Court Gives Grieving Fans Money For Their Suffering Over Michael Jackson's Death

• Five European fans of the late pop legend, Michael Jackson, have been awarded one euro (£0.86) each for the "emotional damage" that they say they suffered following his death in 2009.

Played out in a court in the city of Orleans, in central France, 34 fans sued Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray, who was jailed in 2011 over the singer's death from an overdose, for the suffering they endured.
The court ruled that five of the plaintiffs - two from France, two from Switzerland and one from Belgium - had proven emotional suffering from Jackson's death.
"As far as I know this is the first time in the world that the notion of emotional damage in connection with a pop star has been recognised," said their lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot.
He hailed the plaintiffs for "going through with the process despite the sneers" it aroused.
He said they had proven their suffering "with the help of witness statements and medical certificates".
Mr Ludot said the damages were symbolic and the plaintiffs would not be seeking to claim the one euro each from Murray, who was released in October after serving two years of his four-year sentence.
But he said they hoped their status as recognised victims would help them gain access to Jackson's grave in Los Angeles, which is closed to the public.
Jackson died in 2009 from an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol while under Murray's care, as the "King of Pop" rehearsed in Los Angeles for a series of comeback concerts in London.