According to Brian Panish, who represents Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and his three children, Paris, Prince Michael, and Blanket, AEG Live pushed Michael Jackson to meet the demands of his never-
realized concert tour and hired Dr. Conrad Murray to make sure he was ready, despite the singer's known history of drug dependency.
"They chose to run the risk and make a huge profit,'' lawyer Brian Panish said in closing arguments of the trial of Katherine Jackson's negligent-hiring lawsuit against AEG Live. "But they lost and they are responsible.''
Panish said Jackson had earnings potential of up to $1.2 billion if he lived to perform the "This Is It" concerts in London, along with subsequent performances worldwide, a Las Vegas show and a movie deal.