Michael Jackson's inner circle banned from testifying at trial...

Michael Jackson's close friends, family and staff have been banned from testifying at the upcoming manslaughter trial of the pop star's doctor over fears they will prolong the case and confuse the jurors.

Dr Conrad Murray's lawyer had hoped to call Jackson's former nanny and dermatologist, among others, to the witness stand in a bid to prove the King of Pop had an addiction to drugs and accidently overdosed, but LA County Superior Court judge Michael Pastor has excluded the testimony of more than a dozen defence witnesses.

Explaining the ruling on Tuesday the judge said: "Discussions of these subject matters are sufficiently convoluted, distracting and detracting as to substantially outweigh any probative value whatsoever."

Judge Pastor has already ruled out testimony from anyone in Jackson's 2005 child molestation trial.

A lawyer for Dr Murray, who is accused of administering the drug that killed Jackson in June 2009, tells the LA Times the defence plans to file a motion later thus week asking the judge to reconsider his banned witnesses.