Paris Jackson is demanding $600 million from her late father Michael Jackson’s estate, accusing its longtime executor of withholding the children's inheritance.
In a court filing obtained 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. Jackson argues that there is no legitimate reason the money has not been transferred more than 17 years after the pop star'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 and Bigi, remains unfunded. The petition, filed Oct. 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court, names 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. He resigned from Jackson’s team over financial matters in 2006, before rejoining in 2009, eight days before Jackson died.
Michael Jackson's will stipulated that his children should start receiving income from their respective portions of the trust when they turned 21. Paris claims this never happened, and that they instead receive smaller amounts determined by Branca. She further alleges that Branca uses his control over these payments to discourage the siblings from questioning his handling of the estate.
The filing also states 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.
According to the filing, Michael Jackson intended for each of his children to receive one-third of the principal in their respective trusts when they turned 30. They would then receive half of their remaining shares at 35, with the balance distributed outright at 40. Prince is set to turn 30 in four months, while Paris turns 29 in April and Bigi turns 25 in February.
Paris argues that the estate has more than enough money to fund the trust while still covering its outstanding obligations. The petition cites several transactions, including the estate’s 2018 sale of its roughly 10% interest in EMI Music Publishing to Sony for $287.5 million, the 2020 sale of Neverland Ranch for $22 million and the 2023 deal with Sony, which agreed to pay $750 million upfront for a 50% interest in the estate’s remaining intellectual property assets. These transactions alone generated more than $1 billion in pre-tax liquidity, according to the petition.
The estate has also reported generating more than $2.5 billion in gross earnings through December 2024, with its overall value estimated between $2 billion and $3 billion. As of December 2024, the estate reportedly held approximately $850 million in cash and cash equivalents. Paris estimates that even after accounting for potential liabilities, approximately $600 million remains available for distribution.
The petition argues that California law favors distributing estate assets to beneficiaries as soon as it can be done without jeopardizing creditors or other interested parties. It notes that nearly all significant creditor claims and litigation have been resolved or disposed of favorably, with only certain claims remaining.
Paris is asking the court to order Branca to transfer the $600 million to the family trust, or whatever amount the judge determines to be appropriate. She is also seeking reimbursement for her legal fees and costs from estate assets.
A spokesperson for the Michael Jackson Estate 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.”
The spokesperson added, “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.”
The matter is scheduled for a December hearing. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at age 50. He named his family trust as the sole beneficiary of his estate, with Branca also named as trustee.