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Michael Jackson's Mom and Kids Pick Up the Lawsuit Slack
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Harrison Funk/MJ Memorial/Getty Images
Michael Jackson's mother sued event promoter AEG Live and director Kenny Ortega for fraud and negligence today on behalf of her grandchildren, claiming the company failed to provide adequate physical care for her son during the lead-up to his scheduled farewell concert series, This Is It.
The filing comes just as Dr. Conrad Murray, who's charged with involuntary manslaughter, moved to have Joe Jackson's wrongful death suit against him dismissed, stating that Joe—not being one of Michael's beneficiaries—had no recourse to sue.
Not that Murray goes unmentioned in Katherine's suit.
The family matriarch, who inherited a third of her superstar son's multimillion-dollar estate and is legal guardian of his three children, alleges that AEG was negligent when it hired Murray as Michael's private physician for $150,000 a month and then failed to provide him with the livesaving equipment promised in his contract.
Jackson went into cardiac arrest on the afternoon of June 25 at the Holmby Hills mansion he was renting and ultimately died of acute propofol intoxication, hours after Murray injected him with the potent anesthetic. Jackson was using the surgical-grade sedative to fall asleep.
Katherine's lawsuit contends that AEG is liable for Murray's actions. She is suing for unspecified damages.
Ortega, noted choreographer and director of the High School Musical trilogy, was producing Jackson's stage show. He ultimately served as director of the posthumous concert film This Is It, featuring rehearsal footage from the King of Pop's ill-fated comeback attempt.
AEG had no official comment, but a company source tells E! News they "knew it was coming."
"But the fact is," the insider says, "Dr. Murray had been hired by and was being paid by Michael Jackson, not AEG."
Murray has claimed that AEG owes him $300,000 for services rendered.
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