Sony Pictures has screened more than 100 hours of raw footage for “This Is It” to attorneys in the Michael Jackson manslaughter trial, but this footage will not be shown to jurors in the trial.
Defense attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray and the district attorney had each sought to air raw footage during the trial. But Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has ruled that the footage, which holds significant value for the studio, was not relevant to the case.
Sony, which fought to block the public screening of this previously unreleased footage, issued a statement about the decision noting its compliance with the court.
“While not taking a position in the criminal case currently before the court, Sony Pictures Entertainment worked as quickly as humanly possible to accommodate the parties involved in The People vs. Conrad Murray,” the studio said. “In ruling in support of Sony's motion, Judge Pastor questioned the relevance of the raw footage to the criminal case while also acknowledging Sony Pictures' right to protect the significant potential future commercial value of this unreleased footage.”
The judge has ruled that snippet from “This Is It” can be screened during the trial but additional footage will not be necessary.
On Monday, Jackson's family announced a tribute concert for him Oct. 8 in Wales. Jackson died in June 2009, shortly before he was to commence comeback concerts in London.
Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, is accused of giving the pop star a lethal dose of propofol, an anesthetic usually administered in hospital settings.
