have provided them for the last EIGHT weeks, no notes will be taken, our founder is too sick, this is the only way to get accurate informaiton, which is court transcripts, TRANSCRIBED! Please remember we have reported FACTS left out by the media numerous times. We are getting THOUSANDS of hits daily yet only one or two are donating (95% transcripts purchased have been by TeamMichaelJackson ADMIN! This is heartbreaking, the ones to take advantage of these yet not even donate $5. If all of you donated just $5 each, we can provide them till end of the trial, and get the ones we missed at the beginning of the trial. Please sent payments via Paypal to manager@teammichaeljackson.com

TeamMichaelJackson has already posted the court transcript of Katherine Jackson’s testimony on July 19, 2013. Here are some excerpts retyped from it.

EXCERPTS

Panish: Is it difficult for you to come here and bring up a public matter like this in front of the public?

K.Jackson: Yes, it is. The most difficult thing is to sit here in this court and listen to all the bad things they say about my son.

Q. Why is that difficult for you?

A. Well, a lot of the things that have been said are not the truth. He’s not here to speak for himself.

Q. So are you here to speak for your son, Michael?

A. I’ll try my best.

Q. And why is it that you’re here to testify today?

A. Because I want to know what really happened to my son, and that’s why I’m here.

Q. And do you believe that your son was a bad person, or some of the things that have been said? And the Defendants have said, “It’s ugly,” and they’re “Going to expose the ugly of your family and your son.” Mr. Putnam said that at the beginning of the case. Do you believe that’s the case?

Mr. Putnam: Objection, your honor. Misstates the testimony and my comments.

Q, Mr. Putnam said in his opening statement. Did you sit here, hear his opening statement?

A. Yes, I did.

Q. Did Mr. Putnam take your deposition for many days?

A. Yes, he did.

Q. Did he ask you many questions you didn’t like?

A. Yes, he did.

Q. And how does it make you feel to hear that they’re going to tell everyone that your son is a bad person?

A. Makes me feel real bad, because I know my son was a very good person. He loved everybody. He gave to charity. He’s in the Guinness book of records for giving the most to charity of all the pop stars. I’m so nervous. I’m sorry.

Q. Did you have any health issues, Mrs. Jackson, when you were growing up?

A. Yes. I had polio as a child. It was – at that time it was called infantile paralysis because most babies got it at the time. But President Rossevelt had it also and he started the March fo Dimes. And that was back in the ‘40s when I was in school.

Q. And how did that affect you when you were growing up?

A. Uum, I wore a brace from the age of 7 up until –

Q. You wore braces?

A. Just one brace on my left leg, and wore it up until the age of 9.

Q. How did that make you feel as a youngster?

A. I was shy.

Q. How was your son Michael with children who had disabilities?

A. Michael loved all children, but especially the ones who couldn’t care for themselves or had something wrong with them. Everywhere he would go, he would go to the orphanages and would go to the hospitals visiting children. He would always give money for disabled children. And when he was young, he would always have someone visiting from Make a Wish foundation. Michael would spend all day with them, have lunch with them, play with them.

Q. How did you all fit in that house?

A. I had triple bunk beds, and the largest bedroom was the boys’ room. And Joe and I had a room. And then I – the two girls at the time, La Toya and Rebbie, they slept in the living room on a let-out couch, pull-out couch.

Q. And then did your boys – -they they sing together at any time then?

A. Yes, they did. Sometimes by them sleeping in the room together, sometimes I’d wake up to them harmonizing and singing.

Q. And what kind of a – how did six people fit in three bunk beds? Triple bunk beds.

A. Okay. Jackie was the oldest so he had a bunk to himself.

Q. He got his own bunk?

A. Got his own bunk. He was the lucky on. And the others doubled up, other two. Randy was a baby, so he was in a crib in our room.

Q. Okay. So two, two and one?

A. Right.

Q. Did you always have a lot of money?

A. No, not at all.

Q. Were you able to survive and make it?

A. Oh, yes. We — I made some of the children’s clothes. I – and that was the first thing, is clothing and feeding the children. I made a lot of clothes. I watched the newspapers for sales. I bought a lot of things on sale. And sometimes we’d go down to the Salvation Army when shoes were wearing out, and sometimes we’d find shoes for some of them. And we made it that way. And when Joe was laid off, us having to live from payday to payday, the money was scarce, and so we had to eat. And so we would never want to go on welfare. So what he did, he went out to the farms. He picked – he picked vegetables, I canned food. And we would always buy – every year we would buy a quarter of a cow or half a cow and keep it in the freezer. And that’s how we survived.

Q. Have you spent a lot of time in your life reading the bible?

A. Yes.

Q. Now, did your children – did they become raised Jehovah witnesses?

A. Some – they were raised, but some of them became witnesses. Michael became a witness, my oldest daughter, and she still is. And LaToya became a witness.

Q. And others went into other religions?

A. They’re not.

Q. All right. We won’t go there.

Q. How old was he? [Michael]

A. Five years old. And he sand “Climb Every Mountain” and I was so nervous when he walked out on the stage, because he was always shy. And he started singing the song, and he sang it with such clarity and didn’t miss – not flat or anything. Joe’s father sat there and cried like a baby. Looked around, and I was crying, too. He got a standing ovation for his performance. And he wasn’t nervous, and I was shocked. And I think he must feel more at home on stage.

Q. How did that make you feel?

A. I felt – I was proud of him because I didn’t think he could do it.

Q. And what did you think when you got to California?

A. I had always wanted to live in California. And when I was a girl, I used to dream of coming to California because it was so much snow back home, cold. And sometimes it would get 10, 15 below zero. And I would go to the movies as a girl, and I would see. And they would always show California – because we got out news sometimes in the theater, especially the war news, and all that. And I always thought when I had to leave the theater and go out in the snow to get home, and my dream was to live in California.

Q. All right. And did Michael like to sit around and watch TV?

A. No. You’d never catch him doing that. And I had to sit here and see that email talk about how lazy Michael Jackson was. That’s the biggest lie in town. My son is not lazy, and you know that he wasn’t lazy.

Q. How was Michael in school?

A. Michael was good in school. He was not an exceptional student, but he was fair student.

Q. Was he as good as Prince?

A. No, not at all.

Q. Okay.

A. Prince is a straight A student.

Q. Was Michael having a lot of success?

A. Pardon?

Q. Was Michael having a lot of success?

A. Yes.

Q. Did it go to his head?

A. No. Michael was the most humblest person you’d ever meet.

Q. Did he continue living with you?

A. Yes.

Q. Until he was 30?

A. Yes. 

Q. Did he ever go out with you – and is part of the religion to go out to people and spread the word of your faith?

A. Yes. Field service, we call it. He had to – the way he’s dressed now. So one morning we got up, and it was the first time that he dressed that way, because people knew who he was, so he couldn’t do field service or kids and people followed him. So he had to try to disguise himself. And the first time he disguised himself, he got a fat suit, not real fat. And I came down, and he had had breakfast. And I was getting ready to go out in field service with him, and I spoke to this man, like “Hello. How are you?” and he said, “It’s me, mother”. But he had to do it.

Q. So he would go out and knock on people’s doors with the suit on?

A. Yes.

Q. He’d get the door slammed in his face?

A. Lots of times. But they never knew who it was, so that was good.

Q. Did your grandchildren, Paris, Prince and Blanket, did they like Neverland?

A. They loved Neverland.

Q. During the time they lived there, were they being home-schooled?

A. Yes.

Q. And we saw a lot of animals that Michael had there?

A. Lots of animals. Funny story is – kids liked to go to Chuck E.Cheese.

Q. Chuck E. Cheese?

A. Yes.

Q. Like pizza? Like a lot of kids running around?

A. A lot of kids running around. So Grace had them at Chuck E.Cheese, and the lady there, she was asking them, “Do you like animals? Do you have any animals?” And the kids said, “Yes. We have an elephant, and we have giraffes,” and just naming all the big animals. And the lady turned to Grace and said, “Don’t they have great imaginations?” Not knowing that they really had those things.

Q. Now, as Michael’s mother, did there ever come a time when you heard news that he had medical issues caused by pain?

A. Yes.

Q. What caused pain for Michael that you were aware of?

A. Well, he had been burnt.

Q. Bad burns?

A. Bad burns on the back and the top of his head. He even had a balloon between his scalp and his head.

Q. Did he get migraine headaches?

A. He got headaches. Very bad headaches.

Q. Was that from the Pepsi commercial?

A. Yes.

Q. And did Michael take money from — that was given to him as a result of being burned from the Pepsi commercial and do anything with that?

A. He took that money, and he donated it to the burn center. All of it.

Q. Did he have other medical conditions and injuries that caused pain?

A. Back.

Q. Back injuries.

A. He had back injuries.

Q. Did he have a skin condition?

A. Yes. He had vitiligo.

Q. What is vitiligo?

A. It’s a disease that turns your skin white. But while it’s doing that, you have – you’re spotted. It works slowly. And so he just wanted to get it over with, and so he just turned the whole thing that way.

Q. Now, did – did you ever discuss with Michael whether he ever had insomnia?

A. You know, he didn’t talk much about insomnia to me, but he would tell me sometimes, “I didn’t sleep last night”, that was when he was at home. So I imagine it was just starting.

Q. Did he trust doctors?

A. Yes, he did.

Q. Do you know who his doctor was? His primary doctor?

A. When he was growing up?

Q. When he got older.

A. As he got older? I know that Dr. Metzger was his doctor even when they were young, too.

Q. Did you ever see him abuse drugs or medications?

A. No. I’ve never seen that in him.

Q. Did you hear that people said that Michael was abusing prescription on medications?

A. I had heard it.

Q. Did you hear it from some of your children?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you believe it?

A. Well, I know he was taking pain pills. And when he said “abusing them,” I didn’t know. Because at that time I had seen Michael so many times, gone to his home unannounced and called him, he didn’t know I was calling him, I never heard or seen him in that way. So I don’t know how to believe it.

Q. Did you or your children ever try to have any type of intervention of any kind with Michael?

A. Yes. I went with them on an intervention once, because – I didn’t want to go, because I didn’t believe it then that he was abusing drugs. But I had heard it from them, and they had heard it, also. But I went because they telling me, “it would mean much more, mother, if you would go.”

Q. So you went?

A. So I went?

Q. And did Michael say he had a problem?

A. When we got there, Michael was fine.

Q. Did you hear of other times that people tried doing interventions with Michael?

A. Not – the children talked about it, but I imagine if they did any others, they did it without letting me know.

Q. Did you know whether he had a problem one way or the other?

A. I couldn’t prove it.

Q. Did you think maybe he might?

A. I kept hearing it. It thought maybe he might. And then I – when I went to his home after he had moved to Las Vegas, and I talked to him about it because I was worried. And he promised, and he kept saying, “mother I’m okay, I’m okay” but sometimes the mother’s the last to know. And sometimes they’re embarrassed and don’t want to let me know. But I was  — I told him, “I don’t want to wake up one morning to the news that you’re not here anymore”.

NOTE: As far as we know when Michael arrived in Las Vegas from Ireland he didn’t give anyone any reason to think that he needed interventions. To me it looks like vivid imagination on the part of some people.

Q. Did you have a family gathering in May 2009?

A. Yes, I did.

Q. What was that for?

A. That was supposed to be for my 60^th anniversary, but it was the wrong time. I think Janet just named it that so we could have an anniversary or a party.

Q. Were you ever asked by anyone to sign anything saying Michael had any issues in 2007?

A. Did I ever? Yes, I did. But you know what? I really don’t remember that thing. But I did sign something. 

Q. I’m going to show you exhibit 1023, a poem he wrote called “Mother.” “Mother” – did Michael write this for you?

A. Yes.

MOTHER by Michael Jackson

MOTHER by Michael Jackson

Mother dear, you gave me life

Because of you, no struggle or strife

You gave me joy and position

Cared for me without condition

And if I ever change this world

It’s from the emotions you’ve unfurled

Your compassion is so sweet and dear

Your finest feelings I can hear

I can sense your faintest notion

The wondrous magic of your love potion

And now that I have come so far

Met with every king and czar

Encountered every color and creed

Of very passion, every greed

I go back to that starry night

With not a fear for muscle or might

You taught me how to stand and fight

For every single wrong and right

Every day without a hold

I will treasure what you’ve mold

I will remember every kiss

Your sweet words I’ll never miss

No matter where I go from here

You’re in my heart, my mother dear.

Q. …How did that make you feel when Michael gave it to you?

A. Well, it made me cry, for one thing. And I felt very – – very loved. I knew he loved me. 

Q. And were you financially dependent on your son Michael while he was alive?

A. Yes. Michael took care of me. My every need, my every want. He gave me everything.

Q. The necessities of life, he provided for you?

A. Yes.

Q. Did he give you gifts?

A. All the time.

Q. Cars, jewelry, mobile homes, things like that?

A. Yes.

Q. Did he give you money?

A. Yes.

Q. Did he give you cash?

A. Always.

Q. Why not checks?

A. He never wrote checks?

Q. Did Michael provide you with moral support?

A. Yes.

Q. Can you tell us how have you been affected by the loss of the love, companionship, affection, support, by the loss of your son, Michael?

A. Excuse me, can you repeat?

Q. Sure. The loss of your son, Michael, the support, the love, how has that affected you?

A. When a mother loses a child, you – no one know until it happens to them. That’s the worst thing that can happen to a person, losing a child. I lost my mother, my father and my sister. I’m the only one left. But when I lost Michael, I lost everything. He was the most loving, down to earth, he loved everybody. Very humble. Very humble. No matter –

Q. Now, Mrs. Jackson, did you think your son could have done 50 shows?

A. Yes. But the only way he could have done them is if they had them spaced out. They couldn’t be every other night like AEG wanted at first. That’s why I kept calling.

Q. Who were you calling?

A. I called Randy Phillips, and I called doctor – what’s the name?

Q. Dr. Tohme?

A. – Dr. Tohme, first. And I told him, “Michael can’t do those shows. They have to change the schedule of it.”

Q. So you were just concerned about the spacing out of the concerts?

A. I was concerned about that. It they spaced it out, he could have done many shows.

Q. Did you visit Michael ever at the Carolwood home?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you go there before he had his press conference in England?

A. Yes.

Q. Before the press conference, did you go in his bedroom?

A. Yes.

Q. Were there any doors locked at that time?

A. No. Every time I went there, we went into his bedroom, and we went into all the other parts of the house. My nephew sitting there now, he would always be with me, and Michael would invite us up there, and we would watch movies, and he would show us different things that he had been doing.

Q. Okay. Now, did you ever know who Conrad Murray was before your son died?

A. No.

Q. Now, how did you hear about Michael’s death?

A. I had been out in field service that morning, and when I came home, I had a call from Joe, my husband, and he told me that one of the fans had called him and said – you know, fans are always hanging around the house outside. And told him that he saw them bring somebody out on a gurney, and he was covered completely up. And Joe called me, and I sort of got angry, and I was scared at the same time. And I said,” Joe, that doesn’t have to be Michael. Why are doing that to me?” So later on I got a call to go to the hospital, because I thought maybe he was sick.

Q. Did you go to the hospital?

A. Yes, I did.

Q. Who was there?

A. Well, I saw some of the people that worked with Michael, and I saw Conrad Murray, not knowing who he was. He was pacing back and forth. And so my nephew and I were talking, Who is this man that is going back and forth? And we saw Frank Dileo, and finally Frank Dileo said, “That’s Dr. Murray”. That’s the only time I knew who he was. And still I was asking him, “Where is Michael? I want to go see him.” And nobody wanted to tell me. And so they took me to a room, and I was sitting in there waiting. And so I guess they were back there debating somebody to come. And so Frank Dileo came and told me that Michael had a reaction. And I said, “Well, how is he?’ And nobody said anything at first. They looked so funny. And I said, “Well, did he make it? Did he make it?” And Frank said, “No.”

Q. What did you do?

A. I was – everything went dark, and I just heard screaming.

Q. Did you see Paris and Blanket and Prince at this time?

A. No. I didn’t see them until later. They took me into a room, and they had two nurses in there. And then they brought Paris and Blanket and Prince in the room. And they were crying so hard.

Q. Was Paris doing anything in particular?

A. She was just screaming, looking up at the sky, to the ceiling, saying, “Daddy, I want to go with you. I can’t live without you. I’m going with you.” That’s all she kept saying. And then they kept going down to the morgue. I guess it was the morgue. Somewhere in the hospital. I didn’t go because I didn’t want to see Michael like that. And they kept going down and coming back and go back again. Finally, La Toya came, and she went down with them. And I said, “What are they doing?” and she said, “They’re hugging their daddy and crying.”

Q. Did – after you left the hospital, did you take the children to Hayvenhurst with you?

A. Yes. They told us that it was time for us to go and that – we had been there for a long time. And Paris and the kids came out, we walked out to the garage where the cars were, and Paris looked at me and said, “Grandma, where are we going?’… And I told her, “Your’re going home with grandma”.

Q. Has it been a difficult adjustment for the children without their father?

A. The two boys adjusted fine. I would say “fine,” but – because you never know with their thinking. But Paris had the hardest time. But I thought she was the bravest because – she had so many pictures of Michael. When I told her I was going to decorate her bedroom, and I bought everything and decorated. And I had some of my pictures for her bedroom. And she said, “I have pictures.” And she had about five big pictures of Michael, and she said, “I want these two over my bed” and over her desk. She had them all over her room. And I was wondering, “How could she do that?” Because I didn’t want to see him; every time I saw him, I felt so sad. The after we moved, she just had a collage. Her whole wall, like the one you saw of the house that Michael did for me. Her bedroom was just Michael’s pictures.

Q. Now, did Paris do something about getting a necklace with a heart?

A. Yes. Before we put Michael away, my nephew and I and Paris and her brothers, she had us running everywhere trying to find this special heart. And it was a heart, a broken heart. And when she got it, she went to the morgue, and she hung one part around her father’s neck, and she wore the other half.

Q. I want to show you exhibit 1034-1. Is that Prince?

A. Yes.

Q. How has Prince been affected?

A. Prince, he talks about his father sometimes. But he has a lot of company with his cousins and things, and he doesn’t show his emotions that much.

Q. He’s more subdued?

A. Yes.

Q. Can you tell he misses his father?

A. Oh, yes, he does.

Q. Now, Paris. Let me show 1035-1. Paris. Did she used to take one of Michael’s shirts and do something with it?

A. Yes. She took his pajama top when he first died, and she didn’t want anybody to wash it. She said, “I want it just the way daddy wore it. I want his scent on it.” She put it in a pillow, and she put a bell around it, and she sat it on her bed, and that’s the way she wanted it.

Q. How has Paris been affected by the loss of her father?

A. Oh, my goodness. She – – one of my grandchildren told me that she would tell them that she wanted to go where daddy was.

Q. She had a hard time?

A. She had a very hard time at first.

Q. Has she had to get medical help?

A. Pardon?

Q. Has she had to get medical help?

A. Yes.

Q. Go to the hospital?

A. Yes.

Q. Has she had a really hard time with the loss of her father?

A. Yes.

Q. How about Blanket?

A. Blanket was young. He was seven when Michael died. He’s 11 now. He’s come a long way.

Q. How often was he with his father?

A. Everywhere Michael went. The other kids were in school, so everywhere Michael went, he took Blanket with him.

Q. Let me show exhibit 1036-1. Is this Blanket?

A. That’s Blanket.

Q. He still have long hair?

A. Yes.

Q. Does he like long hair?

A. He doesn’t want to cut it because that’s the way Michael liked it. He’s 11, but he’s going to have to cut it sooner or later.

Q. You don’t want him with long hair?

A. I don’t want the long hair, but he doesn’t want to cut it so I’m not going to do it to him yet.

Q. Let’s talk about Michael being a father. Do you know if he wanted to be a father?

A. My goodness. More than anything else.

Q. Did you have occasion to talk with him and observe him with children?

A. Yes. Talked to him a lot.

Q. How would you describe Michael as a father?

A. He’s one of the best fathers. You’d be surprised. You would really be surprised at what a good father he was. He cooked for them. He did all these things. And he never cooked before, but the kids thinks it’s the best food they ever tasted.

Q. Did Michael’s writing of music change at all after he had children?

A. Yes, it did.

Q. How?

A. Well, his music was more, I should say, loving, more meaningful. He wrote from his heart more. It just changed his life, and it reflected in his music.

Q. Mrs. Jackson, do you miss you son?

A. Words can’t explain it.

Mr. Panish. Okay. That’s all the questions I have. Thank you.

CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR.PUTNAM

Q. …You initiated this lawsuit against AEG Live, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. And do you remember when you filed this lawsuit, ma’am?

A. I don’t remember the exact time.

Q. If I were to tell you that it was in September of 2010, would that sound right to you?

A. That’s about right.

Q. And you brought this lawsuit on behalf of yourself, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. And you also brought it as the guardian to Mr. Jackson’s three children, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. And was it your choice, Mrs. Jackson, to bring this lawsuit?

A. Yes, it was.

Q. And did you ever talk to Mr. Jackson’s children about whether or not to bring this lawsuit?

A. I never talked to the children about it.

Q. Okay. So this was your decision alone, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you ever discuss it with any of your children prior to bringing the lawsuit?

A. After.

Q. After. And what about with your husband, Joe Jackson? Did you discuss it with him?

A. No, I never did.

Q. So did you discuss this with anybody besides your attorneys prior to bringing the lawsuit?

A. I don’t think so. I can’t remember that doing anything like that. My husband doesn’t live with me, so I didn’t discuss it with him.

Q. And you brought this lawsuit, you said, despite the fact that you’re a very private person, correct, ma’am?

A. Yes, I am. 

Q. Okay. And you said that you brought the lawsuit because you wanted to search for the truth, is that right, ma’am?

A. Yes.

Q. And is that what you’re hoping will come out of this lawsuit?

A. I want to find out, and I think I owe it to my son to find out what really happened to him. I’ve had – heard a lot of stories, and I know and I even heard from my grandchildren after my son died that my son was being pressured, and he was asking for his father. And the kids would tell him he didn’t know what to do. My son was sick, and nobody is like – I can’t think of – Kenny Ortega said that they wouldn’t even hand him a hot cup of tea, and they knew he was sick. And instead of calling – nobody said, “Let’s call the doctor. Let’s see what’s wrong with him.”. Nobody said that. And I was sitting there listening, and I was wondering, and I was sitting there listening to all the names they called. That’s hard for me, sitting in court and listening to them call my son a freak, saying he was lazy. And not too long ago, couple days last week, I had – no, I was – this week I had to listen to a lot of things, talking about how broke he was.  He didn’t take a dime home. But if you know he didn’t take a dime home, why didn’t you look further and see that why he didn’t take a dime home? He gave it to charity, and he gave a lot of things to charity.

Q. And I apologize, ma’am. I don’t quite understand it. When you say “she said,” who are you talking about?

A. You know who I’m talking about?

Q. Who are you talking about, ma’am?

Mr. Panish: Ms. Strong.

Q. Oh, you mean the woman asking the questions?

A. It hurts to sit here in court and listen to all these things about him, defining him as a freak and all of that. It’s hard for me. And then listening to how sick my son was and nobody was trying to help him.

Q. When you say that it’s hard to sit here and listen to people say these things, and you mentioned now a couple times the idea of your son being lazy, you also heard Mr. Gongaware explain that what he meant by that was that your son didn’t like to rehearse. You did hear that, correct, ma’am?

A. All I heard was “lazy”. Maybe he was talking about rehearse, but he’s not lazy.

Q. I understand that. I’m asking, did you hear what Mr. Gongaware actually meant by those words?

A. Yes.

Q. And you heard what he said, that he was talking about the fact that Mr. Jackson historically didn’t like to rehearse?

A. Mr. Jackson was sick and couldn’t rehearse.

Q. Well, for example, you heard the testimony, did you not, ma’am, where it talks about the fact that he didn’t like to rehearse for the Dangerous tour?

A. Yes.

Q. And did you hear the testimony where he said he didn’t like to rehearse for the History tour?

A. No.

Q. No? And –

A. No. I had heard from the tour that he’s taking – was taking now. I never heard he was lazy for the other tours. Michael never rehearsed a lot, because he knew what he was doing, and he knew – and he was part of creating the dances and all of that, so he didn’t need that much rehearsing.

Q. In fact, he often didn’t rehearse because he was doing the same dances that he had created; correct, ma’am?

A. Yes.

Q. And if you recall, the email that Mr. Gongaware wrote, he wrote prior to Mr. Jackson starting the tour rehearsals for the This Is It tour, talking about the idea that he had been lazy on prior tours because he didn’t rehearse. You remember that testimony, ma’am?

A. No, I don’t. I remember him talking about him being lazy, and a lot of things I didn’t hear because that hurts, and I closed my ears to it.

Q. Okay. But you do want to know the truth; right, ma’am?

A. I want to know the truth what happened to him.

NOTE:  Michael didn’t like to rehearse because he was saving up his energy for the shows and knew his own choreography inside out. And Gongaware’s email was dated February 27th when there were no rehearsals yet. His email was about Michael’s unwillingness to go to a press-conference, though now all of them link it to rehearsals. Quote:

Panish: “Read those last two sentences for us, what you wrote there on February 27^th, 2009, sir.” Gongaware:  (reads email)  “We cannot be forced into stopping this, which MJ will try to do because he’s lazy and constantly changes his mind to fit his immediate wants.”

Anyway rehearsing was none of MJ’s duties  – even AEG’s general counsel Shawn Trell says that taking part in rehearsals was up to the artist only and demanding it of him is an insult.

Q. …when you said it’s hard to sit here and listen to these bad things, one mentioned the idea – the email where Mr. Gongaware said that he was lazy, and I’m asking you if you can remember what other bad, untrue things you’ve heard in the last 12 weeks?

A. The called him a freak.

Q. And you’re talking about the email—

A. They were making fun of him. “Finally get a change to meet the freak.”

Q. And are you talking –

A. And you know –

Q. You’re talking about an email from someone who isn’t a party to this lawsuit, correct, ma’am? That was somebody outside of the Defendants in the lawsuit who said that. Do you remember that, ma’am?

Mr. Panish: I’m going to object. It’s not outside the defense. It’s the General Counsel lawyer.

Mr. Putnam: No, it’s not general counsel.

Mr. Panish: It was AEG’s general counsel –

Mr. Putnam: Not true.

Judge: Overruled.

Mr. Panish: — Mr. Fikre.

Mr. Putnam: Mr. Fikre.

Mr. Panish: Yes, Mr. Trell’s boss.

Mr. Putnam: Not Mr. Trell’s boss.

Q. Do you recall that, Mrs. Jackson, that it was actually sent to somebody at AEG Live, not sent from AEG Live. You remember that, ma’am?

A. I don’t know who it was, but I’m just saying that it’s hard to sit here and listen to it.

NOTE: Another lie from Putnam. Mr. Fikre is one of the lawyers at AEG Live and is a member of their board of directors. Even his email address says “aegworldwide.com”. Here is the actual email:

AEG’s lawyers exchanged emails calling MJ a “freak” just before signing a contract with him

Q. … I’m just trying to understand. You said it’s hard to listen to the untruths, and you’re looking for a search to the truth, and I’m trying to think of what untrue things you heard, ma’am.

A. He’s not a freak.

Q. Anything else, ma’am?

A. My son is dead. He’s not here to talk for himself, so anything bad that’s said about him hurts very much.

Q. But –

A. And some people love doing that to him.

Q. Doing that to your son?

A. Yes.

………….

FULL COURT TRANSCRIPT OF KATHERINE JACKSON’S TESTIMONY on July 19^th:

View this document on Scribd

THE ABC7 TWEETS give the short of it:

	Friday July 19th, DAY 52
3	Hello from the courthouse in downtown LA. Day 52 of Jackson family vs AEG trial is about to begin.
4	Katherine Jackson will take the stand today. She’s one of the plaintiffs in the case.
5	Our reporter John Gregory will bring all the latest details on @ABC7 Eyewitness News at 11 am PT.
6	As you know, judge does not allow live tweets from the courthouse. We’ll bring you complete coverage as soon as we can.
7	Our reporter Miriam Hernandez is in the courtroom gathering all the latest info. We are in the overflow room watching the proceedings live.
8	Katherine Jackson arrived at 9:27am PT.  She was wearing a purple and blue abstract print jacket.
9	Brian Panish takes her hand and leads her to the witness stand. Her fingers are curled as she takes the oath.
10	At 9:40 am PT, Katherine Jackson took the stand and was sworn in. She states her full name: Katherine Esther Jackson.
11	She said her date of birth is May 4, 1930, which makes her 83 years old.
12	Mrs. Jackson said this is the first time she’s testified in court and she is a little nervous.
13	Mrs. Jackson: No
14	Panish: Did you get a lot of sleep last night?
15	She said she’s a little hard time hearing. Mrs. Jackson testified she’s a private person, she’s always in the background of her children.
16	The most difficult thing is to seat there in this court and listen to all the bad things they say about my son, Mrs. Jackson explained.
17	They are not true, she said. “He’s not here to speak for himself.”
18	Panish asked if she was here to speak on his behalf. “I will do my best,” she answered.
19	I want to know what really happened to my son and that’s why I am here, Mrs. Jackson said.
20	Panish: How does he make you feel that they said they were going to say you son was a bad person?
21	Mrs Jackson: My son was a very good person. He gave to charity, is on the record for giving to charity. I’m so nervous, I’m so sorry.
23	Panish: When you learned MJ was going to name his son Prince, were you happy?
22	Mrs. Jackson: Very!
24	Mrs. Jackson said MJ named his son Prince because of her family. “He loved my father,” she said.
25	Mrs. Jackson testified the musical talent came from her grandfather on her mother’s side, Columbus Brown.
26	She said her mother would open the windows and his song rang over the valley.
27	Here’s a picture of Katherine and her father with Michael Jackson. It was shown to the jury. pic.twitter.com/HAZ1XVhwwP

Michael, Katherine and Katherine’s father Prince. Q “IS PRINCE A FAMILY NAME IN YOUR FAMILY, MRS. JACKSON?” A. “THAT NAME GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO SLAVERY.
HIS FATHER, HIS GRANDFATHER, HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER, HIS
GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER WERE ALL NAMED PRINCE”.

28	My father taught us to play the guitar, Mrs. Jackson said. Her sister played the cello. “We always had music around the house.”
29	Mrs. Jackson said she had polio as a child, Infantile Poliomyelitis. “I wore a brace on left leg from age 7 to 9,” she said. “I was shy.”
30	Mrs. Jackson said Michael loved all children, especially those who had something wrong with them: orphans, hospitals for disable children.
31	Michael would spend the day with Make a Wish foundation.
32	Mrs. Jackson married Joseph Jackson when she was 19 and he was 21. They lived in Gary, Indiana.
33	They bought a house on Jackson Street. “It was a coincidence,” she said. It looked like a garage in a way. It was a 4 room, 2 bedroom house.
34	She raised 9 children: Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Michael, Randy, Janet
35	Mrs. Jackson said they had bunk beds. Jackie was the oldest, he got his own bunk. Randy was baby, slept in Katherine and Joe’s room.
36	Mrs. Jackson said that sometimes she would wake up to them harmonizing singing. Joe worked in a steel mill, was sometimes laid off 2-4 weeks
37	She took a job, between Randy and Janet, since there was a 5 year gap. She was a clerk at Sears and Roebuck.
38	Panish: Did you always have a lot of money?
39	Mrs. Jackson: No, not at all
40	Mrs. Jackson: I made a lot of clothes, watch the newspaper, bought a lot of things on sale, went down to Salvation Army to get shoes.
41	I had to live payday to payday, Mrs. Jackson explained. “The money was scarce, we had to eat.”
42	She said they didn’t want to go on welfare. “We picked vegetables, fruits, keep in the freezer and that’s how we survived.”
43	Panish: Are you a good cook?
44	Mrs. Jackson: The kids think so
45	I know how to prepare a potato every way you can think of, Mrs. Jackson said.
46	She said she enjoyed having a large family and lived in a cul de sac near little league field. Jackie and Tito played baseball.
47	Here’s a picture of Jackie and Tito’s baseball team. pic.twitter.com/rFvqnp95C8

48	Michael would spend his money with candy and cookie, Mrs. Jackson said. He would set up a store to sell them.
49	I was always close to God, Mrs. Jackson said. “II raised my children the best I can with spiritual guidance.”
50	She was raised Baptist, then became Lutheran and wasn’t satisfied with that. When old enough to understand started searching.
51	I searched and found the true religion: Jehovah Witness, Mrs. Jackson testified.
52	Jevohah’s witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays or other dates. They celebrate one day, that’s Jesus last supper.
53	Some became Witnesses, Michael, Rebbie and LaToya. The others are not. Her husband wasn’t a witness, so they didn’t stop holidays right away
54	Picture of Katherine Jackson during her high school years. “Oh my God, that’s me,” a shy Mrs. Jackson said. pic.twitter.com/nF3u9OfvSE

Katherine Jackson in high school

MJ at the age of two [from ABC7]

55	Michael was born Aug 29, 1958. As to this photo: “It shows my sweet little boy to me,” Mrs. Jackson said. pic.twitter.com/eFYPVjZMaB
56	Michael was always sensitive and loving, Mrs. Jackson said. One day, when his brother was sick, Michael was holding his hand and cried.
57	Panish asked when MJ showed he loved music. “He was born dancing,” Mrs. Jackson said. “He was in my arms and couldn’t be still, was dancing”
58	Mrs. Jackson told a story when she had a Maytag with roller that squeezes water out. It was old and rusty and it would make a squeaky noise
59	MJ would be dancing to the squeaking noise. “He was dancing and sucking in bottles,” Mrs. Jackson said.
60	The children loved the Temptations and imitated them all the time, Mrs. Jackson said. Panish asked if they had television in the house.
61	Mrs. Jackson: We had an old TV, TV would break, had a TV man take it aways and sometimes didn’t have money to get it back.
62	The children would sing and dance, she said. “We always had music in the house.”
63	They were very young, they danced and sang. Michael was 5 years old, they went on to contests at school, then professional.
64	There was not a lot to do in Gary, Mrs. Jackson said. So the high school had events and the boys would win every time there was a contest.
65	Michael won every contest. When the other kids knew the Jacksons were coming they were Oh my God!, Mrs. Jackson said.
66	Originally, the name was Jackson Brothers Five, but the name was too long, so they cut it short to Jackson 5.
67	Mrs. Jackson: Michael was 5 and the sang Climb Every Mountain. He started singing, my father and I cried like a baby.
68	Jackson 5 lost a contest once to a boy who lived next door and won that year.
69	Panish: How did that make you feel?
70	Mrs. Jackson: I cried
71	Jackson 5: The boys rehearsed at the house. “We saved money to buy amplifiers,” Mrs. Jackson said. pic.twitter.com/97UJ3wehza

The boys rehearsed at the house [from ABC7]

They wore home-made suits [from ABC7]

72	Mrs. Jackson said she made the suits. She said they were called “Homemade suits” (the jury laughed) pic.twitter.com/LlTIwqBSrQ
73	Mrs. Jackson: When Gladys Knight and Temptations would ask for us to be on stage with them and they got paid that way.
74	They signed with Motown in 1968. The boys moved first to California, Katherine came four months later.
75	I had always wanted to live in California, Mrs. Jackson explained, since Gary, Indiana was so cold and snowed.
76	Jackson 5 started making records when they signed with Motown. The first 4 singles became number one records, Mrs. Jackson recalled.
77	Mrs. Jackson explained the Jacksonmania that happened at this time. Shes said there was so many girls around the house she got tired of it.
78	They’d come and stay all day and sometimes they stayed so late I had to drive them home, Mrs. Jackson remembered.
79	Panish showed video of their early life in Gary, Indiana, dancing at 5, Motown, audition, ABC song, TV show, Motown 25.
80	Panish: As mother, when you saw MJ perform like that, how did you feel?
81	Mrs. Jackson: I felt very proud
82	Special performances surprised Mrs. Jackson. When he was 14 he sang solo in the Academy Awards shows. “I was very proud of him,” she said.
83	Panish: Were you nervous about it?
84	Mrs. Jackson: I was a little bit, but he did well
85	Mrs. Jackson said MJ liked rats. One time they went to Beverly Hills to have dinner and he kept putting crumbs in his pocket to feed the rat
86	Michael didn’t like dogs, Mrs. Jackson said. She recalls one day of a dog bite and Michael been afraid ever since.
87	Despite that, Michael got a chocolate Labrador for the children, named Kenya. They had a turkey, a parrot, ferrets, mice, cats.
88	Michael was a very good artist, Mrs. Jackson said. He did a lot of art in school and some of this pictures have been sold. He’d write songs.
89	Katherine said Michael didn’t seat and watch TV. She said it’s very hard for her to seat and watch them talking about Michael being lazy.
90	My son was not lazy, Mrs. Jackson said. “That is the biggest lie around.”
91	MJ was a straight A student. He liked movies, Katherine named a few: The Wiz, Sidney, 12 Angry Men. Panish show snippet of The Wiz.
92	Jurors were highly entertained at this point. Some smiled, some pursed their lips as if they were trying not to smile.
93	Katherine said Michael and Quincy Jones got along very well, worked together in various projects: Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall.
94	Panish: When Michael was 21, did he write down what his goals were?
95	Mrs. Jackson: Yes, Michael wrote notes to himself
96	She said he’d write where he wanted to be at certain time, how he wanted an album to sell. He was still living at home in Hayvenhurst.
97	He wanted to be known as MJ, not little Michael or little Jackson, Mrs. Jackson explained.
98	Panish showed video of the first time MJ did the Moonwalk (Billie Jean song). Jurors smiled.
99	He used to practice all the time, Mrs. Jackson said. He has a room over the garage where he danced two hours straight without stoping.
100	The sequined silver jacket MJ was using in Billie Jean was Katherine’s. He went into her closet, got it before the show, never gave it back.
101	MJ continued to live with Mrs. Jackson until her was 30. “When he became 18, he wanted to buy me a house,” she testified.
102	But by that time houses had gone up to millions of dollars, so he decided to rebuild the house.
103	The way you see Hayvenhurst is the way he rebuilt it, Mrs. Jackson said. He had a room upstairs he didn’t want anyone to go in.
104	He then got all the pictures and put them on the wall instead of wallpaper. He said ‘here’s your surprise,’ she said.
105	Plaque to Katherine Jackson pic.twitter.com/ykKiZjKBfI

“The reflections of a Mother’s heart is in the glimmer in her children’s eyes   Her every emotion and feeling is somewhere in her child’s character     Noblemen are what their mothers made them.    Why does my mother cry    Are those happy tears or tears of sorrow     Oh please God let them be happy tears    All my success has been based on the fact that I wanted Mother proud     To win her smile of approval” [from ABC7]

106	Panish showed video of the room. “He gave this to me,” Mrs. Jackson said. Even the ceiling has pictures. “Everything is covered.”
107	Panish: Did MJ like music videos?
108	Mrs. Jackson: Oh yes. They were like short movies, Thriller. He invited me down while doing movie “Ghost.”
109	Mrs. Jackson: I was seating at the set, a white male man came to me and I said I’m here to see my son. He said ‘mom, it’s me!’
110	Michael was involved in the Jehovah Witness for a while, did “filed service.” He had to disguise himself, wore a fat suit.
111	In 1988, Michael purchased Neverland. Panish showed video of it, the animals, roller coast, poem written by Michael, movie theater.
112	He finally got a candy store, Mrs. Jackson said.
113	Mrs. Jackson said Michael made the ranch available to people. He opened it to disable children, would invite classes of children.
114	In the movie theater, Katherine said they had special chair for sick children who couldn’t seat in regular seats.
115	Panish: Did it have a train station?
116	Katherine: Yes
117	P: What is it called?
118	Mrs. J.: Katherine
119	Katherine said the children loved Neverland.They were homeschooled.
120	The kids would go to Chuck & Cheese and other kids would ask do you have animals? They would say elephant, giraffes, Mrs. Jackson recalled.
121	One lady once told Grace ‘don’t they have great imaginations,’ she said.
122	Mrs. Jackson said Michael had been burned, badly burned, and was in a lot of pain. He had a balloon under the scalp.
123	Mrs. Jackson: He took that money from Pepsi settlement and donated it to the children’s burn center.
124	He had back injury too, she said. He had vitiligo, a disease that turns the skin white. “He just wanted to get it over with” she explained.
125	He didn’t talk much about his insomnia, Mrs. Jackson said. He couldn’t sleep at all at night when he was at home.
126	Panish: Did you ever see Michael abuse drugs or medications?
127	Mrs. Jackson: No, I never saw
128	Mrs. Jackson: I know he was taking pain medications. Many times I went to his room unannounced and I never saw him that way.
129	She said she tried an intervention because she heard from the other kids but didn’t think he was abusing drugs.
130	The other children told her it would mean much more if she went. “When we got there, Michael was fine,” Mrs. Jackson said.
131	She went to MJ’s Las Vegas home and talked to him about drug abuse. Michael said “Mom, I’m okay, I’m okay.”
132	Mrs. Jackson: Sometimes a mother is the last to know… and sometimes you are embarrassed.
133	Picture of Katherine Jackson’s 60th anniversary in May 2009. pic.twitter.com/9LjmzJWxMx

A big party in May 2009  [from ABC7]

134	Mrs. Jackson: At time time to me Michael looked ok. Later, I saw he was thin, he was dressed in jacket and all, I didn’t notice he was thin.
135	Michael and I were very close, Mrs. Jackson said. He was the son — a mother wouldn’t want a better son than Michael. He was very shy.”
136	Poem Michael wrote to his mother. pic.twitter.com/Trv1J3itVr
137	Panish: How did that make you feel?
138	Mrs. Jackson: It made me cry for one thing… I felt very loved.
139	Handwritten note from Michael to Katherine Jackson. pic.twitter.com/KddXYIiCqz
140	Mother, My Guardian Angel — by Michael Jackson pic.twitter.com/ElcO7ITREY

Mother, My Guardian Angel, by Michael Jackson [from ABC7]

141	Panish: When you received that, how did it make you feel?
142	Mrs. Jackson: I cried
143	Panish: Did he give you gifts?
144	Mrs Jackson: All the time. He gave me everything, the necessities of life, gifts, cars, jewelry, mobile homes
145	Panish: Did he give you money?
146	Mrs. Jackson: Yes, cash. Michael never wrote checks
147	As to how she’s affect by the loss of love, support: Mrs. Jackson: No one knows until it happened to some
148	Mrs. Jackson: That’s the worse thing that could happen. When I lost Michael I lost everything. He was the most loving, very, very humble.
149	When a mother loses a child, Mrs. Jackson said crying “that’s the worse than can happen to a person.”
150	She said she heard about the This Is It tour through Grace Rwamba.
151	Mrs. Jackson said she lost the best thing ever as she wiped out tears.
152	She said he was joking when he said he didn’t want to do the Moonwalk at age 50. “He used to think that 50 was really old.”
153	Mrs. Jackson said she didn’t think her son could do 50 shows every other night as was planned. She called Randy Phillips and Dr. Tohme.
154	Mrs. Jackson didn’t know who Conrad Murray was until after MJ died. She didn’t know MJ had died when she arrived at the hospital.
155	She said she had been out on field service and she said one of the fans said they brought someone out on a gurney completely covered up.
156	Later on I got a call to go to the hospital, I thought he was just sick, Mrs. Jackson said.
157	Mrs. Jackson said she saw many people who worked with Michael at the hospital, like Frank DiLeo. Dr. Murray was pacing back and forth.
158	Mrs. Jackson: Nobody wanted to tell me, I was seating and waiting, I guess they were back debating.
159	Michael had a reaction, they told Mrs Jackson. “I said how is he? Did he make it? Did he make it? And Frank said no,” she recalled, crying
160	Mrs. Jackson didn’t see the children until later. “I was crying so hard,” she said.
161	Paris was saying ‘dad I want to do with you (crying), I can’t live without you’ that’s what she kept saying.
162	Mrs. Jackson: They were there hugging and saying ‘Daddy, I love you!’
163	I went down to the morgue, never wanted to see Michael like that, Mrs. Jackson testified, crying.
164	When they left, Paris said ‘grandma, where are we going?’ Mrs. Jackson told her ‘you are going home with grandma.’
165	Panish asked about the adjustment without their father. She said the two boys I can say fine. Paris is having the hardest time.
166	Paris had 5 big pictures of Michael in her room and Mrs. Jackson said she wondered how she could do that, she saw them and felt so sad.
167	Paris’ whole room is a collage of picture just like MJ had, Mrs. Jackson said.
168	Mrs. Jackson said Paris was looking for a special heart. She found a broken heart, hung one part in Michael’s neck and she put on the other.
169	Prince is affected by not spending time with his father, Mrs. Jackson said.
170	Paris took MJ’s pajama top, didn’t want anyone to wash it. She sat it on her bed.
171	Panish asked how Paris is affected. “Oh My God! She wanted to go where daddy was,” Mrs. Jackson said.
172	Blanket doesn’t want to cut his hair. Daddy loved his hair, so he doesn’t want to cut it.
173	Michael was one of the best fathers, Mrs. Jackson said. “You’d be surprised what a good father he was.”
174	Mrs. Jackson said MJ’s writing changed, he was more loving and meaningful, he wrote from his heart more.
175	Words could not describe the love for his children, Mrs. Jackson described.
176	Panish: Mrs. Jackson, do you miss your son?
177	Mrs. Jackson: Words can’t explain
178	Panish finished direct examination. AEG’s Marvin Putnam did cross examination.
179	Putnam asked if Katherine saw all the exhibits that were going to bed shown in court today. She said yes.
180	Putnam: You initiated this lawsuit against AEG Live?
181	Mrs. Jackson: Yes
182	She doesn’t remember when it was filed, brought it on her behalf and the children. It was her choice to bring this lawsuit.
183	She never talked to MJ’s children about it, discussed with her children after, but not with Joe.
184	Putnam asked her that despite being very private person she brought on this lawsuit and has lived a very public life for the past 40 years.
185	My family is famous, I was always on the background, Mrs. Jackson explained.
186	Putnam asked her if she gave interviews to Dateline, 20/20, Oprah (after my son died). She said yes.
187	My life is as private as much as I can keep it private, she said. She said she was nervous being in front of people she doesn’t know.
188	I wanted to find out, I think I owe it to my son to find out what really happened to him, Mrs. Jackson said.
189	I heard stories and I heard from my grandson he was being pressured, that he was asking for his father, that Joe would know what to do.
190	Mrs. Jackson: My son was sick and Kenny Ortega said nobody gave him a cup of tea. Nobody said call the doctor, let’s see what’s wrong w/ him
191	Mrs. Jackson said it was hard for her to be sitting here in the courtroom and listening people “call my son a freak, saying he is lazy.”
192	This week I had to listen how broke his was, he didn’t take a dime home, Mrs. Jackson said.
193	Why he didn’t take a dime home? Because he was giving it to charity.
194	Mrs. Jackson: It hurts to seat here in court and hear how sick my son was and no one was trying to help him.
195	Putnam then asked: But the witnesses called were by your attorney, right? Mrs. Jackson responded yes.
196	Putnam asked about Dr. Murray: “My son needed another doctor, a real doctor,” Mrs. Jackson said.
197	Mrs. Jackson: The doctor was for his children but I didn’t know who he was. Later I heard it was Dr. Murray.
198	Putnam said Gongaware explained lazy was because her son was late for rehearsal.
199	He was not lazy, Mrs. Jackson said. “Mr. Jackson was sick, he couldn’t rehearse.”
200	Putnam: He didn’t like to rehearse in prior tours. “Michael didn’t have to rehearse a lot, he knew the moves, he helped create them” she said
201	I want the truth on what happened, Katherine testified.
202	Putnam asked what was untrue and bad things said in the trial. Mrs. Jackson said ‘they called him freak, having a chance to meet the freak.’
203	Putnam asked if this was sent by someone who is not a party to this lawsuit, sent to AEG Live.
204	Mrs. Jackson: I don’t remember who sent it, I know it is hard to seat here and listen to it. He’s not a freak.
205	My son is dead, so anything about him said that is bad, it hurts, Mrs. Jackson explained.
206	Putnam: It was very hard hearing all the bad things said about your son for the past 40 years?
207	Mrs. Jackson: Yes
208	Putnam questioned the fact that Mrs. Jackson’s attorneys didn’t deny the fact that her son had problems with drugs.
209	My son was on prescription drugs, that doesn’t make it true about other drugs they said he was on, Mrs. Jackson said.
210	Putnam asked if she sued Kenny Ortega as well. She said she doesn’t’ remember, there was a list of people in the suit.
211	The attorneys stipulated that Mrs. Jackson dropped the lawsuit against Kenny Ortega. Then there was lunch break.
212	Panish told court Mrs. Jackson was sleeping over lunch hour, since she got very little sleep last night, and will be probably 1 hour in pm.
213	Putnam: Bringing lawsuit, hadn’t spoken with grandchildren or children before filing the suit?
214	Mrs. Jackson: Yes
215	Putnam asked if it was before or after the criminal trial of Dr. Murray. She said she did not remember.
216	Mrs. Jackson was at the criminal trial almost every day.
217	Putnam: Is it fair to say the criminal trial didn’t play in this lawsuit?
218	Panish: Objection, attorney/client privilege.
219	Putnam: Is there anything you thought about other than the discussion with your attorneys that you consider in deciding to bring lawsuit?
220	Mrs. Jackson: Before the Conrad Murray trial? I don’t remember
221	There’s no dispute as to the dates of Murray’s criminal trial, Panish said.
222	Putnam asked if she provided any documents to her attorneys to give to them (defendants)?
223	Panish: Objection — attorney-client privilege
224	Mrs. Jackson said “yes.” Putnam understood she was answering yes to him. “I’m not saying yes for you,” she responded. Everyone laughed.
225	At this point, Mrs. Jackson spoke quietly to the judge and judge decided to end the day short, since she was too tired to continue.
226	Mrs. Jackson will resume testimony on Monday at 9:30 am PT, with more cross examination. We hope to see you then! Have a great weekend!

NEWLY RELEASED PRIVATE MICHAEL JACKSON HOME VIDEOS:

ALAN DUKE about Katherine Jackson’s testimony:

Michael Jackson’s mom: ‘I want to know what really happened’

By Alan Duke, CNN

July 20, 2013 — Updated 0036 GMT (0836 HKT)

• Jackson matriarch Katherine Jackson: “A lot of the facts that have been said are not the truth”
• Michael Jackson’s “not here to speak for himself,” his mother says
• “My son was a very good person,” Jackson’s mother testifies
• Expert says Jackson would have earned $1.5 billion from touring and sponsorship

Los Angeles (CNN) — Michael Jackson’s mother told jurors she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live “because I want to know what really happened to my son.”

Katherine Jackson, likely the final witness as her lawyers conclude their wrongful death case against the pop icon’s last concert promoter, began her testimony Friday and will conclude it Monday in a Los Angeles court.

“The most difficult thing is to sit here in the court and listen to all the bad things they say about my son,” Jackson testified.

The 83-year-old matriarch of the world’s most famous entertainment family sat on the front row in the small courtroom for most of the 51 previous days of testimony.

“A lot of the facts that have been said are not the truth,” she said. She said contrary to what an AEG Live executive wrote in an e-mail as Jackson prepared for his comeback concerts in 2009, her son was not lazy.

But she especially objected to an e-mail from AEG parent company’s general counsel that called Jackson “a freak” on the same day his company’s top executives were going to his house to sign the “This Is It” tour contract.

“He’s not here to speak for himself,” his mother said. She said she would “try my best” to speak for the pop icon.

Jurors leaned forward and listened closely during Jackson’s testimony and as her lawyer showed them video of her son performing as a child.

The lawsuit filed by Katherine Jackson and on behalf of the singer’s three children contends AEG Live is liable for the death of Jackson because it hired, retained or supervised Dr. Conrad Murray. The doctor was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

AEG Live argues it was Jackson, not their company, who chose and controlled Murray, who admitted giving Jackson nightly infusions of a surgical anesthetic the coroner ruled killed him. Its executives had no way of knowing about the dangerous treatments Murray was giving Jackson in the privacy of his bedroom, AEG Live lawyers contend.

“Why are you here?” Jackson lawyer Brian Panish asked Katherine

“Because I want to know what really happened to my son,” she said. “And that’s why I am here.”

Panish asked Jackson how it made her feel to have been asked probing and personal questions about her family by AEG Live lawyer Marvin Putnam during a dozen hours of deposition testimony.

“It makes me feel real bad, because my son was a very good person,” she said. “He loved everybody, he gave to charity, he was in the Guinness Book of World Records for giving to charity.”

Putnam faces the challenge of not appearing unkind to Katherine Jackson while also trying to discredit her testimony.

“Forget it,” she said as she stopped before answering Putnam’s question about why she initially included, and later dropped show director Kenny Ortega as a defendant in her lawsuit.

“Forget what ma’am?” Putnam asked.

Jackson remained silent for about a minute, staring back at Putnam.

Would it help to reread the question, he asked.

“No, it wouldn’t be helpful,” Jackson answered curtly.

The judge finally ordered the question stricken from the record because the answer involved privileged discussions with her lawyers.

Jackson returned to the stand after the lunch break but she told the judge she was tired after just a few more minutes of questioning by Putnam. The judge sent jurors home two hours early and will allow Katherine Jackson to resume her testimony Monday morning.

If jurors decide that AEG Live is liable in Jackson’s death, they could award damages based on the loss of the mother’s and children’s relationship with him and the amount of money he was unable to earn because his life was cut short.

The wrongful death trial is about to get a lot uglier, if defense lawyers live up to the promise of their opening statements.

AEG Live lawyers this week brought up the child molestation charges against Jackson and the 2002 incident in which the pop star “dangled” his infant son on a Berlin hotel balcony.

Touring till 66?

Paris Jackson made another appearance in the trial this week — via a video of her deposition in March. Jurors saw a clip of AEG Live lawyer Putnam asking the 15-year-old what her father told her about his “This Is It” tour:

Putnam: “Did he explain to you how long the tour was going to last?”

Paris: “I assume a long time since it was a world tour, but those usually last a long time”

Putnam: “How did you understand it was a world tour?”

Paris: “Because he told us.”

Putnam: “What did he tell you?”

Paris: “That we were going around the world on tour.”

Certified public accountant Arthur Erk, who has managed and audited the business affairs of many top artists, testified Wednesday that he is “reasonably certain” that Jackson would have performed 260 shows around the world as part of his “This Is It” tour. He would have earned $890 million over the three years of concerts in Europe, Asia, South America, North America and Australia, Erk said.

Jackson would have earned at least $1.5 billion from touring, endorsements and sponsorships had he not died preparing for his comeback tour, Erk said.

AEG Live’s unprecedented sellout of 50 shows scheduled for London’s O2 Arena in 2009 and 2010 proved there was “pent-up demand” to see Jackson live, despite controversies that had tarnished his reputation in the years since his last tour in 1998, Erk said.

An e-mail from AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips said fans bought all 750,000 tickets put on sale for 31 shows in March 2009 in just two hours. Enough buyers were registered to sell out another 100 shows, Phillips wrote.

“Dude, we’re going to sell out a ridiculous amount of tickets,” AEG Live Co-CEO Paul Gongaware wrote in an e-mail. “We’ve got to get Mikey to add more shows.”

Jackson’s manager quickly approved another 19 shows, bringing the total to 50.

“Ten million tickets for the rest of the world? They would have gobbled up those tickets in seconds,” Erk said.

AEG Live lawyer Sabrina Strong challenged Erk’s estimate, asking if any other act has ever made as much money on a tour. “No,” he said. “This would have been a record-breaking world tour.”

Jackson would have done another 195 shows over four more world tours before retiring from the road at age 66, Erk predicted.

Putnam called Erk’s estimates “a creation, a fabrication” which suggests Jackson would have made more after age 50 that he did in the three tours during the “height of his fame.”

Jackson never intended to perform after the 50 shows in London, Putnam said.

AEG Live showed jurors a video clip of Katherine Jackson’s deposition, in which she said her son would joke that he “didn’t want to be moonwalking on stage at 50.”

“Michael said that quite a few years back and he was joking,” his mother explained in her testimony Friday. “I thought it was funny and most of us said things like that. I used to think 50 was very old.”

In fact, Jackson was 50 when he signed a three-year contract with AEG Live for his comeback tour, which would have likely included his famous moonwalk dance steps as he performed “Billie Jean.”

“We announced that we’re going to have one tour in London, that’s what was announced, and it was called ‘This Is It,’ meaning in London, this show is it,” he said. “This show is it. This is the last thing he’s ever going to do. As a result of this being his final performance ever, to be at the O2 in London, there was enormous response, understandably, and therefore we sold 50 shows.”

With the Jackson case ending — which Putnam called “ridiculous” — “now we’re going to start to show what actually occurred here,” he said.

No Conrad Murray testimony

AEG Live’s defense team confirmed Wednesday that they would not be calling Murray to testify.

“I have no intention of calling him myself, unless it’s requested, your honor,” Putnam said, replying to the judge’s question about his plans.

Until now, AEG Live lawyers have suggested they might call Murray, who is serving a four-year jail sentence for involuntary manslaughter, to the witness stand.

Murray’s lawyer gave the Jackson and AEG Live lawyers a sworn statement from the doctor before the trial began stating that he would invoke his constitutional protection against self-incrimination by refusing to answer questions if subpoenaed.

See you in September

Jurors, who were told when the trial started in April that it could end sometime in August, appeared unfazed when Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos told them this week that it is likely to extend into mid-September. Putnam estimated this week that he needs about 30 days in court to present his defense after the plaintiffs rest.

The jurors often have laughed and smiled in reaction to testimony and the interplay between Jackson lead lawyer Brian Panish, the judge and the AEG defense team.

For example, when Palazuelos ordered Panish to turn around and face the bench while AEG attorney Sabrina Strong cross-examined Erk, jurors seemed amused. Panish, whose seat was just in front of Strong’s lectern, had been looking directly up at her at close range.

There were no laughs in the hallway after court on Tuesday when Panish and Putnam exchanged words. The two lawyers were standing about 15 feet apart, each talking to reporters, when they began directing their words at each other. The court clerk interrupted the heated conversation, threatening to summon deputies.

Palazuelos lectured the lawyers in her chambers the next morning and imposed new rules that bar them from speaking to journalists in the hallway.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/18/showbiz/jackson-death-trial/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter

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