Jacksons vs AEG - Day 32 – June 18 2013 – Summary
Katherine Jackson is in court.
Kai Chase testimony
Jackson direct
Attorney Deborah Chang is doing the questioning. (ABC7)
Chase said she's personal chef for the past 17 years. She currently works for Katherine Jackson and MJ's children Prince, Paris and Blanket. Chase worked for MJ while he was preparing for tour. She began working for him end of March, was let go in May and brought back in June 09. (ABC7)
Chase started culinary profession in a small culinary school, then worked as writer for Urban network magazine. Chase got her masters degree at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy in Paris. She said she comes from family of artists, culinary is her art. Chase said famous chef Julia Childgraduated from Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, Chase opened her own catering company. She was always involved in the entertainment business. "My godfather was Redd Foxx," Chase said. Chase Clientele: President Barack Obama, Bernie Mack, Steve Harvey, John Sally, Maxine Waters, worked with Wolfgang Puck, Pamela Anderson. Chase worked in 2007 in an inauguration event for president Obama. "I got the gig because... I'm good," Chase laughed. Chase said Obama was pleased to see an young, African American woman doing well. Chase explained who Wolfgang Puck is, very famous chef who cooks at the Oscars and has TV shows. (ABC7) Chase gave her biography _ she was trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and owned a catering company before becoming private chef. Plaintiff's attorney Deborah Chang showed jury several photos of Chase. One was outside Le Cordon Bleu, another was with President Obama. (AP)
Chang: Are you trained as nutritionist?
Chase: No, I'm not
Chase said she studied nutrition of foods, but does not have training as nutritionist. (ABC7)
Chase said she first interviewed with Jackson’s assistant, Michael Amir Williams. Then she went to the Jackson's mansion for 2nd interview. The 2nd interview was with Jackson’s children, Chase said. They described how they and their father liked to eat healthy, she said. Prince, Paris and Blanket were talking over each other, Chase recounted. By the end of the session, she had the chef job. (AP)
Chase recalled she received call from company called Culinary Staffing. The client is husband, wife, two kids, husband was a businessman. Chase was asked to send the resume in. She said she got call back within the hour saying client was very impressed with her qualifications. There was a meeting set up at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at the Grove in LA. Chase met with Michael Amir, who interviewed her extensively. Chase asked who the client was and Amir showed her MJ's company business card. "When he handed me the card, whoa!" Chase testified. (ABC7)
Chang: Where you excited?
Chase: Yes, I was (ABC7)
The second meeting happened at the Carolwood house. Michael Jackson was not present, the meeting was with MJ's children, Chase explained. Chase said Prince was 12 years old, Paris was about to turn 11 and Blanket was 9. "They were talking over each other, they very excited to meet me," Chase said. "They wanted to make sure I knew how to cook healthy food". Chase recalls the kids saying daddy likes apricots, we like fruits, Blanket likes mango. "It felt like we were developing an immediate bond," Chase explained. "It was a beautiful beginning." (ABC7)
Chase said she began working the very next day, end of March, beginning of April. Chase arrived 8-8:30 am, got kids ready for school, cooked breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, clean up, kept pantry stocked, grocery shopped. Chase's schedule started with 7 days a weeks, eventually became 6 days a week, with Sundays off. (ABC7)
Kai Chase’s testimony this morning focused on humanizing Jackson after numerous witnesses who’d dealt with him on business affairs only. She described the first time she met Jackson, bumping into him while bringing water to guests in his parlor. From there, they became close. Kai Chase: “He wanted to get to know the woman who was in his life who was feeding his family.” (AP) Chase said first MJ encounter they kind of had the introduction, like bumped into each other. Kind of like hey, how are you?. "That was the first introduction, after that it blossomed into a boss/friend relationship", Chase described. Chase said MJ was very hands on into his children's life/nutrition. "He wanted to get to know the woman who was feeding his children." (ABC7)
Chase said Jackson was a hands-on dad who often talked to her about healthy eating and nutrition. She said she had a chance to observe a lot of interactions because Jackson’s children often were in the den, which was next to kitchen. Jackson’s mansion had an open layout, so Chase said she could see into the den. Jackson spent a lot of time with his children, she said. “These children were his world,” Chase told jurors. She described them all eating together, telling jokes. (AP)
The relationship between MJ and his kids was very loving, they were together a lot, Chase said. Chase: His children were the love of his life, his children meant everything to him. MJ had lunch with his children privately, in beautifully set table. "His children meant the world to him," Chase testified. Chase said the house was very warm, good feeling, loving. It was a beautiful place, good feeling, music playing, fireplace on, she described. Chase said she did not eat the meals with MJ and kids because Michael liked the meal with his children to be private bonding time. Chase said that when they ate food from other parts of the world they would study a bit about the culture of the place they were eating. Chase would write the menu on chalkboard of what the meal was for the day, so kids could understand the food they were eating. (ABC7) Dinners were a major meal. Sometimes they pretended they were eating in other parts of the world, Chase said. Chase said she was teaching Jackson’s children about food. She would write the menu on a chalkboard in the kitchen. (AP)
Music and fireplaces were almost always on in the house, Chase said. Sometimes it was Disney music, sometimes classical. The soundtrack in the kitchen at Michael Jackson’s home was LA’s K-Earth 101 station, chef Kai Chase said. (AP)
Chase said the children were homeschooled from Monday to Friday, so Mr. Jackson liked to keep things creative. Chase gave as example Monday was reading day, Tuesday was arts and crafts, Wednesday was watching classic movie then writing about it. Chase said the kids learned math, science, foreign language. They had a teacher come in, they were constantly being educated. "He took great pride helping children develop foreign language and art," Chase testified. "The children weren't allowed to watch television" (ABC7)
Chase said she stayed a lot in the kitchen, but since it was an open floor plan, she got to interact with the children. "I'd teach them about food and technique, they'd teach me games," Chase recalled. (ABC7)
Chase got to see the interaction of MJ with the children. She said it was a family atmosphere. Chase described how the children reacted when MJ arrived at the house. Chase: Seeing those children take off like lightening, grab him by the ankle, by the arms, it brings tears to my eyes, so much love there. MJ was disciplinary when needed, Chase said. When they had school, they had to be in bed by certain time; respected and obeyed their father. (ABC7) Chase described the close bond Jackson and his children shared, telling jurors the youngsters would run to their father when he came into a room. "They would take off like lightning," she said, hugging their father's ankles and legs. On the stand, Chase said Jackson made sure the children kept a healthy diet and got plenty of sleep for school sessions. (AP).
She said Jackson wouldn't allow his children to eat sweets and made sure they went to bed early so they would be alert for tutors who instructed them. (AP)
Chang: Were they allowed to eat sweets whenever they wanted?
Chase: No! That was a big no, no "Sweets were only dictated when he (MJ) said," Chase explained. (ABC7)
Chase asked MJ if she could do comfort food Saturday, serving not-so-healthy food like fried chicken. MJ gave her the thumbs up, she said. It was a way to break the monotony of always eating healthy. (ABC7)
Chase said Michael had a very giving spirit, loving nature spirit. The chef testified MJ was always concerned on how to give back. Chase described seeing Paris going through her wardrobe and getting clothes she didn't want to wear anymore. Paris would sew the clothes into new pieces, made little skirts out of her pants, put them in a box and ship them overseas, Chase said.(ABC7)
Chase told jurors Jackson’s children weren’t allowed to watch television and didn’t use computers. (AP)
Chase testified the house had animals: dog, bird (who whistled for pretty women) 2 cats, rabbit, Prince had a rat he walked around the house. Chase said the kids were responsible and helped with the animals (ABC7) The house was full of pets, too, Chase said. There was a chocolate Labrador named Kenya, a talking bird named Siberia and two cats. The cats’ names were Katie and Thriller. Prince Jackson also had a pet rat, Kai Chase said. (AP) Animals roaming through the home included a chocolate lab named Kenya, cats Katie and Thriller, a rabbit and a talking bird who would "whistle when pretty girls go by," Chase said.
Prince had a pet rat he carried around, while Paris would host tea parties in her backyard doll house for the animals. The dog would jump in the pool with the kids when they swam on Saturdays, Chase said. (CNN)
Chase described going with Paris at night into the yard to look for a mom and baby snail. Jackson caught them on the way back. "At that point I knew I was going get fired," Chase recalled, but said MJ was fine with it. Paris and Chase put the snails in a jar, made a little snail farm, put in the kitchen. She said she put Blanket's drawings on the fridge. (ABC7) Chase told a story about one night going into the backyard of the mansion and collecting snails with Paris Jackson for a science project. When they returned, Michael Jackson was waiting for them. “At this point I knew I was going to get fired,” she said. (She wasn’t.) Instead, Michael Jackson helped make a comfy box for the snails, complete with moss, cocktail umbrellas. Box stayed in the kitchen, she said (AP) Jackson made sure school work was "interactive" for his children, including one science project for Paris that involved a night time hunt for snails, Chase said. "So far we have a daddy snail, but we don't have a mommy and a baby snail," Paris told Chase one evening. That triggered a snail hunt around the mansion grounds, she said. "I didn't know how he would feel about his daughter and me out snail hunting at night," she said, "but he was fine." Jackson joined them in constructing a snail farm in glass vases on the kitchen counter. (CNN)
Chase testified MJ's relationship with kids was warm, loving. "These are my babies," Chase said MJ would say. "We played games, monopoly." (ABC7)
Chase described Jackson as a prankster who ate meals with his children, exchanging jokes and stories.(AP)
Chang: Did MJ have a good sense of humor?
Chase: Yes, he was a practical joker (ABC7)
Paris Jackson would often write notes for her dad on a chalkboard sitting in the kitchen that Chase used to list a menu of the day's meals. One message from Jackson's daughter shown to jurors read, "I love daddy" and "Smile it's free."(AP) “I made it into a home there," Chase said about putting children's art in the kitchen. "The love was already there." On chalkboard, there's a message Paris wrote: "I love daddy! Smile, it's for free" Chase didn't recall if it was written the day MJ died. (ABC7)
Chase explained she did a lot of juicing for him with beats, organic vegetable, lots of lean protein, vegetable. MJ ate chicken, fish and turkey, no pork or beef. Chase said MJ liked Mexican food, she did vegan ground beef tacos, one of his favorites. (ABC7)
Paris celebrated her 11th birthday in beginning on April. Chase said MJ told the children they could eat anything they wanted that day. Paris chose to decorate party with everything Michael Jackson. They had cheese pizza, hot wings, banana split, Chase said. MJ then took his children to the backyard where he had this Cirque du Soleil type of performance for her. "They sat there and watched," Chase said. "And I cried." That was last birthday she had with her father. Chase said Paris has not had birthday party since, she doesn't want to celebrate it anymore. (ABC7) The dining room was decorated with Michael Jackson posters and album covers, while his music was played "because this is what she wanted for her 11th birthday," Chase testified. "She was just ecstatic."
"Just when you thought that was enough, he took his children to the backyard for a Cirque du Soleil-type performance for her," she said. Men on stilts, a woman inside a big balloon and circus acts "brought tears to my eyes ... It was the most beautiful expression of love I've ever seen." (CNN) Kai Chase says the singer hired a private circus for his daughter's 11th birthday party in 2009 in the backyard of his rented mansion. Chase says the performance was a Cirque du Soleil style performance with men on stilts and a woman performing in a giant balloon. Paris Jackson, who was turning 11, adored her father and Chase helped decorate a room filled with posters and photos of the "Thriller" singer. The singer's music was played throughout the party. She says Paris Jackson, now 15 years old, has not had a birthday party since then. "Paris hasn't had any birthdays since," Chase said. "She hasn't wanted to celebrate since." (AP)
Chase said MJ was very excited about what was happening, was excited to have his children see him perform. Chase said that MJ would come to the kitchen dressed sharply, black Levi's pants, with Tom Ford cologne. "Prince actually told me his daddy wanted me to go to London for the tour," Chase testified. (ABC7)
Kids' nanny was Grace Rwamba. Chase described her very warm and loving. "This is the mother that they knew, had been with them since birth". "I was told she was let go," Chase said. Chang asked if AEG had fired Rwamba, but defendant's attorney objected saying it was hearsay. (ABC7) "This was the mother they knew," Chase said of Rwaramba. "She was there when they were born." (CNN)
"I was let go in beginning of May by Michael Amir," Chase said. Chase said she was told there had been a change in management. Chase argued her rate is negotiable. "I was feeding Mr. Jackson and his children, my rate is negotiable, you have to let me go to London." Chase said she was told in person 'let me see what I can do' and next day she got call saying don't need to come in, you're fired. "I pleaded with him" Chase said. She didn't get to say goodbye to MJ or his kids, didn't have any discussions with MJ about salary/firing. The pay was very sketchy, Chase said, sometimes she was paid on time, sometimes not paid at all. Chase said she didn't believe MJ knew she was fired because she said she believes if MJ fired her it would've happen that way. (ABc7) She said before the break that she wasn't being paid regularly, but AEG lawyers objected to some emails being shown to the jury. That prompted a sidebar that took up the last few minutes of the court session.Attorneys are working on compromise to show the emails. (AP)
"When I came back in June, the kids and Mr. Jackson wanted me to come back," Chase explained. Chase said MJ went to her and asked where she had gone. "I need you to keep me and my children healthy," Chase testified MJ told her. "I'm working hard, they are killing me, I need your help," Chase said MJ told her. (ABc7)
Chase never saw the kids or MJ in May. In the beginning of June, Chase said she received a call from Michael Amir asking her to come back. "The energy in the house was not the same," Chase said. In April Chase said MJ was strong, healthy, active. "He looked good" Chase recalled. (ABC7)
Chase said she asked to get half of her salary upfront. "I was afraid I wasn't going to get paid," Chase explained. Chase said she wrote an email about it to make sure everyone was on the same page. (ABC7)
Chang: Did you decide to come back because you understood AEG Live would be covering you salary?
Chase: Yes (ABC7)
Chase returned to work on June 2nd.
Chang: Did you notice any difference in MJ?
Chase: Yes, I noticed that Mr Jackson looked very different (ABC7)
"He appeared very weak, he looked very much thinner, undernourished, he didn't look as well as I had seen him," Chase testified. "It was an obvious difference, concerned me greatly." Chase said MJ actually told her 'I need you to keep me and my children heathy.'"I looked at him with great concern... I need you to keep me and my children healthy," MJ told Chase. "I thought he was being overworked, over rehearsed," Chase recalled. Chase said MJ asked if she had his juices ready. They began talking about different juices she would make him. (ABC7)
Chase was let go from Jackson’s service in May 2009, but returned in June. She said by then, the singer had changed. “He appeared very weak,” Chase said about Jackson. “He looked much thinner.” She said he looked under-nourished. She said at one point that Jackson told her she needed to take care of his health. “They’re killing me,” she recounted Jackson saying. The Jackson quote was stricken from the record in the afternoon session. Chase had said it before the lunch break, too. (AP)
Chase recalled that when she arrived at the house, the pantry was bare. One side there was Fiji water. "Refrigerator was bare! There was Coca Cola, red bulls and Starbucks coffee drinks," Chase said. Chase then went to Whole Foods to buy organic food for the house. She explained While Foods has a card for chefs who have personal clients. "The credit card was declined. I had no choice but to use my own to pay for food to feed him and his family," Chase said. This was not the first time credit card was denied, Chase said, and sometimes she'd have to leave the groceries behind or pay for it herself. (ABC7)
"Mr. Jackson, with his rehearsals and his schedule, I could see it was taking a toll on him," Chase opined. Chase described when she observed MJ's son Prince helping Michael go up the stairs once. "For a 12 year old, trying to carry his father, it saddened me," Chase recalled. (ABC7)
Chase: I knew I had to get this man as healthy as possible, but I didn't know why he was deteriorating. Chase said she spoke with her parents about her concerns, but didn't know who she could take to at the house about it. (ABC7)
The children were excited to see Chase rehired, the chef said. "The day I came back, they greeted me at the door." Paris created a shoebox called "the box of happiness." Note from Paris Jackson: Dear Kai, Thank you for these beautiful gifts you have us. Oh, and I'm writing this letter with the magic wand pen you gave me. I hope you like the presents & picture. And thank you for the presents for P.B. & Daddy, they like them! Lots of love, Paris Jackson . Chase went to Disneyland on her first day off and brought them presents. Paris was thanking Chase for it. (ABC7)
"MJ did eat, but his portions were getting smaller," Chase said. Chase recalled one time seeing Travis Payne and MJ rehearsing at the house. Chase first met Dr. Murray in the first few weeks of April. "He introduced himself to me as Michael's personal physician," Chase explained. "I saw him more daily in June," Chase explained, saying Dr. Murray wasn't around as much in April, never saw him bring anything to the house. "Majority of the times I'd see Dr. Murray there in the morning," Chase testified. She assumed Dr. Murray had spent the night. Dr. Murray never discussed MJ's nutrition with Chase. "I thought it was quite strange a doctor not checking MJ's eating habits." "I asked him a couple of times, but his answer was you can fix him anything," Chase said about conversation with Dr. Murray. In June, Chase remembers seeing Dr. Murray at the house in the mornings. (ABC7)
"My room was the kitchen, there was no reason for me to go upstairs," Chase explained about not going to the upper floor of the house. "I saw Dr. Murray bring oxygen tanks down from upstairs into the kitchen," Chase recalled. Chase: Sometimes I saw them lined-up in the security booth with a sign saying "fill up every Friday." "Yes, I was concerned," Chef testified. "I had no idea what they had been used for, but I never asked." Chase: I felt it was strange to see the doctor there but he was slowly deteriorating; I didn't understand it. (ABC7) She said she was concerned thought it was unusual that Conrad Murray was at the mansion daily, but didn’t voice concerns. (AP)
Chase testified about a June meeting in with AEG execs Randy Phillips and Paul Gongaware, Murray and Jackson. She said a vase was broken during the meeting, but she didn’t know who broke it. She said Jackson and Murray left meeting. After the meeting Phillips, Gongaware and Dileo stayed at the house. They were still there when she left for the day. She said Jackson seemed like he had “the weight of the world on his shoulders” after that meeting. (AP)
Chase said there was a meeting at the house with Paul Gongaware , Randy Phillips, Dr. Murray and MJ, former manager Frank DiLeo. "Mr. Jackson asked me to fix snacks since he had guests coming over," Chase said. Meeting was around the second week of June. Chase said the meeting was at the parlor. She went in and out serving beverages, snacks. Mr. Jackson was covered-up, Chase said. MJ was wearing a surgical mask and several layers of clothing, sweatshirt. Chase: I observed that he looked scared, he looked scared and frightened may be about this meeting would entail. "I immediately heard loud crash," Chase said. MJ had a very expensive vase sitting behind where he would sit. Chase: The vase crashed. It was rather large so it was loud. Myself and one of the housekeepers ran into the room to pick up the pieces. "I was able to hear some of the conversation," Chase said. "They were very firm with him." Everyone was talking over each other, Chase recalled hearing. "MJ left the meeting first, the gentlemen stayed," Chase said. Dr. Murray left second, came through the kitchen to leave. "He was upset," Chase said. He said "I can't take this s**t," Chase said Dr. Murray told her, storming out of the house. Chase said others stayed in the parlor. She left around 6 pm, shortly after Dr. Murray, and the men were still there in the meeting.(ABC7)
Chase said MJ's reaction afterwards: "He was thinking, the weight of the world on his shoulder, he was frightened, scared." "MJ's demeanor concerned me greatly," Chase recalled. (ABC7)
Jackson, wearing a surgical mask and covered by several layers of clothing, appeared "scared and frightened" as he walked down his stairs to join Phillips, Gongaware, Dr. Murray and his manager Frank Dileo for the meeting in his parlor, Chase said. "I immediately heard a loud crash," she testified. A "very, very expensive vase" sitting next to Jackson's chair was smashed. Jackson "seemed very firm with them," she said. The judge would not let her tell jurors what she heard him saying to the AEG Live executives. But there were "loud voices" and everyone was talking over each other," she said. Jackson left the meeting, followed by Dr. Murray, who seemed "very upset," she said. "I can't take this s--t," Murray said, according to Chase. When she saw Jackson later, he seemed to have "the weight of the world on his shoulders," she said. He was "concerned, frightened and scared; a lot of those emotions." (CNN)
The chef did not suspect Dr. Murray was doing something harmful to Michael Jackson. "I thought it was strange that there were oxygen tanks at home when there was a doctor 24/7," Chase explained. (ABC7)
On June 24, Chase arrived at the house as usual and prepared breakfast. Dr. Murray was there, came to the kitchen from upstairs around 10 am. In June, MJ rarely went downstairs to eat breakfast, Chase explained. Dr. Murray would get the food and take it to him. "He was dragging, he was dragging a little that day," Chase said. "But I did tell him he looked good, to give him some encouragement." Chase said MJ was contemplating going to Staples Center or training at home with Payne that day. Chase was told to leave two dinner items in the fridge, one for Dr. Murray and one for MJ. She would work until 6:30-7:00, sometimes later. (ABC7)
June 25, Chase arrived at the regular time. She prepared some breakfast. "Everything was beautiful as usual." Chase said kids were playing at the den, she went grocery shopping, unloaded groceries. Lunch was always served around 12:30 am. Saw Dr. Murray between 12:05-12:10 he came down in the same stairs as always. "He was frightened," Chase testified. Chase said Dr. Murray screamed to her "go get help, go get security, go get Prince." Chase stopped and went to get Prince. She told him "Hurry, Dr. Murray needs you, there may be something wrong with your father." Prince went to Dr. Murray and Chase saw the housekeepers, Jimmy and Blanca, crying saying there may be something wrong with Mr. Jackson. Chase: I hear Prince screaming daddy, daddy, daddy, Paris screamed DAD! Chase becomes emotional, cries a bit on the stand. Chase said she didn't want the children to feel pain. So she hugged all the children and said "Let's pray." Chase said people were crying, security was everywhere, paramedics going up the stairs, chaos. "They were devastated," Chase said about the children. Katherine Jackson wiped her eyes, cried in the audience. Chase said she heard on the radio that MJ had died. "I didn't want to believe it, I thought they were lying," Chase said. (ABC7)
Dr. Murray "was panicked" as he screamed for Chase to call Prince and the security guard to go upstairs to help him. "Hurry Dr. Murray needs you," she said she told Prince, who was playing in the den. "There may be something wrong with your father." She returned to her lunch preparations, failing to alert the security guard in the shack near the kitchen door. Murray never asked her to call 911 for an ambulance. Chase realized there was a grave problem when the housekeepers began crying "Mr. Jackson may be dead," she said. "You could feel the energy in the house was changing." Prince screamed "Daddy" and Paris screamed a "blood curdling, out of her mind Daddy!" "I grabbed them and held their hands and said 'Let's pray. Father God, please let nothing be wrong with this man.'" Paramedics were soon running up the the stairs. Head of security Alberto Alvarez asked Chase to leave the house. "He'll be fine," Alvarez told her. (CNN)
Chase said she was paid for overseas interviews, which were mostly on food preparation. (ABc7)
About returning to work last year, Chase said she got a phone call saying the children had been requesting me since their daddy's death. "The kids really miss me, loved me and I agreed," Chase explained. Chase began working with Mrs. Jackson and children in July 2012. (ABC7)
Chase said family was very important for MJ, they talked about it about 50% of the time. "He loved his mother and he loved his children." Chase said her responsibilities are the same with Mrs. Jackson. She said she has a lot of the in common with her, including the love for MJ. “She loves music, and art, and beautiful flowers," Chase explained about Mrs. Jackson. She said she speaks with the children every day. "Mrs. Jackson misses him very much," Chase said. "This is her child, her son! It saddens her, she cries, I cry. I comfort her." Chase said Mrs. Jackson misses her son's spirit, the love he gave to her, the jokes they would share together, the conversations, the love. (ABC7)
About the children, Chase said they were huge and becoming teenagers when she came back last year. Prince and Paris go to private school, Blanket is still home schooled. "Before they were in this protective type of special life," Chase explained. "They are thrust into the world now, which is all new to them." "The love and the home is the same," Chase explained. Chase said the children talk about MJ's music, what he would do in certain situations. Prince is now 16 years old. Chase says he was daddy's little man, but now feels the weight of the world on his shoulder. Chang urged Chase not to go into too many details about Paris. "Being daddy's little girl, she's devastated and lost," Chase said about Paris. Chase on Paris: She's looking, for there was some much love that was given between her and her father. "She's lost, she's searching, she's sad. It's devastating to her, every girl needs her father," Chase said about Paris. "She's trying to find herself, trying to find who she is and it's taking a lot of love and understanding to keep her together," Chase said. (ABC7)
Chang: Do they miss their father?
Chase: That's apparent
Chang: Is she having a difficult time coping with the death of her father?
Chase: Yes, she is. She breaks down, she cries, she talks about him, she doesn't want to have another birthday again (ABC7)
The entire household has been worried about Paris, Chase said. Blanket just graduated from grade school. Chase said this is all knew to him too. "As the littlest he has his older siblings to protect him" "I still think the youngest child will be the most affected. Being the baby, it's a lot of remembering of what daddy did," Chase on Blanket. "He's hurt too, he's feeling a little lost too," Chase said, adding Blanket never had a growing up moment when was father-son only. "He remembers his father," Chase said. (ABC7)
Gone are the freewheeling days when the children, Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson played with their father and traded jokes at the dinner table, chef Kai Chase told jurors Tuesday. It has been replaced, Chase said, by a weight on eldest son Prince Michael Jackson's shoulders. Daughter Paris Jackson cries and no longer wants parties for her birthday since her father hosted a private circus for her 11th birthday. Youngest son Blanket, who remains home-schooled, wears a T-shirt with his father's image every Friday, she said. (AP) "He does dance moves like his father," she testified. (CNN) "At 16, the weight of the world is on his shoulders," Chase said of Prince Jackson, who is trying to figure out girls and all the challenges adulthood brings. His younger brother, 11-year-old Blanket, has his older siblings to shield him from pain but had the least time to spend with his father. "He never really had a time when it was father-son because he was so tiny," Chase said. The singer's only daughter seems to be having the hardest time, Chase said. "Being daddy's little girl, Paris is devastated," Chase said. "She's devastated and lost." Of Paris, she said, "She's trying to find herself and find who she is," Chase said. "It's taking a lot of love and understanding to keep her together. She breaks down, she cries, she talks about him." (AP)
"They talk about their father a lot," Chase said. "It's just something that they'll never get over -- the love and how much they miss their father." (CNN)
No more questions by plaintiffs. Chase hugged Katherine Jackson in the audience and they both cried (ABC7)
AEG cross
AEG's attorney Jessica Stebbins Bina did cross examination of Kai Chase. (ABC7)
AEG Live defense attorney Jessica Stebbins Bina took over questioning. She focused on some of the secrecy of the Jackson mansion. She asked Chase about what happened when she wasn’t paid. Chase said Jackson’s assistant would reassure staff checks were coming. Chase said there was an unspoken rule in the house that anyone who complained to Jackson about missed paychecks would be fired. (AP)
Stebbins Bina also asked Chase about her impressions of Conrad Murray. The chef said he seemed like a nice man and well put together. Chase said she never expected Jackson to die, or that Murray was giving him anything improper. The chef said she thought Jackson’s deterioration in June was from rehearsing too much. She said she hadn’t heard of propofol. (AP)
Bina asked if Michael Amir did background check in her. She replied she didn't know. Bina: Did you sign anything to get a credit check on you?
Chase: No (ABC7)
Middle of April Chase began having Sundays off. In April, Chase said she saw MJ a lot. He would come home for lunch and stay for dinner. Chase said she spent 70-75% in the kitchen. The rest, she says she spent playing with the children. Chase said in April, MJ would hang out with the children about 3-4 times a week for about 25% of the time. He wasn't there as much in June. (ABC7)
"I don't know if it was unspoken rule, I was told by Michael Amir that client requested quarters upstairs to be private," Chase explained. Chase said that either the children or Dr. Murray would take the food upstairs. LAPD detective Orlando Martinez said Chase took a tray of food for MJ upstairs, and she said it was not true, that never happened.(ABC7)
Bina showed paparazzo picture of the children in 2008. At the corner, there's a man in a wheelchair wearing surgical mask. He resembles MJ. Chase said she doesn't know who the person is. Bina wants to show another photo, and Chang requested a sidebar. Chase could not say whether the person on the wheelchair and surgical mask was MJ. (ABC7)
Bina played video deposition of Paris Jackson. She said her dad didn't like Rwamba, he said she was sneaky, wasn't honest person, lied a lot. Paris tells in the depo how Grace Rwamba portended to be MJ's wife when they were at hotel rooms. This contradicted what Chase testified. (ABC7)
Jackson lawyers, however, told the judge Tuesday that Paris is unavailable to appear in person since she is still being treated in a hospital. AEG Live is able to use the video recording of her deposition, which they began doing Tuesday afternoon. The first clip shown to jurors was an answer to a question by AEG Live lawyer Marvin Putnam about former Jackson nanny Grace Rwaramba, who was fired two months before Jackson's death.
"My dad didn't like her, so he tried to, like, keep her away from us," Paris said. "So he sent her on errands a lot." Her father was reluctant to fire Rwaramba because "he felt bad because she didn't really have a lot of money," she testified. "He said she was sneaky and she wasn't an honest person and she lied a lot," Paris said. Paris related an incident that happened when she was "really young." She prefaced the story by saying it was "real creepy" and "this is going to freak you out." The nanny would sneak into a doctor's bedroom and "he'd wake up and she'd be in his bed," Paris said. "So, yeah, it's kind of creepy."
Putnam asked her why her father didn't just make her stay away. "He sent her to India to get some stuff," Paris said. "She kept coming back." (CNN)
The pay was sporadically, Chase said. When she asked about where the checks were, she was said they were going through changes. Chase said Michael Amir told her she would get fired if she asked MJ or the kids about not getting paid. (ABC7)
Bina inquired Chase if she knew how the private circus in the backyard for Paris birthday party was paid for. She said she didn't know. (ABC7)
As to the snail hunting, Chase said it happened around 8 pm and she wasn't sure how MJ would react. (ABC7)
Bina: When you were let go in May, did you believe MJ was healthy?
Chase: Yes (ABC7)
Chase said neither MJ nor his children called her after she was fired to find out why she wasn't at the house. "He didn't look healthy," Chase explained. "He looked a little undernourished." Chase said she has no idea what MJ and the children were eating in May while she was gone. Chase said MJ looked pretty strong in April. "He looked great in April, he didn't look good in June," Chase opined. (ABC7)
Bina: Do you know the reason why MJ couldn't buy food in May?
Chase: I don't know (ABC7)
Bina said Chase never mentioned the stair incident, where Prince had to help MJ upstairs, to the media. "I wanted to be very general with my conversations with the media in respect of his privacy," Chase explained. Bina played Prince's video deposition where Prince said he wouldn't be able to help his dad upstairs. (ABC7)
"He was rehearsing a lot, tired, that's what I saw," Chase explained. "I saw him tired, weak and over rehearsed." (ABC7)
Chase said she asked Dr. Murray about MJ eating. "He said, well, he doesn't eat that much." (ABC7)
Chase said Dr. Murray seemed like a nice man. She was not concerned about him not being a good doctor. (ABC7)
Chase was shocked when she heard MJ died. She first didn't believe it. (ABC7)
Chase testified she never saw MJ drink alcohol or under the influence of drugs. In April, Chase said she saw Dr. Murray 2-3 times a week. There was one time in June Chase cooked dinner for Dr. Murray, MJ and the kids, served Turkish lentil soup. Chase said the times she saw Dr. Murray and MJ together, they had a friendly relationship; children seemed to like Dr. Murray as well. "My understanding was that Dr. Murray was his personal physician," Chase explained. Chase said it didn't seem weird MJ have doctor, maybe heneeded for aching bones. But she thought it was weird to have a doctor every day. "It was strange that he (Dr. Murray) was there all the time," Chase opined. (ABC7)
Oxygen tanks in April were smaller, in June bigger, Chase said. She saw Dr. Murray come down with a tank on each hand in the morning. Chase never inquired about the oxygen tanks, because "it was none of my business." (ABC7)
Chase said she didn't have any idea that MJ was taking Propofol to sleep. Chase: I thought he was over rehearsed, I thought he was rehearsing too much, that they were overworking him. And this was the result of it (ABC7)
Chase testified in April MJ would eat breakfast with his kids every morning. But in her depo, she said Dr. Murray would bring his breakfast. "He had breakfast with his children when he wasn't having food upstairs," Chase said. (ABC7)