<p>Defence lawyer Ed Chernoff said his client, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter, was not responsible for the pop superstar's death in 2009. <br /><br />He claimed that Jackson was so upset about the state of his finances he took his own life, reports contactmusic.com.<br /><br />"The crux of the defence is going to be that Michael Jackson engaged in a desperate act and took desperate measures that caused his death. We believe at the time Michael Jackson died he was a desperate man in relation to his financial affairs," Chernoff told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor.<br /><br />However, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren has opposed the claims, saying the defence is simply staging "an irrelevant sideshow" aimed at distracting the jury from the key issue of the trial.</p>
<p>Defence lawyer Ed Chernoff said his client, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter, was not responsible for the pop superstar's death in 2009. <br /><br />He claimed that Jackson was so upset about the state of his finances he took his own life, reports contactmusic.com.<br /><br />"The crux of the defence is going to be that Michael Jackson engaged in a desperate act and took desperate measures that caused his death. We believe at the time Michael Jackson died he was a desperate man in relation to his financial affairs," Chernoff told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor.<br /><br />However, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren has opposed the claims, saying the defence is simply staging "an irrelevant sideshow" aimed at distracting the jury from the key issue of the trial.</p>