Michael Jackson’s father sues doctor

June 26, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

Michael Jackson’s father filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Friday against the doctor charged with giving the pop superstar a lethal dose of sedatives one year ago, accusing the Nevada doctor of negligence, secrecy and poor training.

Joe Jackson sued Dr. Conrad Murray on Friday — the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death — in federal court in Los Angeles.

The complaint, which seeks more than $75,000, accuses Murray of professional negligence for providing the singer with a mix of sedatives — including the anesthetic propofol — that authorities say killed him.

Propofol is normally administered only in hospital settings, but Murray had been providing Jackson the drug in the bedroom of the singer’s rented mansion in Los Angeles. Joe Jackson contends the physician tried to conceal his administration of the drug after Jackson’s death.

The lawsuit also lists medical clinics that Murray operates in Las Vegas and Houston, claiming they did not properly train or supervise the doctor. The lawsuit was filed in federal court because Murray’s clinics are in other states and the doctor lives in Nevada.

Murray has pleaded innocent to an involuntary-manslaughter charge filed in February. His attorneys have said that he did not give Jackson anything that “should have” killed him.

His civil attorney, Charles Peckham, repeated that assertion Friday.

Joe Jackson’s attorney, Brian Oxman, said there’s a one-year deadline after a death to sue doctors in California.

“It’s an important thing for Joseph Jackson,” Oxman said of the lawsuit after he personally filed it. “He wants justice for his son Michael.”

Also Friday, a court official in Nevada approved what a prosecutor called a reprieve of efforts to revoke Murray’s medical license in that state.

Prosecutor Gerard Costantian said Murray’s attorneys paid about $5,000 toward Murray’s $15,000 back child-support obligation, and the rest will be paid in coming months. Murray lawyer Kristine Brewer said later the money came from an anonymous benefactor whose name she didn’t know.

Murray owes the money to the mother of his 12-year-old son in California. Nevada law allows for the suspension of professional licenses for nonpayment of child support.

The lawsuit came on a day when fans around the world were mourning Jackson. Joe Jackson was not seen at two of the marquee locations — the unveiling of a statue in the family’s hometown of Gary, Ind., and the Glendale, Calif., cemetery where his son is interred.

The Jackson family patriarch is seeking damages for a variety of issues, including loss of income and support, emotional distress and pain and suffering.