Paris Jackson is reportedly going after a massive $600 million from her late father Michael Jackson‘s estate. And this is not just another family disagreement over who gets grandma’s jewelry. We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars.
The 28-year-old daughter of the King of Pop is accusing the estate’s longtime executor of preventing Michael Jackson’s children from receiving their rightful inheritance. Apparently, the money situation has become serious enough to turn the family business into a legal battlefield.
In a bombshell court filing, obtained exclusively by Page Six, the 28-year-old singer is asking a judge to order the estate to make a preliminary distribution of $600 million to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, arguing that there is no legitimate reason the money has not been transferred more than 17 years after the King of Pop’s death.
Paris claims that despite the estate generating billions of dollars and accumulating hundreds of millions in cash, the trust intended to benefit her and her brothers, Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24, remains unfunded.
Paris is unhappy with how things have been handled. Her allegations suggest that the estate’s management has not been as transparent as she believes it should be.
And when the amount involved is $600 million, nobody should be surprised that questions are being asked.
The petition, filed Oct. 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court, takes aim at executor John Branca, accusing him of maintaining an “iron grip” over the siblings by controlling when and if they receive money from their father’s estate.
Branca, an attorney and chairman of The Michael Jackson Company, was initially hired by the King of Pop in 1985.
Branca resigned from Jackson’s team over financial matters in 2006, before rejoining in 2009 — eight days before Jackson died.
Michael’s will stipulated that his children should start receiving income from their respective portions of the trust when they turned 21. However, Paris claims that never happened, and that they instead receive smaller amounts determined by Branca.
She further alleges that Branca uses his control over those payments to discourage the siblings from questioning his handling of the estate.
Let’s be honest. Most people would be thrilled to find an unexpected $600 in their bank account. Meanwhile, Paris is dealing with a dispute involving an amount that could make several lottery winners feel financially insecure.
The disagreement reportedly centers on the estate’s longtime executor and concerns about the children’s inheritance. Paris appears determined to challenge the way the estate has been managed.
The filing also claims that when Paris began challenging the estate’s administration last year, including objecting to what she described as Branca’s “non-contractual gifts” to colleagues, her concerns were met with “scorched earth litigation,” public attacks and a multimillion-dollar reduction in the money provided to her and her siblings.
“This course of conduct and administration should not continue,” the petition states.
A spokesperson for the Michael Jackson Estate exclusively told Page Six, “Ms. Jackson’s counsel is well aware that the Estate is prevented from fully funding the charitable foundation and the individual trusts for the beneficiaries until several legal hurdles have been removed, including in particular the ongoing IRS litigation, where they sought $700 million in taxes and penalties from the Estate.
“While we were able to secure a ruling to significantly reduce that amount, the matter has not been settled and could still change. Further, the claim that the executor has withheld or ‘cut’ payments is a complete fabrication. More than $200 million has already been distributed to or for the benefit of Paris and the other beneficiaries.”
The statement continued, “The Estate looks forward to the time when all issues are resolved so that the charitable foundation and trusts can be fully funded as Michael wanted.”
Michael Jackson’s estate remains an extremely valuable operation. His music catalog, entertainment rights, merchandise, and other business interests continue generating significant revenue years after his death.
In other words, the King of Pop’s financial empire did not retire when he died. The money keeps moving, and apparently, so do the disagreements about who controls it.
One thing is certain: Michael Jackson’s music continues entertaining millions, but his estate is providing a different kind of drama.
