Court officer in Vegas accepts Jackson doctor child support deal, lifts medical license threat

Court officer OKs Jackson doc’s child support deal

LAS VEGAS — A court official on Friday approved what a prosecutor called a reprieve of efforts to revoke the Nevada medical license of the physician charged in Michael Jackson’s death.

Dr. Conrad Murray avoided having to appear in court on the anniversary of the pop star’s death under a child support payment plan his lawyers worked out Thursday with the Clark County district attorney.

“Dr. Murray gets a reprieve from license suspension because yesterday we received payment of $5,214 in a lump sum,” Chief Deputy Clark County District Attorney Gerard Costantian told Family Court hearing master Christopher Carr.

“Part of the deal is that Dr. Murray must stay current on his total support obligation each month,” Costantian said. “If he falls short, we could be right back in this courtroom for license suspension proceedings.”

Costantian said the money covered one year of the $15,309 in back child support that Murray owes the mother of their 12-year-old son in California.

Carr set a Dec. 8 date to review whether Murray remains current with payments of $1,103 per month.

Murray lawyer Kristine Brewer said after the hearing the lump sum came from “an anonymous benefactor who cares about him keeping his license.” Brewer said she didn’t know the donor’s name.

Nevada law allows for suspension of professional licenses for nonpayment of child support.

Murray has cardiology practices in Las Vegas and Houston, and his medical licenses are restricted in California, Nevada and Texas by orders prohibiting him from administering the powerful anesthetic blamed in Jackson’s death.

Murray, 57, remains free on $75,000 bail pending trial in Los Angeles on a felony involuntary manslaughter charge in Jackson’s death. He told Los Angeles police he administered propofol to Jackson to help the pop star sleep. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers maintain he neither prescribed nor administered anything that should have caused Jackson’s death.

His attorneys have argued that Murray needs to be able to continue to work to pay his child support obligation and legal fees.