Paris Jackson asks court to move $600M US from Michael Jackson estate into family trust
Paris Jackson is asking a Los Angeles judge to order $600 million US from Michael Jackson’s estate transferred to a family trust for her and her brothers. The estate disputes her claims, citing unresolved legal matters. A judge is scheduled to hear the petition and a separate challenge on Dec. 4.
Petition says trust remains unfunded 17 years after singer’s death
Christine Pagulayan · CBC News
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Paris Jackson is asking a Los Angeles judge to order $600 million US transferred from her late father’s estate to a family trust for her and her two brothers, Prince and Bigi.
The request filed Oct. 29, is part of an escalating dispute over how the estate is managed and when the singer’s children should receive money from it. In the petition obtained by CBC News, Paris says the Michael Jackson family trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after her father’s death in 2009, despite the estate’s substantial assets and revenue from business deals.
She says the estate held about $850 million US in cash and cash equivalents at the end of 2024, and estimates roughly $600 million US could be distributed after potential liabilities are considered. It is a request, not a court order.
The trust’s terms, as described in the filing, provide for the siblings to receive income from their shares starting at age 21, followed by staged distributions of the principal at 30, 35 and 40. (Prince is currently 29, Paris is 28 and Bigi is 24.) Paris argues the delay leaves the siblings dependent on estate executor John Branca to decide when and how much money they receive.
Dispute over estate transactions and liabilities
The petition points to several transactions involving the estate, including:
- A 2018 sale of its interest in EMI Music Publishing for $287.5 million US.
- A 2020 sale of Neverland Ranch, the singer's former home, for $22 million US.
- A 2023 deal with Sony involving Michael Jackson's music and other intellectual property, which generated $750 million US in upfront proceeds.
These generated more than $1 billion US in cash before taxes and expenses.
In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for John Branca, the executor of the Michael Jackson estate, said it cannot fully fund the trusts until several legal hurdles have been removed, including ongoing litigation with the Internal Revenue Service, which sought $700 million US in taxes and penalties.
From left, Prince Jackson, Paris Jackson and Bigi Jackson attend an event in March 2024 in London. (John Phillips/Getty Images)
"The estate was able to secure a ruling to significantly reduce that amount, but the matter has not been settled and could still change," the statement reads.
The estate denied withholding or reducing payments to the beneficiaries, calling the claim "a complete fabrication." It said more than $200 million US had already been distributed for their benefit, noting that under the singer's will, "none of his children receive a distribution until they are in their 30s."
"The estate looks forward to the time when all issues are resolved so that their trusts can be fully funded as Michael wanted."
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A spokesperson for Paris Jackson disputed that response, in a statement to People.
"The estate is once again deflecting from its own incompetence. Paris called for the trust to be partially funded, something Mr. Branca had the ability and obligation to do long ago. After years of delay, Paris had no choice but to step in herself," the spokesperson said.
CBC News has reached out to representatives for Paris but did not heard back by the time of publication.
Separate challenge over estate management
The trust petition is part of a wider dispute over the estate’s management and financial disclosures. In a separate motion, Paris accused Branca of missing a court-ordered deadline to file complete accountings for 2023 and 2024.
The estate again disputed her claims. A spokesperson said Branca and co-executor John McClain waived executor compensation and received a separate, court-ordered management fee for running her father’s business.
Michael Jackson, pictured just three months before his death in June 2009, addresses the press in London. Jackson had just announced a series of comeback concerts. (Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)
The estate said the accountings have been filed; Paris's lawyers argued they were deficient. McClain died in May, leaving Branca as the estate’s remaining executor.
A judge is scheduled to hear Paris's trust-funding petition and her challenge to the management fee on Dec. 4.
Pop icon Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009, after suffering cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home.
The coroner ruled the singer's death a homicide caused by acute propofol intoxication, along with the effects of sedatives being a contributing factor. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Pagulayan is a Toronto-based producer and writer with CBC News, currently with the Entertainment unit. She has worked in various roles at CBC News Network and The National. She has also worked as a multiplatform reporter in Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax and Moncton. You can reach her at christine.pagulayan@cbc.ca.
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