|
 The court ruling in the city of Orleans capped a two-year
struggle by a group of 30 French, Swiss and Belgian fans of the
pop star for legal recognition of their loss.
Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for his
role in administering an overdose of the surgical anesthetic
propofol, which killed the 50-year-old pop star in 2009.
Murray lost an appeal against his conviction last month but
remains out of custody, having been released from a Los Angeles
jail last October after serving two years.
"Dr. Murray was ordered to pay one 'symbolic' euro, or $1.34,
and that's what we were looking for," the fans' lawyer Emmanuel
Ludot said.
The judge considered medical records submitted by the fans
before making the decision, Ludot said.
Ludot said the ruling would be communicated to Murray — who did
not attend hearings and was not represented by a lawyer — via
diplomatic courier, adding: "But the fight is not about claiming
the sum of one euro."
[to top of second column] |
 Two of the five fans awarded the payout are French.
Under French law, plaintiffs can bring a case against another party
who is neither French nor resides in France as long as they
themselves are a citizen.
The fans now plan to contact Jackson's mother Katherine to request
permission to visit his final resting place in Glendale, California,
Ludot said.
Ludot said all parties in the proceedings, from the judges and
lawyers to the French media, had found the case amusing.
"I respected the suffering of the plaintiffs, but the process wasn't
easy because of all the sniggering," he added.
(Reporting by Mourad Guichard, writing
by Alexandria Sage; editing by Gareth Jones)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
