Michael Jackson doctor fighting to retain California medical license
| Los Angeles
Nearly a year after he went from anonymity to notoriety, Michael Jackson's doctor returns to court for a pretrial hearing that will determine when he goes to trial and what he will be able to do in the meantime.
Dr. Conrad Murray is likely to face the usual placards and catcalls from Jackson fans denouncing him outside the courthouse and members of Jackson's family glaring at him inside the courtroom Monday.
First on the agenda will be Murray's fight to retain his California medical license. He has not been practicing in the state, but his attorney, Ed Chernoff, has maintained that loss of his license here would have a domino effect on his practices in Texas and Nevada.
Chernoff said in documents filed Friday that those two states have reached agreements to allow Murray to practice as long as he abides by a judge's order not to administer anesthetics such as propofol, which was blamed in Jackson's death.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren did not file any documents in advance of what is considered a routine legal housekeeping hearing.
The pop music legend died June 25 after Murray, his personal physician, administered propofol and other drugs to help him sleep.
After a long police investigation, Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter. He maintains that nothing he did should have killed Jackson.
Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor will be asked by the state attorney general to overrule another judge's decision that allowed Murray to keep practicing. He will also take up pretrial matters including setting up a schedule for a preliminary hearing which could be something of a mini-trial to determine whether Murray should be held for trial. He remains free on $75,000 bail.
Jackson's mother and siblings have been in court for all of Murray's appearances.
Murray has continued to practice medicine in Houston and Las Vegas. Last month, the cardiologist made news when he stabilized a woman who fell unconscious and had a weak pulse on a US Airways flight from Houston
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