Katherine Jackson’s lawyers are claiming that Dr. Conrad Murray gave the late Michael Jackson any drug he wanted in exchange for his $150k a month payday.
Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death, had mounting debt in the form of student loans, child support payments, credit cards and more.
The Jackson family’s attorneys are trying to prove that that Murray’s $1 million debt is the reason he took the job of traveling with the “King of Pop” on his This Is It tour and gave him lethal doses of drugs, Fox News reports.
Police detective Orlando Martinez testified that Murray had eight children from seven different women and had a massive amount of child support payments to withhold. He was also on the verge of losing his home and Las Vegas office, so he relied heavily on AEG’s paychecks.
AEG, however, denies that they hired Murray. They say they recommended a different doctor but Jackson wanted Murray.
The Jackson family is suing AEG for $40 billion for the would-be profits Jackson’s This Is It would’ve made had he been alive to perform for the 50 scheduled dates. The current trial could last up to 90 days.