LOS ANGELES — Documents displayed for a jury Wednesday showed the promoter of Michael Jackson's ill-fated comeback concerts had contemplated a worldwide tour for the entertainer in the year before his death.
The documents prepared by AEG Live LLC envisioned 186 shows, with Jackson earning $132 million for his performances — far less than the $835 million that an accountant who previously testified for the Jackson family had projected the singer would pocket from 260 shows around the globe.
The company's plans and calculations were presented to jurors hearing a negligent hiring lawsuit filed by Katherine Jackson against AEG Live. Katherine Jackson's lawyers used the tour schedule to show the company had plans to mount an international comeback for the entertainer and that their expert's assertions were supported by AEG's own plans.
The AEG Live figures were intended to counter the previous estimate of Jackson's earning power prepared by certified public accountant Arthur Erk.
Erk had said Jackson could have earned more than $1 billion if merchandise sales, endorsement deals and the creation of a Las Vegas show were included in his take.
However, a lawyer for AEG Live got Erk to concede Tuesday that his projections were not based on historical figures of Jackson's earnings or spending.
The touring schedule drafted by AEG Live in September 2008 included shows in Europe, India, Australia and the United States. It was prepared by a top AEG Live executive trying to coax Jackson back on stage for the first time in more than a decade.
Jackson eventually agreed to do a series of concerts in London's O2 Arena. He died in June 2009 while rehearsals were underway for the "This Is It" shows.
