Top AEG attorney called Michael Jackson ‘the freak’ in email

Hours before Anschutz Entertainment Group executives were heading to Michael Jackson’s Holmby Hills home to sign multimillion-dollar contracts for his concert series in London, the firm’s top lawyer called Jackson “the freak” in an email to another company attorney.

The revelation, which came during the last 15 minutes of court Wednesday, enlivened the day’s testimony in the wrongful death suit that Michael Jackson’s mother and children have filed against AEG.

The email was shown to the jury during the testimony of Shawn Trell, general counsel for AEG Live, who has been on the witness stand for three days.

Trell’s questioning began with Jackson attorney Brian Panish asking the lawyer about his visit to the singer’s house to sign the contracts, the only time he met Jackson. “It was exciting to meet Michael Jackson,” he said.

Panish began to built toward a climax, asking Trell if it were company policy to speak in derogatory terms about an artist they were about to sign a huge deal with. “I may not have necessarily agreed with some of the life choices Michael Jackson made but I certainly had enormous respect for him as an entertainer,” Trell said.

Then Panish gave the jury a foreshadowing of what was to come. He asked Trell, “Did Mr. Fikre say to you that Michael Jackson was a freak?” a reference to Ted Fikre chief legal and development officer and a member of the board of parent company AEG, before slowly unraveling the emails.

The email chain starts Jan 28, 2009, with AEG Live executive Paul Gongaware writing Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, “MJ still on today?”

Phillips emails back. “Yes. 5 p.m. 100 Carolwood Dr. You and Shawn should be there,” referring to Trell.

Trell forwarded the email to Fikre, who replied two minutes later, “Does this mean you get to meet the freak?”

Trell replies, “Apparently. Not sure how I feel about that. Interesting for sure, but kind of creepy.”

Panish then scolded Trell as he sat in the witness box. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you if you don’t have anything good to say about someone not to say it?”

Asked outside court about the email, Jessica Stebbins Bina, an attorney representing AEG, replied, “I think it speaks for itself.”

The Jacksons are suing AEG, saying that the company negligently hired and supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who administered the fatal dose of propofol to Jackson in June 2009. AEG says that Jackson hired Murray and that any money the entertainment company was supposed to pay the doctor was an advance to the singer.

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jeff.gottlieb@latimes.com