�
 |
|
 |
|
|
| Heath Ledger - Dead - - Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3 |
| View previous topic
:: View next topic |
olympic
 Posted:
Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:40 pm |
|
|
|
Mary-Kate To Be Subpoenaed In Ledger Investigation
NEW YORK, New York -- As the investigation surrounding Heath Ledger's accidental overdose continues, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York has confirmed to Access Hollywood that they have issued a subpoena that would force Mary-Kate Olsen to testify in front of a grand jury.
Five medications were found in Heath's body at the time of his death, according to the DEA, three of which he'd obtained via doctors in Texas and Los Angeles. At the center of the investigation is how he acquired Oxycontin and Vicodin without a legal prescription.
The actress was the first person called by the masseuse who discovered Heath's body after the "The Dark Knight" actor's untimely death.
She broke her silence for the first time on Monday, when a rep for the actress told Access in a statement that she "had nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger's home or his body, and she does not know where he obtained them."
However, despite the rep's statement that they "have provided the Government with relevant information," the actress is reportedly refusing to speak to government officials without immunity.
According to Benjamin Brafman, a high-profile defense attorney not associated with the case, seeking immunity is not the same as admitting guilt.
"It may not mean anything other than she's getting good legal advice," Brafman told Access.
"You don't know what the DEA may suspect in this case and I think it's a cautious way to proceed. I think it would be wrong to assume she's done something criminal simply because she's invoking her 5th amendment against self-incrimination."
|
|
Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 1651
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| olympic
Posted:
Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:05 pm |
|
|
|
Federal investigators drop Ledger drug inquiry
NEW YORK - Federal prosecutors have decided not to pursue a criminal case into how Heath Ledger obtained the powerful painkillers that contributed to his overdose death this year, a law enforcement official said Wednesday.
Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan had been overseeing a Drug Enforcement Administration probe into whether the painkillers found in Ledger's system were obtained illegally. But the prosecutors have bowed out "because they don't believe there's a viable target," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no charges have been filed.
The decision comes after recent reports that actress Mary-Kate Olsen was demanding immunity before answering questions about the startling death of her close friend and his drug use. Authorities say she was the first person called by a masseuse who found the 28-year-old "Dark Knight" actor's lifeless body in his Manhattan apartment.
The DEA had obtained a subpoena that could have forced Olsen if she continued to hold out. But the subpoena, issued in April, is no longer valid because it was contingent upon prosecutors pursuing the case, the official said Wednesday. The official added that the case could still be revived if evidence of a crime emerges.
There was no immediate response to a message left with spokeswomen for the U.S. attorney's office and Olsen's attorney, Michael C. Miller.
DEA investigators suspect the painkillers found in Ledger's system, oxycodone and hydrocodone, were obtained with phony prescriptions or other illegal means. Oxycodone is sold as OxyContin and hydrocodone as Vicodin.
Miller insisted this week that Olsen, a former child star on the sitcom "Full House," had already told the government she "does not know the source of the drugs Mr. Ledger consumed."
Other potential witnesses apparently answered questions voluntarily, including doctors, Ledger's ex-girlfriend Michelle Williams and people in his apartment around the time of his death.
Other drugs taken by Ledger, including anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills, were prescribed legally by doctors in California and Texas.
The medical examiner's office wouldn't say what concentrations of each drug were found but made clear he was killed by the combination — not an excess of any one drug in particular. It's common for the DEA to investigate an overdose death with so many different drugs involved, a DEA spokesman said last month.
The masseuse discovered Ledger's body on Jan. 22. Police say she spent nine minutes making three calls to Olsen before dialing 911 for help, then called the actress a fourth time after paramedics arrived. At some point during the flurry of frantic calls, Olsen, who was in California, summoned her personal security guards to the apartment to help, police said.
Ledger died after filming "The Dark Night," the latest movie in the "Batman" series, in which he has earned rave reviews for playing a maniacal Joker. The film had taken in more than $400 million domestically as of Monday.
|
|
Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 1651
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Arubalover
Posted:
Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:39 pm |
|
|
|
If you have an attorney you can get away with a whole lot. One day MKO is being threatened to be brought before a grand jury and the next day the case is closed.
|
|
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Posts: 981
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| olympic
Posted:
Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:55 pm |
|
|
|
Ledger's insurance firm sued over nonpayment
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Heath Ledger's insurance company has been sued in Los Angeles for not paying out $10 million in benefits to his daughter, claiming the actor may have committed suicide, according to court papers.
The 28-year-old Australian star of "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Dark Knight" was found dead in his New York apartment in January in what officials ruled was an accidental death from an overdose of painkillers and other medicines.
But lawyers for the ReliaStar insurance company, where Ledger took out a life insurance policy in 2007, have claimed his death was suspicious and possibly a suicide. That would nullify the policy, said the court papers posted on celebrity website TMZ.com.
Ledger's daughter with actress Michelle Williams, Matilda Rose, 3, was named as the beneficiary in the policy, insurance specialist lawyer William Shernoff said on Monday.
"ReliaStar want to investigate the possibility of suicide, and we think that is inappropriate because the coroner's report and all the official reports say it was accidental," said Shernoff, who filed the suit on behalf of Ledger's daughter in July.
"It is distressing for everybody. The insurance company wants to spend months, if not years, investigating this so they can hold on to their money," Shernoff told Reuters.
He added that ReliaStar told him they wished to take legal statements from the masseuse who found Ledger's body, his colleagues, agents, doctors and actress Mary-Kate Olsen, Ledger's friend and the first person called by the masseuse.
A ReliaStar spokesman said the company was still investigating the claim on the policy and had not yet made a decision.
The company said in court filings it was entitled to investigate because Ledger died within two years of taking out the policy, and accused the other side of failing to cooperate.
News of the legal dispute came after Ledger's father told Australia's Sunday Times that the actor's estate, with an estimated value of $20 million Australian (US $16 million), would go to his daughter. The disputed life insurance benefit is not included in Ledger's estate and will.
|
|
Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 1651
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
�
Jasidogdotcom template v.1.0.4 © jasidog.com
Powered by phpBB
© 2001, 2004 phpBB Group
|
