Defense Expert: Conrad Murray's Medical License A Built-In Background Check
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A human resources expert called to the stand by AEG Live Tuesday testified it is rare for a company to check the credit of an independent contractor, particularly a physician with a medical license.
Human resources consultant Rhoma Young was called to testify in the wrongful death lawsuit brought on behalf of Michael Jackson's mother and children.
When Jackson asked AEG to hire Dr. Conrad Murray to serve as his personal physician for the ill-fated 'This Is It' concert tour, AEG negotiated an independent contractor agreement with the doctor.
In July, attorneys for the Jackson family called their own HR expert to the stand, who testified that proper hiring practices require companies to assess the risks posed by an independent contractor. Conducting a credit check on Murray would have shown that the doctor was deeply in debt.
"I absolutely do not agree," Young testified Tuesday.
According to Young, it is not common practice for a company like AEG to perform a credit check on an independent contractor.
Young also testified that a physician's medical license is a built-in background check, requiring a criminal background check and the verification of skills, education and experience.
Katherine Jackson alleges AEG Live was negligent in the hiring and supervising of Murray, who was convicted of administering a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol that killed Michael Jackson in 2009.
AEG denies any wrongdoing and maintains the doctor was brought on at Jackson's request.
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