A new twist in the controversial Dr. Conrad Murray documentary set to air tonight on MSNBC. While Michael Jackson‘s family is fuming, some of Dr. Murray’s creditors are suing.
A company called Digirad Imaging Solutions has named Murray, as well as MSNBC, NBCU and several other media companies in a lawsuit seeking $147,000 it says it is owed by Murray. The OCWeekly has the complaint which says the media companies are being used as “mere subterfuges employed by defendant Conrad Robert Murray to escape liability for his debts and obligations.”
THR’s Marisa Guthrie reports MSNBC paid a “six-figure fee” — $300,000 reports RadarOnline — to air the doc, which was produced by October Films and distributed by Zodiak Media Group. All are named in the Digirad suit. For its part, NBC got a pre-trial interview with Dr. Murray, which has aired over the past two days on the “Today” show.
Meanwhile, NBC News has more Jackson stories planned for next week. NBC News correspondent Jeff Rossen, who covered the Murray trial, teased an “exclusive tour” inside the Holmby Hills home where Jackson spent his final days. Rossen was among a group of reporters who got a tour of home — now up for auction — last Monday, the same day Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death. The reporters’ tour was arranged by the auction company.
Michael Jackson and the Doctor: A Fatal Friendship, premieres tonight on MSNBC at 10pmET and re-airs at 11pm. The documentary is being sold around the world and aired last night on Channel 4 in Britain with the title The Man Who Killed Michael Jackson.