FILE - In this March 5, 2009 file photo, Michael Jackson announces several concerts at the London O2 Arena in July, at a press conference at the London O2 Arena. Emails displayed in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, show that a lawyer for AEG Live LLC's parent company described Jackson as a "freak" in an email message on the same day the singer signed a multimillion dollar contract to perform a series of comeback concerts in 2009. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)
May 22, 2013 - 5:02 PM
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Emails show a lawyer for the parent company of a concert promoter referred to Michael Jackson as a "freak" as the singer signed a contract for his ill-fated comeback shows.
The emails were shown in court Wednesday by Brian Panish, an attorney for Jackson's mother. He says the messages indicate how the star was viewed by AEG Live LLC executives.
Jackson was called a freak by Anschutz Entertainment Group General Counsel Ted Fikre in a message to AEG Live corporate lawyer Shawn Trell.
In his reply, Trell described an upcoming meeting with Jackson as "kind of creepy."
Jackson's mother is suing AEG claiming it failed to properly investigate the doctor who was convicted in 2011 of administering a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to Jackson.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013