AEG closing arguments: Michael Jackson wrongful death trial

Bill Robles covered the closing arguments of the AEG lawyer during the Jackson wrongful death lawsuit trial. The trial  lasted five months and now the jury is left to decide who was at fault in the death of Michael Jackson.
A jury will weigh whether AEG negligently hired and supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who gave Michael 
Jackson a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol on the eve of what was to be the singer's comeback tour. 

AEG lawyer Marvin Putnam during his closing argument by Bill Robles

From the LA Times

The attorney for AEG Live told jurors Wednesday the concert promoter never hired the doctor who was treating Michael Jackson as he prepared for a comeback tour, never had a contract with him and had no idea the doctor was giving the singer the powerful anesthetic that killed him.

"Plaintiffs want you to hold a concert promoter liable for Michael Jackson’s overdose, in his bedroom, at night, behind locked doors,” Marvin Putnam said during his closing argument in the five-month wrongful death case.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-michael-jackson-20130925,0,1568360.story

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE BANKRUPTCY OF LEHMAN BROTHERS

5 Years Post-Lehman, Where Do the I-Banks Stand? (^DJI, ^GSPC, GS, MS)

From the Wall Street Journal:
Link: Wall Street Journal story on Lehman Bros collapse

The Lehman Brothers failure five years ago kicked off a period of economic tumult whose repercussions are still felt today.For a reminder of just how crazy that moment was, let’s step into the wayback machine with some of the key legal players from the biggest bankruptcy filing of all time.Center stage: an army of restructuring lawyers who over the course of one week pivoted from trying to set up a Hail Mary merger to preparing for the bank’s demise

Five years ago, on Monday September 15th, 2008 Lehman Brothers filed for court protection. “This was the biggest unplanned bankruptcy in bankruptcy history,” said Judge James Peck of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, who oversaw Lehman’s Chapter 11 case.
In 2010 Bloomberg News covered the lawsuit filed by Lehman against Barclays. Harvey Miller was called to the stand. Miller oversaw the bankruptcy of Lehman and was visibly upset on the stand, while testifying about those traumatic days. During his testimony he described the pandemonium that took place in the days during the fall of Lehman Brothers. The Lehman collapse almost lead to a destruction of the world economy and did lead to the deepest recession since the Great Depression.
Recent quote by Miller, who reflected on the Lehman bankruptcy that took place 5 years ago.
“The bankruptcy case of Lehman was unprecedented,” says Harvey Miller, Lehman’s bankruptcy counsel. “It was the largest Chapter 11 case ever filed by billions of dollars. It was traumatic and extremely difficult.”

Harvey Miller on stand  during the Barclays Lehman lawsuit
describing the scene as Lehman Bros collapsed on September 15, 2008
US Bankruptcy Court, Lower Manhattan  April 28,2010

Rober Gaffey, representing Lehman's estate, questions Harvey Miller
during the Lehman Barclays hearing in US Bankruptcy Court, Lower Manhattan
David Boies representing Barclays, seated right

Below is a news story link about the subsequent lawsuit filed by Lehman against Barclays which relates to the court art above. 

Telegraph news story :
.......some were claiming the deal had gone sour. Lehman's estate alleged that BarCap ( Barclays) had got the broker-dealer operations on the cheap.  Between the legal argument and the obfuscation that is common in banking trials, Judge Peck will decide whether BarCap really did get "too good a deal" or whether Lehman is trying to rewrite the course of history.
Lehman v Barclays lawsuit story

MANUEL NORIEGA TRIAL 22 YEARS AGO Sept 6th 1991

In the mid-80's Panamanian General Manuel Noriega cooperated with the DEA and the covert American drug enforcement operation, called Operation Negocios. It was carried out for several years and relied in part on information supplied by the Panama Defense Forces, which General Noriega then commanded. 

After the Iran-Contra Affair,( the Iran Contra trial is highlighted in the upcoming book, www.illustratedcourtroom.com) the US became increasingly suspicious of Noriega amid indications that he was selling his services to other intelligence bodies, not to mention drug-trafficking organizations.

In 1988, the US indicted Noriega on charges of drug trafficking. The United States invaded Panama it ended with Noriega surrendering to U. S. forces on January 3, 1990.  Below is an illustration of Noriega by Aggie Kenny soon after his capture in Miami Federal Court. Kenny noticed Noriega smiling during the post arrest hearing, something that was out of the ordinary.Kenny said " It was a key detail, almost a smirk. Quite surprising to see that in court, usually defendants are so sober". 

Manuel Noriega in court after arrest in Miami Federal Court in January 1990

His trial began 22 years ago in Miami Federal Court on September 6th,1991 and jury selection took a week. The trial ran until April 10th, 1992;  Noriega was convicted on 8 of 10 charges. Below is a portrait of Noriega by Kenny. 

Manuel Noriega by Aggie Kenny

This was a landmark trial which marked the first time that a former head of a foreign government had ever faced criminal charges in an American court of law. However just this year, the former president of Guatemala, Alphonso Portillo was indicted and brought to the US to face money laundering charges.

Indictment PDF

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/May13/PortilloAlfonsoExtraditionPR/U.S.%20v.%20Alfonso%20Portillo%20Indictment.pdf

REFERENCE LINKS

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15853540

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/17/us/noriega-defense-requests-recess.html

Ford recalls 'Squeaky' Fromme assassination attempt in video

Newly released footage from the trial of Charles Manson disciple Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme shows President Gerald Ford calmly and carefully recalling the attempted assassination in the videotaped testimony.The roughly 20-minute interview taped in Washington was released Monday by a federal court as the result of a motion filed by a local historical group.

The former president recalled seeing a hand holding a large handgun slipping through a crowd at a Sacramento park before a Secret Service agent lunged at Fromme.

Almost  38 years ago, on Sept. 5, 1975, at around 9:30 a.m., a young woman left her $100-a-month attic apartment at 1725 P St. and began the short stroll to the CA. state Capitol. Dressed in a flowing red robe and carrying a loaded Colt .45-caliber pistol in a leg holster, she became part of American history. At 10:06 a.m., Lynette Alice Fromme pulled the pistol out from under her robe and pointed it at President Gerald R. Ford.......
Ford recalls 'Squeaky' Fromme assassination attempt in video

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5681800/videotape-of-president-ford-testifying.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5681800/videotape-of-president-ford-testifying.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5681800/videotape-of-president-ford-testifying.html#storylink=cpy

Squeaky Fromme on the stand 
during the penalty phase the trial of Charles Manson 1971 by Howard Brodie

During the Manson trial, Howard Brodie recalled Fromme and other Manson followers camped outside 

the Hall of Justice where the trial was taking place. They carved an "X" in their foreheads following 

Manson's lead. Fromme took the stand in defense of Manson, during the penalty phase of the trial. When 

asked if she was in love with Manson, she responded

"Well, Charlie's in love with love, I'm in love with love so I'm in love with Charlie. All of us are."

Sean Bell Illustrations for WABC/ Reporter NJ Burkett at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice

The John Jay School of Criminal Justice acquired the complete collection of the illustrations from the Sean Bell trial drawn by Elizabeth Williams for WABC News with reporter NJ Burkett . Burkett and Williams covered the entire trial which ran from late February 2008 through April 2008. It was a contentious and challenging case. It focused on the aftermath of a bachelor party that ended in the shooting death of Bell involving three NYPD officers, two of whom were black. All officers were acquitted of any criminal charges. One of the officers, Gescard Isnora was eventually departmentally fired.
To view the works,
one can now contact John Jay and the school has the works available for any interested party.

Sean Bell John Jay School Link
Elizabeth Williams collection information

Sean Bell trial,
Gescard Isnora attorney Anthony Riccio,
cross examination of Joseph Guzman

Link to YouTube video of Sean Bell Trial illustrations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9G_Ly4_AmI

Hillside Strangler 30 years: longest criminal trial in US History

Dateline August 24th, 1983 
There is "no doubt" that Angelo Buono Jr. committed the 10 Hillside Strangler murders, a prosecutor charged as he ended the first phase of final arguments in what is believed to be the longest criminal trial in U.S. history. Final arguments took a total of 5 1/2 weeks; Buono  was found guilty on November 1, 1983.

Thirty years ago with 450 witnesses and nearly 2 years of testimony, the Hillside Strangler trial finally came to a close, with closing statements. Below is a drawing of Angelo Buono over the 4 year period he was incarcerated from arraignment to verdict. Buono the one time auto upholsterer, with his cousin Kenneth Bianchi a former security guard, strangled 10 women and girls in the Los Angeles area from 1977-1978. He was finally caught in 1979. Similar to the Son of Sam case in NYC, the Hillside Strangler case grabbed the attention of the press and the people of LA, causing great unease and concern over the 2 year period. Indeed the LA City Council passed an ordinance that would allow them to post a 25K reward leading to an arrest, the County Board of Supervisors had offered a 100K reward. A lengthy investigation by the LAPD led them to Bianchi who had moved to Washington State, he was arrested there. Then Bianchi plead guilty and implicated Buono. 

More arrests expected in N.Y. counterfeit art fraud - The Santa Fe New Mexican: News

More arrests expected in N.Y. counterfeit art fraud - The Santa Fe New Mexican: News

Glafira Rosales in Manhattan Federal court with her attorney Steven Kartagener

On Monday Glafira Rosales appeared in court for another arraignment on a superseding indictment related to her fraudulent sale of counterfeit artworks. She looked rather pained about the whole experience. Thought it was important to capture that emotion, though it was over in a flash. Fortunately I had time to finish up the illustration.