Michael Jackson fans win damages for 'emotional suffering' from star's death

I'm not sure what my initial response was when I first learned about about the fans who filed this law suite a few years ago. I know I must have felt it was a lost cause. But now that I see the outcome, I'm very proud the fans stood their ground and won their case, even if the monetary  award is just symbolic. I know I and other fans can relate first hand about the Great emotional harm and suffering we went through over the death of our dear Michael. So I hope we can all look on this as a win for all of us that the court has recognised our grief and suffering through these fans. ~ Qbee

Michael Jackson fans win damages for

 'emotional suffering' from star's death

Fans in L.A. grieve outside the home of Michael Jackson after his death at the age of 50 

in 2009 from a drug overdose administered by his Doctor . Photo Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty 

Court in Orléans rules that five fans of the late musician had been caused emotional damage by Jackson's death 

Five Michael Jackson fans have won symbolic damages of €1 each as a French court agreed that they had suffered "emotional damage" from the pop star's death.

Played out in a court in the city of Orléans, the unusual case saw 34 fans suing Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, who was jailed in 2011 over the singer's death from an overdose, for the suffering they said they had endured.

The court ruled on Tuesday that five of the plaintiffs – two from France, two from Switzerland and one from Belgium – had proven emotional suffering from Jackson's death.

Their lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot, told AFP: "As far as I know, this is the first time in the world that the notion of emotional damage in connection with a pop star has been recognised."

He praised the plaintiffs for "going through with the process despite the sneers" it had aroused. He said they had proven their suffering "with the help of witness statements and medical certificates".

The case was brought by a group known as the "Michael Jackson Community" based near Orléans in central France.

Ludot said the damages were symbolic and the plaintiffs would not be seeking to claim the €1 each from Murray, who was released in October after serving two years of his four-year sentence.

But he said they hoped their status as recognised victims would help them gain access to Jackson's grave site in Los Angeles, which is closed to the public.

Philippe Brun, a law professor at Savoy University, said the decision was unprecedented and would be difficult to uphold on appeal.

"If this ruling is appealed, I doubt it could withstand scrutiny because there is a contradiction between suffering emotional damage and the symbolic nature of the allocated sum," he said.

Jackson died in 2009 from an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol while under Murray's care, as the "King of Pop" rehearsed in Los Angeles for a series of comeback concerts in London.



Source:http://theguardian.com