News / Education
Legal Liability
Michael Jackson’s personal physician faces charges in the pop star’s death, but you don’t have to be a medical professional to be held liable when drugs kill.
As prosecutors in Los Angeles prepare to file charges against Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, it again raises the debate over who is responsible for the drugs an individual knowingly allows in their system.
Murray has always claimed that Jackson requested or even demanded he administer the powerful anesthetic propofol, in order to help the King of Pop overcome his insomnia.
This raised questions immediately after Jackson’s death in summer 2009, but it’s taken months for the district attorney’s office to get to the point of pressing charges, despite the coroner's ruling that Jackson died from "acute propofol intoxication."
The Houston-based cardiologist reportedly traveled to LA in anticipation of the charges being filed, taking time out to visit Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, where Jackson was laid to rest.
Past Charges in Drug Deaths
This may be one of the most high-profile cases, but it isn’t the first one where others were held accountable for the death of another person by overdose. Howard K. Stern was charged with numerous felony counts more than two years after the 2007 death of his longtime companion, Playboy Playmate and reality star Anna Nicole Smith. Charges were also filed against Smith’s psychiatrist and her internist in relation to Smith’s death.
There are other instances that have been in the news as well. John Belushi’s death in 1982 from an overdose of cocaine and heroin eventually led to charges for the woman who admitted to providing the drugs, but those were illegal drugs. Coaches or trainers who provide illegal growth hormones to athletes have also been targeted. And in recent years, parents or other adults have been held accountable for damages or bodily harm caused by teens under the influence of alcohol or drugs the adults provided.
Substance Abuse Treatment
If you or a family member is struggling with a substance abuse problem, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
