Defense expert Dr. Paul White endured a bruising cross-examination by prosecutor David Walgren, Monday (October 31). The now-retired anesthesiologist was forced to admit that Murray ignored medical protocol, violated the standard of care, and "should have called 911 earlier." White added that "no amount of money" would have convinced him to treat Michael Jackson's insomnia with propofol. PLUS: Dr. White is facing a $1,000 fine for contempt of court, after ignoring the judge's repeated warnings during testimony. 
(ABOVE: Defense expert Dr. Paul White, left, and prosecutor David Walgren, right, seen in court Monday.) LOS ANGELES — Dr. Conrad Murray heard his own expert witness testify Monday that he wouldn't have accepted payment to do what Murray did for Michael Jackson — administering a hospital anesthetic in the star's bedroom. "I wouldn't even consider it," Dr. Paul White said. "It's something no amount of money could convince me to take on." The use of the drug propofol to treat Jackson's insomnia was "a complete off-label use of the drug," he said. White also acknowledged that the drug should never be given outside a medical facility because of the need for proper lifesaving equipment. Throughout his testimony, White was repeatedly questioned about the ways in which Murray had broken guidelines and rules governing the use of propofol. Prosecutor David Walgren confronted the witness with excerpts from his own writings in textbooks which set down rules that Murray broke by administering the drug in Jackson's bedroom -- one being the need for "vigilant monitoring." Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, has acknowledged he was giving Jackson doses of the anesthetic propofol in the singer's bedroom as a sleep aid. He told police that he left Jackson's room for two minutes, shortly before noon, on June 25, 2009, and returned to find the pop superstar unresponsive. White said in forming his opinions, he assumed Murray was out of the room much longer, making phone calls. White, a now-retired anesthesiologist, told jurors he himself would never leave the room if he were treating a patient who had indicated he liked to inject propofol into himself, as Murray claimed that Jackson had told him. (LOL @ Murray blaming the victim, trying to move the "murder weapon" out of his hands and into his patient's. SMH. If MJ liked to inject himself, WTF was he paying Murray $150,000 a month for?) The defense expert came under a bruising cross-examination by prosecutor David Walgren who attacked White's recent claim that Jackson caused his own death. Walgren questioned White's scientific calculations and noted he once led the defense to think Jackson drank an extra dose of propofol. White acknowledged he had done no research on that theory when he posed it. A study later showed the theory to be unsupportable, he said. 
(ABOVE: Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan, left, and Dr. Conrad Muray, right, seen in court Monday.) While stopping short of blaming Murray for the singer's death, White blurted out during cross-examination that he believed Murray had loaded a syringe with the drug propofol and left it where Jackson could have gained access to it. White suggested that while Murray was inattentive during 35 to 40 minutes of phoning and e-mailing, Jackson got out of bed and injected the fatal syringe into his IV line. Such a scenario had not been offered by the defense before. White stuck to his position even after Walgren noted the new theory's implausibility. "Under your scenario," the prosecutor said, "Michael Jackson was walking around the room, wheeling an IV stand … and Conrad Murray is somewhere on the phone?" The prosecutor subsequently grilled White about Murray’s 20-minute delay in summoning an ambulance. The expert said he would have called 911 immediately, but suggested Murray "reacted as many physicians would," explaining that the Houston cardiologist was "probably very anxious" in a "very stressful" situation. Walgren ridiculed his response, noting Murray was, by his own admission to police, holding a cellphone in his hand. Phone records show that Murray placed several phone calls to Jackson's personal assistant, after finding the singer in critical condition. “Are you saying he wasn’t capable of pressing 911?” the prosecutor snapped. White shrugged off the question, but later said Jackson would have died no matter how quickly help came. (. . . That's your defense? WTF.) When confronted with questions about why Murray did not immediately tell EMS responders that Jackson had been given propofol, White said that in a moment of stress, Murray may have forgotten. "Details can be overlooked," he said. Walgren pointed out that even if Murray had initially forgotten, he had an ambulance ride to the hospital to "ponder" what was happening. At the hospital, however, Murray did not tell emergency room doctors that Jackson had been given propofol. "It was obviously overlooked," White said. "Well, not 'obviously,'" Walgren shot back. "It could also be a lie, correct? That's another option." A reluctant White replied, "If you say so, I guess." 
(ABOVE: Judge Michael Pastor, seen in court Monday.) So far, White said he has been paid $11,000 for his work for the defense. Asked if he expected to receive additional compensation for attending court a dozen days, White said his normal day rate was $3,500, but he did not expect to get it because the defense had “limited financial resources.” White's testimony has put him at odds with his colleague, Dr. Steven Shafer, who testified for the prosecutor. Shafer said White's self-administration theory is not supported by the evidence in the case, in his view, and he called the theory "crazy" during his testimony earlier this month. White and Shafer were colleagues at Stanford University and conducted research on propofol before it was approved for use in U.S. operating rooms in 1989. Both help edit a leading anesthesia journal. Until White's retirement last year, both were practicing anesthesiologists. Shafer will be called as a rebuttal witness on Tuesday (November 1). At several points during Monday's testimony, White attempted to relate information he had learned in what he described as “two extensive conversations” with Murray. (LOL, trying to Murray's warped version of events before the jury, huh? Without him testifying or facing cross-examination? Not gonna happen, dude.) Those private discussions are not admissible in court. Prosecutor David Walgren objected repeatedly to any references to accounts other than the one Murray gave police. Judge Michael Pastor chided White to listen carefully to the prosecutor’s questions. But when the references continued, Pastor sent jurors out of the room to discuss the matter with the lawyers. Walgren protested that White was intentionally dropping mentions of his conversations with Murray. Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan said White could not be expected to specifically recall what information he got from Murray’s police interview and what information he got from his meetings with Murray. “Nice try,” Pastor said. "This is so obvious. [...] He’s trying at every juncture to add in other material. It’s deliberate, I don’t like it, it’s not going to happen again.” The judge said he considered White's remarks and violations to be in direct contempt of the court. However, Pastor is allowing the doctor to explain himself at a contempt hearing on November 16 before imposing a $1,000 fine. White was previously scheduled for a contempt hearing in November due to his comments to an E! News reporter in court. Sources - 1, 2, 3 _______________________________________________________ Click the links below to read about the trial so far: DAY 1 summary -- Prosecution & defense give opening statements DAY 2 summary -- MJ's personal assistant & security chief testify DAY 3 summary -- MJ's bodyguard & personal chef testify about frantic morning of his death DAY 4 summary -- Paramedics testify that Murray lied & was seen hiding potential evidence DAY 5 summary -- Fierce female doctors testify that Murray lied, never mentioned propofol DAY 6 summary -- Murray's "girlfriends" testify re: propofol shipments & critical phone calls DAY 7 summary -- Court hears the full, four-minute MJ audiotape DAY 8 summary -- The coroner investigator and toxicologist take the stand DAY 9 summary -- Court hears the the first half of Murray's two-hour police interview DAY 10 summary -- MJ's autopsy photo is shown & coroner deals a major blow to the defense DAY 11 summary -- Murray's med. peers blast him in court & the defense drops critical theory DAY 12 summary -- A UCLA sleep expert calls Murray's actions "unethical, disturbing" DAY 13 summary -- Propofol expert Dr. Shafer lists 17 "egregious" violations Murray committed DAY 14 summary -- Dr. Shafer dismisses defense theories & demonstrates how he thinks MJ died DAY 15 summary -- The defense challenges Dr. Shafer on cross examination DAY 16 summary -- The prosecution rests. Defense calls former MJ doctor and nurse to stand DAY 17 summary -- Former MJ nurse resumes testimony & defense calls CEO of AEG Live DAY 18 summary -- 5 of Murray's former patients testify as "character witnesses" DAY 19 summary -- An addiction specialist & defense expert Dr. Paul White take the stand DAY 20 summary -- The defense's direct exam of Dr. White continues The trial begins airing live at 11:45 EST most weekdays. You can watch along online, commercial free, HERE. _______________________________________________________ Closing statements are Thursday (November 3) and then the case goes to the jury. Almost done! :)
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