Michael Jackson Fans Win 1 Euro Each for Distress

Lots of people around the world were distraught when Michael Jackson died, but only five have proven it in court. As AFP reports, the five won damages of 1 euro apiece against Jackson doctor Conrad Murray in a French courtroom today. They convinced the judge of their trauma in part by presenting medical certificates, says their attorney. "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 recognized," he says. (Twenty-nine others were part of the lawsuit, but their distress didn't make the cut.)

Murray—who is out of prison after serving two years— doesn't have to worry about ponying up the symbolic 5 euros, which would set him back about $6.80. The attorney tells Reuters that his clients don't intend on going after the money. Instead, they will contact Jackson's mother in the hope of being allowed to visit the singer's private grave in Glendale, Calif. Of the five, two are French, two are Swiss, and one is Belgian. (More Michael Jackson stories.)