THE family of a 74-year-old woman who died after allegedly being moved from a trauma room to accommodate a flu-stricken Michael Jackson says it will sue the hospital and the pop star.

The legal threat comes before Monday’s opening statements in Mr Jackson’s criminal trial on child abuse charges. The jury selection process was delayed by a week when the singer came down with flu.

Manuela Gomez Ruiz was being treated for a heart attack at the Marian Medical Centre, in Santa Maria, when she was allegedly moved out of a trauma room to make way for Mr Jackson. She died later that day. The hospital said it was confident in its levels of care, but could not comment on the case. A spokesman for Mr Jackson said that the pop star had delivered his condolences to the family, but the allocation of hospital rooms was beyond his authority and control.

Mrs Ruiz’s daughter-in-law, Anna Ruiz, said she saw Mr Jackson arrive. She said that her mother-in-law was taken off a ventilator and her breathing was manually assisted with a hand pump during the move. She had two more heart attacks that day before she died.

According to hospital records, Mr Jackson, 46, told emergency room staff that he had severe abdominal pains.

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