Katherine Jackson: Michael's mother, 82, was deposed for nine hours over three days by AEG Live lawyers. As the guardian of her son's three children, she is a plaintiff in the wrongful death lawsuit against the company that promoted Michael Jackson's comeback concerts.
Prince Jackson: Michael's oldest son is considered a key witness in the Jacksons' case against AEG Live, since he is expected to testify about what his father told him about the concert promoter in the last days of his life. Prince, who turned 16 in February, is becoming more independent -- he now has a driver's license and jobs.
Paris Jackson: Michael's daughter, who turned 15 on April 3, is on the list of witnesses and was questioned by AEG Live lawyers for several hours on March 21 about her father's death. Paris is an outspoken teen who often posts messages to her 1 million-plus Twitter followers.
Blanket Jackson: Although AEG Live asked the judge to order Blanket, 11, to sit for a deposition, and he is one of the four plaintiffs suing them, Michael's youngest son will not be a witness in the trial. His doctor submitted a note to the court saying it would be "medically detrimental" to the child.
Kevin Boyle: The Los Angeles personal injury lawyer is leading the Jackson team of at least six attorneys in the wrongful death suit against AEG Live. One of his notable cases was a large settlement with Boeing on behalf of two soldiers injured when their helicopter malfunctioned and crashed in Iraq.
Perry Sanders, Jr.: Katherine Jackson's personal lawyer is helping steer the Jackson matriarch through her relations with her son's estate, probate court and the wrongful death suit. He is also known for representing the family of Biggie Smalls in their suit against the city of Los Angeles over the rapper's death investigation.
Marvin Putnam: He's the lead lawyer for AEG Live, defending against the wrongful death suit. The primary focus of his legal practice is "media in defense of their First Amendment rights," according to his official biography.
Philip Anschutz: The billionaire owner of AEG, parent company of AEG Live, is on the Jacksons' witness list. He is the force behind the effort to build a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles to lure a National Football League team to the city. He recently pulled his company off the market after trying to sell it for $8 billion.
Tim Leiweke: He was recently fired as AEG's president as Philip Anschutz announced he was taking a more active role in the company. The Jackson lawyers say Leiweke's e-mail exchanges with executives under him concerning Michael Jackson's health are important evidence in their case.
Joe Jackson: Michael's father, 84, is on the witness list for the trial and may testify. The Jackson family patriarch, who lives in Las Vegas separately from his wife, has suffered several ministrokes in the last year, which some close to him say have affected him.
Randy Phillips: He's president of AEG Live, the concert promoter that contracted with Michael Jackson for his "This Is It" comeback shows set to start in London in July 2009. The Jackson lawsuit says Phillips supervised Dr. Conrad Murray's treatment of Jackson in the weeks before his death, making the company liable for damages. E-mails between Phillips and other executives showed they were worried about Jackson's missed rehearsals and sought Murray's help getting him ready.
Paul Gongaware: The AEG Live co-CEO worked closely with Michael Jackson as he prepared for his comeback concerts. He testified at Dr. Conrad Murray's criminal trial that he contacted the physician and negotiated his hiring at the request of Jackson. AEG lawyers say it was Jackson who chose, hired and supervised Murray. Gongaware knew Jackson well, having been tour manager for the singer in previous years.
Kenny Ortega: He was chosen by Michael Jackson and AEG Live to direct and choreograph the "This Is It" shows. Ortega, who choreographed for Jackson's "Dangerous" and "HIStory" tours, testified at Dr. Conrad Murray's criminal trial that "Jackson was frail" at a rehearsal days before his death.
Dr. Conrad Murray: He was Michael Jackson's personal physician in the two months before his death, giving him nightly infusions of the surgical anesthetic that the coroner ruled led to his death. Murray, who is appealing his involuntary manslaughter conviction, has sworn that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination and refused to testify in the civil trial. There is a chance that Murray will be brought into court from jail to testify outside the presence of the jury to allow the judge to determine if he would be ordered to testify.
John Branca: He's one of two executors of Michael Jackson's estate. Branca was Jackson's lawyer until about seven years before his death. He said Jackson rehired him just weeks before he died.
- AEG Live CEO Randy Phillip is testifying in the Jackson wrongful death trial
- Feisty chemistry between Jacksons' lawyer and Phillips should keep jurors attention
- AEG lawyers advised him not to review old e-mails before testimony, exec says
- The Jacksons accuse AEG Live of negligently hiring Dr. Conrad Murray
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Claims of extortion and laughter-inducing testimony stemming from legal advice on e-mails highlighted Tuesday's proceedings in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial.
Randy Phillips, the chief executive officer of AEG Live, disclosed that his lawyers advised company executives not to review old e-mails before testifying.
That strategy could explain the high number of "I don't recall" answers by Paul Gongaware, the concert promoter's co-CEO, during his deposition and six days of testimony that have just concluded.
Phillips, who followed Gongaware on the witness stand Tuesday afternoon, said he believed Jackson's mother and three children were trying to extort money from his company, which he insisted bears no liability in the pop icon's death in 2009.
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The Jacksons' lawsuit accuses the company of negligently hiring, retaining or supervising Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's drug overdose death.
AEG lawyers contend Jackson chose, paid and controlled Murray, who infused him with the surgical anesthetic propofol almost every night for a month to help the singer rest as he prepared for his comeback "This Is It" concerts.
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Jackson lawyer Brian Panish, who has been previously told by the judge not to argue with witnesses, quickly tangled with Phillips.
"Please don't argue with me because then I will argue back and get in trouble," Panish told Phillips at one point.
"Then that's an incentive for me," Phillips joked.
The feisty chemistry between lawyer and witness promises to keep jurors, who often chuckle at Panish's courtroom behavior, on the edge of their seats for the next day or so.
Gongaware's testimony was punctuated with so many "I don't recall" responses that jurors began laughing at one point. He frequently said he couldn't recall sending or reading key e-mails in the case, although his e-mail address was on them.
Panish asked Gongaware whether he thought it would have been better for him if he had reviewed documents and e-mails before testifying.
"I relied on the advice of my attorney," he said.
With his testimony concluded, Gongaware will resume his responsibilities as tour manager for the Rolling Stones.
"All this legal stuff, I don't understand it," he said.
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Phillips, a law school dropout, seemed ready to rumble when he entered court after Gongaware. But he acknowledged that until two weeks ago, he had not looked at any of his old e-mails to refresh his memory.
"They felt it would be better if I went in without preparation," he said, referring to his lawyers.
AEG Live lawyer Marvin Putman said outside of court that the volume of documents they would have needed to review was massive, making it impossible for them to prepare.
E-mails that AEG Live executives sent and received in the months before Jackson's death include one in which Phillips assures show director Kenny Ortega that the company has "checked out" Murray and found him to be very successful.
AEG Live executives later acknowledged they did not do a background check on Murray, who a police detective testified was in debt for more than $1 million dollars and faced foreclosure on his home.
"I wrote it in the e-mail that I thought at the time he had been checked out," Phillips testified Tuesday. He wrote that Murray was successful "because that's what I was told," he said.
"In retrospect, it's not 100% true," Phillips said. "There's what I thought at the time versus what I learned afterwards."
Phillips, Gongaware and other AEG Live executives ignored red flags that should have alerted them that Jackson's life was in danger, the Jackson lawsuit contends.
Murray signed and faxed his $150,000-a-month contract back to AEG Live, but with Jackson's death the next day on June 25, 2009, Phillips didn't sign it. AEG lawyers argue that means it was not a fully executed agreement and Murray was never hired by them.
