the rest, she'll tell you when she's good and ready few are more talented or more troubled. few were so loved by many or so exploited both in life and in death as michael jackson. now, nearly four years after his death with his doctor in jail for involuntary manslaughter, his family has launched a lawsuit with billions of dollars at stake. in the legal background of child abuse charges and drug abuse. that center stage, history of children. somewhere in the wings, dr. conrad murray telling his story exclusively to cnn. the story of michael jackson's

death is roaring back to life. here's don lemon. ♪ >> these will be my final performances in london. this will be it. this is the final curtain call. >> a curtain call michael jackson would never make. he spent months rehearsing for his big comeback in 2009. ♪ they don't really care about us ♪ >> a series of 50 concerts in london. his unexpected death came just two weeks before show time. >> hold for applause. hold for applause. >> michael's mother, catherine and his children filed an 18

page complaint against aeg. i spoke to jackson family attorney kevin boyle about the family's lawsuit. >> why is mrs. jackson and the kids suing achl eaeg? >> well, it's very simple. aeg defendants are negligent in their hiring, retaining or supervising of dr. conrad murray which led to the death of michael jackson. >> guilty of the crime of involuntary manslaughter. >> conrad murray, the doctor found guilty in the pop icon's death is appealing his involuntary manslaughter conviction. >> we sat down with his attorney, valerie woss to talk about the appeal and murray's potential verdict in this trial. >> i think dr. murray is calling, can i answer? >> sure, we can record it? can we roll on it? >> the interview took a dramatic turn just as it was getting

started. dr. murray was calling from jail. >> how are you? no one has heard that from you. >> after some convincing, he agreed to speak with me and share his thoughts on being blamed for jackson's death. >> do you think that you've been made out to be a villain? >> i don't want to pass judgment on others. i can see that i am a scapegoat. there is no doubt about it. all of the mishaps that he has encountered in life seems to trickle down on me. nobody has taken any responsibilities for anything that they may have done to this man. but because i was in the wrong place at the wrong time, here i am. >> murray may be asked to testify for either side during the jackson's trial with aeg. >> he may be called to testify, but i would be advising him to assert his fifth amendment

privilege against self-incrimination. >> if a jury decides that murray isn't responsible and that aeg live is also responsible, it could cost billions. according to some reports, up to $40 billion. >> if the jury feels the family deserves $40 billion, that's what they're going to give. but i can tell you, no demand has been made by the jackson family for $40 billion from aeg. that is just not true. >> cnn's allen duke has been covering this case since jackson's death. >> a lot of this trial is going to be about how much would michael jackson have made if he had not died june 25th, 2009. michael could have catched camped out in vegas. that was part of his plan, to buy a house in vegas. that was part of his contract. and to stay there and do shows and other projects into his old years. >> aeg live attorney told me he believes the multi-billion dollar figure is absurd. to putnam, this case is about one thing and one thing only.

did aeg live negligently hire dr. conrad murray? he denies that the company ever even employed murray. >> had he been hired by aeg live, he certainly wasn't hired negligently. there were no indications in any measure that there was a problem with dr. conrad murray. to be a negligent hire, it isn't just that you hired, but you have to hire knowing that there was a problem. aeg live had no indication at any point that there was a problem with dr. conrad murray. >> i spoke with aeg live's president and ceo randy phillips three years ago about similar allegations. in that interview, phillips said the decision to hire conrad murray and pay him $150,000 per month was solely michael's choice. >> he stared at me with this very deep stare and he said you don't understand. my body is what fuels this entire venture. and, like barack obama, i need my own physician with me 24/7, okay.

that's not negotiable. >> phillips believed michael had a very personal reason for taking on the scheduled 50 concerts. >> i said why now? i'd been chasing him to come out of retirement, to get on the stage and perform live for three years. this was, you know, like a mission of mine. a quest. and he said to me, very interesting, was very poignant, he said, i'm doing it now because my kids are old enough to appreciate what i do. >> michael's children could end up playing a major role in this case. 16-year-old prince, the oldest, is on the witness list and has already testified during depositions. stating that he was intimately involved in his father's affairs. >> when prince jackson gets up on the witness stand, it will be a very dramatic time. prince has not publicly talked

about his father's last days. but i believe we will hear him tell us what his father told him about what was happening. his concerns. his worries and who he thought he couldn't trust. >> according to testimony at conrad murray's criminal trial, the kids saw their father as he lay lifeless in his bedroom. since his death, they have gradually become more open to the public. after years of hiding behind masks and being guarded from the media by their father. >> michael jackson is an extremely protective father. had them inside this cocoon and literally under vails when they went out in public. and that vail, that protective blanket, in fact, his youngest child is known as blanket, doesn't exist anymore. >> ever since i was born, daddy

has been the best father you could ever imagine. and i just want to say i love him. so much. >> reporter: since this heartbreaking image of the kids at their father's memorial, the kids appear to be doing well. 15-year-old paris tweeted this photo. she's now a cheer leader. 11-year-old blanket, according to several celebrity scoop blogs, recently earned his orange belt. and the oldest? prince? the newest correspondent on entertainment tonight. the kids have been through a lot of ups and downs since their father's death. during the trial, prince and paris may even be called to testify. >> michael jackson's children can be called to the stand to

testify? >> not by us. we've been told that they will be called by plaintiffs. i can't understand why bringing them to the stand has anything to do with whether or not dr. conrad murray was hired by aeg or hired negligently. but perhaps they're bringing them to the stand for different reasons. >> the judge has decided to allow jackson's history of drug use and accusations of child molestation to be introduced at trial. >> mr. jackson was a grown man. and, as a grown man, he knew precisely what he was doing. because there's a certain assumption of risk here as there often is with an adult or an addict. many people in mr. jackson's life have indicated that one of the reasons for his ongoing addiction, one of the places where it became really, really a problem for him was in 1993 around the time of the first accusations about him and the young boy.

and then, again, later in mid 20000, around the time of his trial. >> it was a ruling the judge made. i'm not going to comment on that either way. but i understand the rationale behind the judge's ruling. >> molestation, drugs, manslaughter. by bringing the lawsuit, the jacksons will likely have to endure painful testimony in the weeks to come. >> no one in the world is happy about a family member dying and pursuing a lawsuit. particularly when children are involved. it's just not a happy thing. coming up -- >> he's unconscious? he's not breathing? >> yes, he's not breathing, sir. >> the day the world lost an icon. >> he's on the bed, sir. he's on the bed. >> okay, i'm going to have you do cpr right now, okay? >> and the events that led to his death. ♪ you know my heart burns for you... ♪ i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues.

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the morning of june 24th, 2009, doing what he loved. preparing for a show. >> now do it slow. >> he and i would start about noon or 1:00 at his home. we'd dance a few hours and stretch. >> you have to have a full attitude. >> travis payne was michael jackson's the long-time choreographer. >> we were on a journey with michael that was going to return him to the stage, you know, that he loved so much. and i know that we were eight days away from leaving for london. >> the stage is where michael was most at ease. on stage, there was no one better. ♪ >> since age 5, he had electrified audiences around the world with hit songs like "i want you back." and the world appeared ready to welcome him back. it had been 12 years since jackson's last major

performance. the king of pop was poised to regain his throne. >> this is it. i mean, this is really it. this is the final -- this is the final curtain call. >> according to the concept with promoters aeg, michael was to perform 50 concerts at the 02 center in london over a nine-month period. >> i'll be performing the songs my fans want to hear. >> but was michael physically up to the challenge? both michael and aeg had a lot on the line. >> it was his comeback. it was his renaissance. his rebirth on stage. after so many years being out of the spotlight, a lot of people were wondering if he could pull this off. >> this is it. and see you in july. >> but there were questions about whether jackson was ready. kenny ortega, the director for "this is it" called a private

meeting at jackson's home. aeg ceo randy phillips attended the meeting. >> kenny was concerned that he wasn't coming to enough rehearsals. and michael explained that he needed kenny to build the house. and that he would come in and paint the front door. >> on the afternoon on june 24, jackson arrived at the staple's center in downtown los angeles. rehearsals for "this is it" often ran late into the night. on the surface, the man many say was born to perform never looked better. >> was his voice getting stronger? >> absolutely. >> was his dancing getting stronger? >> absolutely. >> his body? everything? >> absolutely. >> michael bearden, the musical direct for director for "this is it" was on stage that last

night. >> he looked back at me, you know, after we did one number and looked at me as if to say yeah, i'm michael jackson. i got this. he looked really good. m.j. was 50 years old and they're like half his age and he still was wearing them out. >> on stage, always a perfectionist. off stage, a legend with a sense of humor. >> he's making big-money decisions and then he would lean over to me and say silly stuff like who's your favorite three stooges. and i would say what, m.j.? oh, no, i don't like this. can i have more of this or that or this. yeah. i like moe. >> but we beneath the surface, concerns from the very moment the concert tour was announced. jackson was pushing himself to the brink. >> i just think how is he going to do these shows? >> record producer rodney jerkins. >> 50 dates at 50 years old? that's a lot of dates. and i just kept saying i hope he gets a physical trainer. someone to really work him out to make sure he's healthy and prepared. >> jermaine jackson says his

little brother was ready. >> i mean, he could have did 200 shows. >> i talked to jermaine following a band rehearsal. >> i felt that he could do it because of the way the shows were spaced out and it wasn't, like, every day. ♪ >> see, like, when we first started, we were doing one-nighters. every day, you're in a different place. you're riding in the bus and sleeping on top of each other, that's tough. but this was it, you didn't have to take the stage down. you're in one location. >> i think that night, he finally accepted down deep and whatever the inner reaches of an artist's soul are that he could do this. >> was anything out of the ordinary? >> the only thing that might have been out of the ordinary was michael had a serious glow

about him that night. >> you could see his confidence growing and you could see physically he was able to do the things that he wanted to do. >> we're walking to our cars. and he put his arm around me at the staple center and said thank you for getting me here. now i know i can do it and take it from here. >> but hours later -- >> yes, he's not breathing, sir. >> yes, he's not conscious, sir. >> okay. >> a 50-year-old man in distress. that man is michael jackson. >> michael jackson, the king of pop -- >> was taken to the hospital -- >> there were rumors -- >> he was apparently administered cpr in the ambulance. >> fans around the world hope and prayed. but the music mega-star would not survive.

>> my brother, the legendary king of pop, michael jackson, passed away on thursday, june 25th, 2009, at 2:26 p.m. >> the los angeles county coroner would rule jackson's death a homicide. acute propofal intoxication. a powerful anesthesia. murray would be charged with involuntary manslaughter. coming up, what happened in the final hours of michael jackson's life? and who was responsible? ♪ ation... and without a line. now that's a fast car. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin

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live in the courthouse in downtown l.a. >> on september 27th, 2011, conrad murray, michael jackson's doctor, would go on trial. >> outside the los angeles criminal courthouse, jackson's international stardom took

center stage. inside courtroom 107, a jury of seven men and five women took their seats. hln's ryan smith was watching. >> this is the death of michael jackson. and it's not just that he's a famous star. it's that someone lost their son, their brother, their father. >> david walgrin laid out the prosecution's case. >> michael jackson trusted his life to the medical skills of conrad murray. that misplaced trust in the hands of conrad murray cost michael jackson his life. >> to help prove the case, prosecutors present a very different image of the pop legend. from a vibrant singer, dancer

and entertainer on stage, to a completely different person behind the scenes. >> to michael jackson. >> then, midway through opening arguments, a stunning moment. the voice of michael jackson as he'd never been heard before. >> when people leave my show, i want them to say he's the greatest entertainer of the world. >> jackson sounded fragile. impaired. incapable. and that's just what kenny ortega feared. ortega was directing the most anticipated show in decades, with a star he feared wasn't up to it. but murray insisted he was in charge of jackson's health. >> he said i should stop trying to be an amateur doctor and psychologist and be the director and allow michael's health to

him. >> those were the words of conrad murray? >> and on june 25th, that meant helping jackson get to sleep. >> based on the affidavit, dr. murray's efforts to get jackson to sleep began with a 10 milligram tablet of valium around 130 a.m. it didn't work. so according to the affidavit, dr. murray injected the singer with an anti-anxiety drug. but 3:00 a.m., however, jackson was still awake. so murray told police he tried another drug. a sedative. that didn't work, either. murray told investigators at 10:40 a.m., he gave the pop legend 25 milligrams of propofal, a powerful surgical an anti-set particular putting jackson to sleep. to describe the scene firsthand, district attorney was one of the first men to rush into jackson's bedroom.

>> he was laying on his back with his hands extended out. i observed that his eyes were slightly open -- or were open and his mouth was open. >> alvarez says murray was frantic and vague about jackson's condition. >> i asked dr. conrad murray what happened? and he said he had a reaction. he had a bad reaction. >> in the midst of the chaos, alvarez spotted jackson's children in the doorway. >> and they were right behind me. paris screamed out daddy. dr. conrad murray said hurry, don't let them see their dad like this. >> we heard about paris breaking down very powerful visual. >> jim moret is chief correspondent for "inside edition." >> from the perspective of a juror and as a parent, can you imagine seeing your own father lying there? most likely dead with his eyes wide open?

>> we have a gentleman here that needs help and he's not breathing. he's not breathing and we're trying to pump him but he's not breathing, sir. >> okay. how old is he, sir? >> finally, alvarez called 911. as they waited for an ambulance, murray asked alvarez for more help. >> he reached over and grabbed a handful of viles and then reached out to me and said here, put these in a bag. >> when paramedics arrived, murray withheld critical information. >> did dr. murray ever mention having administering propofol? >> not mentioning propofol, not keeping medical records, throwing viles in bags.

the prosecution was painting a picture of a doctor with plenty to hide. by day 6, d.a. walgrin would also make clear that murray may have been distracted. >> thank you. my name is nicole alvarez. >> michelle beller. >> three women described as murray's girlfriend. one, they call alvarez, had a son with murray and even once met his famous patient. >> and how did it come about that you got to meet michael jackson? >> i'm still trying to figure that out myself. >> why is that? what is confusing about it? >> because it's michael jackson. >> it makes it sound like this is part of his game. hey, i'm going to take you over to meet michael jackson. instead of having his eyes on his patient, he's got his eyes on all of these beautiful women. >> on the day of jackson's death, records show that murray talked to all three women. in fact, prosecutors say he was on the phone for 47 minutes

during the exact time he should have been carefully monitoring his patient. a patient to whom murray supplied a deadly stockpile of drugs. >> two bottles of larazapam. >> and on day seven, d.a. walgrin added each bottle found at jackson's house. one after another. >> removing the contents. >> to take a patient with valium, lorazapam and propofol and to leave them unattended in that state is medical abandonment. >> jackson was officially pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m., june 25th, 2009.

a direct result, said prosecutors, of mistakes, delays and recklessness by dr. conrad murray. when we come back, conrad murray speaks for himself. but after one day's use, dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of new bounty duratowel. look! a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth, as this black light reveals. it's durable, cloth-like and it's 3 times cleaner. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to new bounty duratowel. the durable, cloth-like picker-upper.

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he did not act -- >> as a medical professional. >> for over a week, dr. conrad murray listened as district attorney david walgrin portrayed him as reckless. >> conrad murray abandoned michael when he needed help. >> then, on day 9, for the first time, jurors heard murray's own voice and his version of events in a police interview recorded just days after jackson's death. >> conrad robert murray. >> it was jackson, murray said, who told him all about propofol and insisted he used it to ease jackson's crippling insomnia. >> he knew that was the only thing that worked for him. i constantly cautioned him. >> cautioned him and claims murray tried to wean him from

the drug. still, jackson pressed for propofol on the day he died. >> he said i can't function if i don't sleep. so i agreed. i would switch over to the propofol. >> then, murray said, he sat at jackson's side. >> i monitored him. saw his oxygen saturation, heart rate and everything looked stable. then i needed to go to the bathroom. then i came back to his bedside and i was stunned when he wasn't breathing. >> dr. murray not only admitted he gave michael jackson propofol in the hours before michael jackson died, but he said oh, sure, i've been giving this to him for weeks. every night for 60 days. so conrad murray's statement was critical because he gave -- it

gave the police and the prosecutor everything they needed to charge him with a crime. >> to finish his case, prosecutor david walgrin turned to conrad murray's colleagues. >> shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god. >> i do. >> reporter: three doctors, three specialties, one conclusion. >> an extreme deviation. a far deviation. >> egregious violations. >> 17 egregious violations. >> failure to call 911 immediately? >> yes. >> it was four days on the stand that left jurors fascinated and murray shaken. finally, after 16 days and 33 witnesses -- >> the people are prepared and would ask to rest at this time. >> thank you. >> it was conrad murray's chance

to convince a jury. >> all the defense has to do is show you reasonable doubt. if they show you one plausible alternative to you, he can be acquitted. >> that alternative was laid out days before in his opening statement. >> when dr. murray left the room, michael jackson self-administered a dose of prop poe fall that with the lorazepam created a perfect storm in his body that killed him instantly. >> now, to build his case, a nurse practitioner who cared for jackson in the months before his death. >> he said, i have a lot of difficulty sleeping. >> jackson pressed her to give him propofol, a drug she had never heard of. >> he said, doctors have told me it is safe. i just need to be monitored. i told him, well, let's just try

your n your nutritional i.v. >> well, he wasn't happy that he didn't sleep longer. >> was he upset with you? >> he said the nutritional components were not working. >> he was complaining when he got up, is that right? >> he said, this is going to mess up my performance for the day. the only thing that's going to help me is deprivan. >> i specialize in addiction medicine >> dr. robert waldmin reviewed records from jackson's dermatologist. in the months before his death, jackson got frequent treatments and lots of painkillers. >> i believe there was evidence that he was probably addicted to opiods. >> and they sat in that courtroom and listened to testimony that their son and brother was a drug addict. often, they had to leave. but they were there the next day.

>> the addiction, the insomnia was so great that jackson swallowed powerful pills by the handful. >> it would be my guess that mr. jackson may have well taken three or four pills at a couple of different times. >> then, white, a renowned be a these yol gist anesthesiologist, demonstrated how he thought murray administered propofol. >> that's certainly a very safe way to do it. >> murray, he says, gave jackson 25 milligrams of pop poe follow. soon after, jackson, himself, administered the final dose. >> do you think it was a self-injection of propofol that did it? >> in my opinion, yes. >> and then, it all rested with the jury. one charge, one man dead and another man's freedom in the balance. >> the tension in this case is at a fever pitch.

what's on the line in all of this? dr. murray could go to jail for four years if he's found guilty. on the prosecution side and especially for the jackson family, it's will michael jackson get justice? you know, will there be someone held accountable for what happened to this man? >> and we're following the breaking news this hour. a verdict in the involuntary manslaughter trial of dr. conrad murray. >> we, the jury in the above encountered action, find the defendant, conrad robert murray, guilty of the crime of involuntary manslaughter. coming up -- >> do you feel like you did everything you could? >> claims that the promoters behind michael jackson's tour were responsible for murray's

negligence. >> claims that the promoters behind michael jackson's tour were responsible for murray's negligence. >> is there a camera that i can look into to tell the public? not yet. oh hey, up here. [ female announcer ] second kid by their second kid, every mom is an expert and more likely to choose luvs. ♪ after thousands of diaper changes, they know what works. luvs lock away wetness better than huggies for a fraction of the cost live, learn, & get luvs. i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. ♪ oh what a relief it is! cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. nehey!r! [squeals] ♪ [ewh!] [baby crying] the great thing about a subaru is

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murray, michael jackson's doctor, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop icon. >> he has absolutely no sense of remorse. absolutely no sense of fault. and is and remains dangerous. >> harsh words from the judge who handed down the maximum sentence. >> the court has determined that the appropriate term is the high term of four years imprisonment. >> but murray remains defiant and has appealed his conviction. during my interview with his attorney for this documentary, murray called from jail and spoke with me. >> i've lost a friend. a great friend. a man who was imperfect, like all of us are. he has had his dark sides and his good sides.

i truly will miss him. >> conrad murray, as you sit here now in jail and i'm talking to you, do you believe in your innocence? >> absolutely. no doubt. because i did nothing wrong. and all i tried to do was to help this friend who i encountered in a devastated state and i did everything possible to help my friend. >> how long do you think your client is going to spend in jail? >> he's due to be released in october. he received a four-year term. he has to serve half of it. but that's not really the issue. the issue is having that felony conviction on his record, possibly permanently losing his medical license. clearing his name. >> while murray is appealing his conviction, the death of michael jackson is on trial again.

this time, in a civil court. his mother and his children have filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging aeg live, the promoter of michael's this is it concerts, hired dr. murray and was responsible for his criminal was responsible for his criminal actions. kevin boyle is the attorney for katherine jackson. >> we are going to present evidence that support those claims, that the aeg defendants were negligent in hiring, retaining or supervising dr. conrad murray and that that ultimately led to the death of michael jackson. >> aeg live's attorney says aeg didn't pay dr. murray a dime because his contract was never executed. >> aeg live in no way has any responsibility or culpability in the tragic death of michael jackson. michael jackson paid for his personal physician, dr. conrad murray, for years. >> the trial started this week with the jackson family seeking compensation, perhaps billions from the promoter, aeg live. the jackson family claims aeg live instructed murray, quote, not to look out for jackson's best interest but rather to do

whatever medical procedures were calculated to get jackson to perform. the company's president and ceo, randy phillips, told me in an interview in 2010 that he saw a lot of michael jackson during concert preparations. >> look, i spent the most time with him of anyone because of the position i was in at the time. >> so you spent a lot of time with him. did he ever seem out of it? >> drug-like out of it? >> honestly. >> i would only be honest with you or i wouldn't have done this interview. i can't tell if it was drugs or just him. but there was times that he would, you know, wander into his own world at times. >> did he talk to you about his insomnia at all? were you aware of that? did he say, i'm having trouble sleeping? >> no, i mean, i didn't have a clue about it. but he used to call me at 12:00, 12:30 at night. i'd engage him in a conversation, usually last about an hour. then i would go to bed and he

would call me again at 6:30 in the morning when i'm up. i just thought because he had kids he got up early. it never occurred to me that he had never gone to sleep. so, looking back, that's probably a sign that i didn't pick up. >> we know that randy phillips' concerns about michael jackson started at least as early as march. when michael jackson went up on the stage and announced his "this is it" concert series. according to e-mails that were part of the discovery in this trial. ♪ >> in june, during rehearsal, just over a week before michael jackson would die, phillips received this e-mail from director, kenny ortega. "it's like there are two people there. one deep inside trying to hold onto what he was and not wanting us to quit him.

the other in this weakened and troubled state, i believe we need professional guidance in this matter. phillips replied, this doctor is extremely successful. we check everyone out and does not need this gig so he is totally unbiased and ethical." aeg live claims that during rehearsals, dr. murray worked for and was paid by michael jackson. but the michael jackson argues otherwise. who do you believe employed dr. conrad murray at the time of michael's death? >> the complaint is very clear in alleging that it was aeg and the defendants at aeg who were employing dr. conrad murray. >> aeg had negotiated a contract to pay murray's salary. but the company says that agreement would have covered only the upcoming "this is it" concert. >> whatever interaction michael jackson had with dr. murray

didn't really concern or involve us until the tour started that's when this contract would have kicked in. we had never started to pay dr. murray. we had never officially employed him. because that contract never got signed. >> so, to you, this contract is null and void or -- >> yeah, to me, it never took effect because it required michael's signature. >> mr. jackson never signed. aeg never signed. it was still in negotiations. >> but the jacksons point to an e-mail sent to kenny ortega. director of the "this is it" concerts. >> this is what the jackson lawyers call their smoking gun. >> in the e-mail, aeg live co-ceo wrote, we want to remind murray that it is aeg not m.j. who is paying his salary. we want to remind him what is expected of him. >> what is what is expected of him? what does that mean? >> that's on all of the e-mail. but more of that, they're taking it completely out of context. what i understand that to mean is, does he have the proper nutrition? does he have a physical therapist?

does he have the things in place that mr. jackson needed? >> it didn't mean listen, there's a lot riding on this. get him to these rehearsals by any means necessary? >> oh, absolutely not. >> for those people who say aeg is ultimately responsible for michael jackson's death, how do you respond? >> oh, i'm sad -- it makes me said that it devolves to that. aeg, all we did -- we're just promoters. we put up a lot of money. you know, sometimes there aren't villains. there's just unfortunate circumstances and accidents. >> do you feel that you did everything that you could? everything above board? everything right? handled it properly? >> is there a camera i can look into so the public can check if i'm telling the truth or not? yeah, absolutely. i feel 100% that what happened was a terrible accident, had it not happened. i don't know what it was. but whatever happened, okay, had it not and michael survived, i think we would have created entertainment history with these shows.

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the civil trial could last months. will it settle the questions about his death, his life and his legacy?