Michael Jackson's death: Jackson's doctor hires a Houston attorney
The physician who was in Michael Jackson's Holmby Hills mansion before his death has hired an attorney from a Houston-based law firm to represent him as they meet with LAPD officials at an undisclosed location at 4 p.m. today.
Dr. Conrad Murray, a cardiologist with offices in Houston and Las Vegas, has been identified as the singer's personal doctor and was brought on to care for the 50-year-old's health during an upcoming concert series. The initial Jackson autopsy results are inconclusive, and the investigation is focused on whether the pop icon overdosed on prescription drugs.
Attorney Edward M. Chernoff of Stradley, Chernoff and Alford arrived in Los Angeles Friday night with another associate form the law firm, said Bill Stradley, who is also a partner of the firm.
"Our assumption at this point is that he didn't do anything wrong,' Stradley said of Murray. The firm agreed to represent Murray only Friday night, and they are still familiarizing themselves with the issues.
A biography of Chernoff on the firm's website describes him as the patriarch of the firm who "handles the most complicated cases of the firm." He has worked with the Harris County district attorney's office, where he lost one felony jury trial out of 40, according to the biography.
Stradley said Murray wanted a Houston firm to represent him.
-- Harriet Ryan
Photo. Dr. Conrad Murray in 2006. Credit: Houston Chronicle
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EDITOR'S PICKS:
Time to lawyer-up!
Posted by: supa g | June 27, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Too bad I am not around...
Posted by: Johnny Cochran | June 27, 2009 at 01:22 PM
It looks like involuntary manslaughter. Kinda reeks of Ana Nicole Smith and her entourage of opportunists, vultures who descend on the sheltered and delusional. RIP MJ.
Posted by: Garbanzo Bean | June 27, 2009 at 03:35 PM
He is just protecting his rights, anyone else would get a lawyer too.
Posted by: Jeff | June 27, 2009 at 03:37 PM
Last time I checked, it's not a crime for a physician to put his greed above his patient's best interests - if it were a crime, there'd be a serious shortage of physicians.
Posted by: Yours Truly | June 27, 2009 at 05:01 PM
Play with the devil and you're going to get burned.
Posted by: Blue Collar | June 27, 2009 at 05:13 PM
Wonder if he's in trouble for doing CPR on MJ as he laid on a bed instead of the floor. Hard surface is needed to do CPR properly. As a doctor, he should know better.
R.I.P. MJ...
Posted by: nicademus | June 27, 2009 at 06:59 PM
Here is where we need Socialized medicine. If only Jackson had this he would not have been able to choose his doctor or any doctor for that matter and the government dude practicing evidence based medicine and considering how much fun Jackson has already had at Neverland and not having any Demerol anyway, could have done just as good a CPR for a lot less money and if the patient had been rescusitated he could have been given government pain pills rather than expensive and unnecessary surgery. If Jackson HAD WANTED TO PAY FOR HIS OWN CARE he couldn't have because he's not a member of Congress.
Posted by: BBJR | June 27, 2009 at 08:53 PM
Lawyering up is not the typical reaction from a doctor when a patient dies. In this particular case, however, with such a high profile patient, there is going to be more public attention than an ordinary person is prepared to handle. I can't say I blame him, but it does make it look like the doctor has something to hide, especially combined with his disappearance after the event.
Posted by: natxlaw | June 27, 2009 at 09:21 PM