If a wrongful death suit is filed, it will more than likely be against Dr. Murray, who has admitted to injecting Jackson with the powerful hospital-grade anesthetic drug Propofol just hours before the singer suffered a heart attack and died.

Katherine Jackson’s lawyer, Burt Levitch, said in a statement today:

“The possibility of a wrongful death action has been floated. In that regard, no decision has been finalized.

“Dr. Murray’s name has been floated [as a possible defendant in the potential lawsuit] because he is under investigation.”

At this stage in the investigation into Jackson’s death, his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is still the prime suspect in any manslaughter charges that may be brought against those medicos who had provided the King of Pop with dangerous anesthetics to use in his home.

[Source]

Katherine Jackson is now the sole carer of her late son Michael Jackson’s children, with a Los Angeles judge signing off on a deal to grant the 79-year-old full custody on Monday.

The Jackson matriarch and her son’s former wife, Debbie Rowe, reached an agreement regarding children Prince Michael I, Paris Michael – Rowe’s biological son and daughter – late last week, with Rowe agreeing to visitation rights and continued spousal support in exchange for relinquishing her claim on the children.

At the hearing on Monday, Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff stated that Katherine would be supplied with a “family allowance” paid out of the King of Pop’s estate to better care for his children.

“It’s not my intention to deprive the children of anything,” Beckloff said.

Jackson’s other child, Prince Michael II – aka Blanket – will also be raised by his grandmother, with the judge ruling that there was “no legal mother” to care for him.

Rowe’s attorney, Eric George, released a statement on his client’s behalf outside of court, praising the result that had been reached.

“Today the parties and the California court brought about a result that is selfless and wise through a process that was collaborative and fair,” George said. “Everyone sought the same objective: doing what is best for the children of Debbie Rowe and Michael Jackson. Today’s result – five-and-a-half-weeks after the tragic death of Michael Jackson, eliminates uncertainty and offers stability to the lives of these children.”

A status hearing will be held on January 11, 2010.

[Source]

Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, will be awarded custody of his three children, according to the terms of a new deal that has just been reached between the Jackson matriarch and her ex-daughter-in-law, Debbie Rowe.

The deal states that Katherine, 79, will get full custody and Rowe will have visitation rights; however, the former nurse won’t receive any money in exchange for relinquishing her custodial rights to Jackson’s mother.

Previous reports had suggested Rowe was set to give up her rights to care for the children for a large lump sum payment from the Jacksons, rumours which Rowe has vehemently denied.

“It’s an agreement,” said L. Londell McMillan, Katherine Jackson’s attorney in the case, “an agreement for the best interests of the children.”

McMillian was quick to point out that money had absolutely nothing to do with the deal that was struck between Rowe and the Jacksons, contrary to what the media has stipulated.

“This is not a money deal,” he said. “This is not about money.”

“There is no situation better for these children than for them to be raised and reared in the loving care of Mrs. Katherine Jackson,” McMillian added.

While the custody of Michael Jackson’s children may have been sorted, the battle for his estate is still on-going, with McMillian hinting that the King of Pop could have been worth more than $2 billion.

[Source]

Michael Jackson may be the world’s King of Pop for all eternity, but according to Kanye West, once a pop icon is dead and gone, his seat on the top of the pops throne is well and truly vacated – and he knows just to appoint Jackson’s replacement: himself.

Yes, the ever affable West has declared himself as the next King of Pop, and even went as far as asking the Jackson family for their blessing in taking over the title.

Right. Because they’ve just lost their son, the first thing the Jacksons will think about it passing over the King of Pop crown.

Kanye told Scrape TV recently:

“You know everyone loves and respects Michael but times change. It’s so sad to see Michael gone but it makes a path for a new King of Pop and I’m willing to take that on.”

The ego-inflated West continued: “There’s nobody who can match me in sales and in respect so it only makes sense for me to take over Michael’s crown and become the new King.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Kanye managed to not only take a chop at Jackson, but at Elvis Presley as well – two of the world’s most beloved performers, all in the one sentence. Well, West is ‘King’ of something, that’s for sure, but I’m pretty certain the word I’m searching for isn’t ‘Pop.’

“First there was Elvis [Presley], then there was Michael, now in the 21st century it’s Kanye’s time to rule,” West added. “I have nothing but respect for Michael but someone needs to pick up where he left off and there’s nobody better than me to do that. I am the new King of Pop.”

Is Kanye West even classified as a ‘pop’ artist? I thought he was more rap/r’n'b. Obviously he’s delusional and ridiculous, whatever his musical genre happens to be. He should hook up with Megan Fox. She’s ridiculous, too.

[Source]

While Dr. Conrad Murray’s lawyer insists his client had nothing to do with the Propofol that is believed to have killed Michael Jackson, law enforcement officials have revealed that they have a very good reason to suspect the physician’s involvment in the pop star’s June 25 death.

Their reasoning? Dr. Murray told the police he did.

According to unnamed sources within the LAPD, two days after Jackson’s death, Murray told detectives he was the one who had administered the Propofol to the King of Pop just hours before he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.

Dr. Murray alleges that he “found” Jackson without a pulse in his bedroom on the morning of June 25 a few hours after administering the powerful anesthesia drug to the singer through an IV drip; however, the LAPD have a different theory.

The police believe that Dr. Murray “wasn’t paying attention” when Jackson’s heart stopped beating, and have even hypothesised that the doctor may have “fallen asleep” during the time the drug was administered, and woke to find the singer already dead from heart failure.

Other doctors in the medical community have said that the use of Propofol – or even drugs of a similar capacity – in the home is “reckless.” For the drug to be used safely, they said, the patient must be monitored by an EKG, which would then sound an alarm when the patient’s pulse drops to dangerous levels.

There was no EKG found in the raid on Michael Jackson’s house.

[Source]

Dr. Conrad Murray is now likely to be convicted in the death of Michael Jackson, as Dea agents, LAPD and Las Vegas police descend on his Las Vegas home and office, armed with more search warrants.

A law enforcement official told FOXNews.com that the gated community of Jackson’s personal physician, and his office Global Cardiovascular Associates, were searched early Tuesday morning in the hopes of finding the evidence needed to formally charge him with manslaughter.

The day before, another law enforcement official told the news network that investigators in the case believed Murray was the one who had given Jackson the fatal dose of Propofol, just hours before his cardiac arrest on June 25. It is this dose the powerful sedative that is thought to have been the primary cause of death, which means that Murray, being the doctor who prescribed and administered it, would be liable for a manslaughter charge.

Murray’s lawyer, however, has said that the doctor “didn’t prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Michael Jackson.” When asked about the LAPD’s anonymous statements to the contrary, lawyer Edward Chernoff added: “We will not be commenting on rumours, innuendo or unnamed sources.”

However, while Chernoff remains adamant that his client isn’t any more of a suspect in the death of Michael Jackson than any of the doctors the late singer had in his service over the years, the lawyer did confirm that there had been multiple searches carried out by both police and agents alike at the doctor’s home and office.

“The search warrant authorized investigators to look for medical records relating to Michael Jackson and all of his reported aliases,” Chernoff’s statement read. “Dr. Murray was present during the search of his home and assisted the officers. Investigators left Dr. Murray’s home around 12 noon, seizing cell phones and a computer hard drive.”

Murray’s office in Houston was searched prior to his home in Las Vegas, with the search warrant stating that authorities on the scene were to look for “property or items constituting evidence of the offense of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr. Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offense.”

Both warrants were said to have been granted based on the preliminary toxicology reports, which at this stage have pinpointed Propofol as a contributing factor in Jackson’s death.

While the official toxicology findings are still days – maybe weeks – away, investigators are “working under the theory” that the sedative caused Jackson’s heart to stop, a source revealed. At this stage, law enforcement officials have been able to determine that the King of Pop had been using the powerful drug – hospital grade, and never intended for home use – for about two years. Since Dr. Murray only cam into Jackson’s service in May of this year, investigators are busily trying to find out how many other doctors illegally prescribed and administered the drug to the singer.

From the court documents, which label Dr. Conrad Murray as the prime suspect in the manslaughter investigation, Jackson “relied on Propofol like an alarm clock,” and would have the drug administered in an IV drip by a physician when he went to sleep. The IV drip would be stopped when it was time for the singer to wake up.

On the day of Jackson’s death, Dr. Murray was staying in singer’s Los Angeles mansion and “happened to find” an unconscious Jackson in his bedroom. Chernoff, Murray’s lawyer, said the doctor “tried to revive” the pop star by “compressing his chest” with one hand while supporting his back with the other.

His revival attempts were in vain, and Jackson died of a drug-assisted cardiac arrest on June 25.

[Source]

Michael Jackson’s death will “almost certainly” be ruled as a homicide, according to gossip site TMZ.com.

The reports suggest that the L.A. County Coroner is “scheduled” to release the autopsy results pertaining to Jackson’s June 25 cardiac arrest mid-next week, after the coroner receives the final toxicology report from an “outside consultant.” Although the results are yet to be finalized, law enforcement sources have revealed that all causes other than homicide – natural, accidental, accidental overdose, and suicide – have been ruled out in the case of Michael Jackson.

Last week’s double raiding of the offices of Dr. Conrad Murray (who was with Jackson when he died) led the media to believe that the LAPD were treating Jackson’s death as a homicide, and with the news from the County Coroner’s office today, it is highly likely that one or more persons will be charged in connection with the King of Pop’s death.

At this stage, Dr. Murray is the prime suspect, and is “actively being investigated” as the person who administered Propofol, the powerful anesthesia that the LAPD suggest caused Jackson’s heart to stop.

Jackson’s sister, La Toya, has been adamant from the very beginning that her brother’s death was no ordinary accident – labeling his shock passing as “murder” – and when the L.A. County Coroner’s ruling comes out next week, the Jackson family are expected to launch a law suit (or suits, depending on the outcome) against those responsible for his death.

[Source]

Michael Jackson’s family will sue for his wrongful death, regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation into his June 25 cardiac arrest, a source has revealed.

While the cause of Jackson’s death is yet to be determined, his family members have decided, after many a private discussion, that they will sue whoever they feel is responsible for his death.

At this point in time, because the criminal investigation is still on-going, it is unknown who the defendant – or defendants – will be in the wrongful death suit; however, it is alleged that the Jackson family are “taking a hard look” at the various doctors who treated Michael in the weeks leading up to his death last month.

“They [family members] not only want jail time for anyone who contributed to Michael’s death, they also want to make them pay, literally,” a source close to the Jacksons told RadarOnline.com.

“They are determined to sue, even if there is no arrest.”

Who is at the top of their list? The doctor at the scene of the crime, who was with Jackson when he died at his Los Angeles home, Dr. Conrad Murray.

Murray’s office has already been searched twice by the LAPD, making him a prime target for the Jacksons and their wrongful death case, as well as a prime target in the criminal investigation.

[Source]

During the screening of her new documentary, Paris, Not France, the infamous Hiltonite revealed a little-known secret to the guys at Extra: Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, was named after her.

“My mom and Michael went to high school together and they were best friends since they were 13,” Hilton explained. “So I grew up knowing Michael very well and when he had his daughter, he always loved the name Paris and grew up being an uncle to me.

“So he asked my mom if it was okay and of course she said yes and I think she’s such a beautiful little girl and I’m proud we have the same name.”

Phew! For a minute there, I thought she was going to say she was proud to be little Paris’ role model! Though, I’m surprised that Hilton is being so cool about the fact that, since Jackson’s shock death and daughter Paris’ debut on his funeral stage, she’s been made redundant and will soon be known as “The Other Paris.”

Paris Hilton’s documentary airs on MTV on July 28.

[Source]

Michael Jackson’s orphaned children will reportedly be raised by their aunt, Rebbie Jackson, if Jackson matriarch Katherine gains custody over their biological mother Debbie Rowe.

A source has revealed that Rebbie, one of the lesser known of the Jackson clan, has been “privately” and “deeply” involved in the lives of her younger brother’s three children, and is the best possible carer for Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Blanket.

While the Jacksons are still divided on many issues in regards to Michael’s estate, the source was adamant that everyone involved believes Rebbie should be the one to raise the children, and there would be no question that the 59-year-old singer would push to become their custodial parent.

Rebbie, who shares a Las Vegas home with her husband of 20 years, is currently living with her mother and Michael’s three children at the Jackson family’s Encino home.

[Source]