Paris Jackson Demands $600 Million From Michael’s Estate, Says Executor Denies Inheritance

Paris Jackson is seeking $600 million from her late father Michael Jackson’s estate, accusing his longtime executor of blocking the children from receiving their inheritance.

In an explosive 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 there is no legitimate reason the money hasn’t been transferred more than 17 years after the King of Pop’s death.

Paris claims that despite the estate having generated 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.

The motion, filed Oct. 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court, targets 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 president of The Michael Jackson Company, was originally hired by the King of Pop in 1985.

Branca resigned from Jackson’s team for financial reasons in 2006, before rejoining in 2009, eight days before Jackson’s death.

Michael’s will stipulated that his children should begin receiving income from their respective shares of the trust when they turned 21. However, Paris claims this never happened and instead they receive smaller amounts determined by Branca.

She further alleges that Branca uses his control over these payments to discourage siblings from questioning his handling of the estate.

The filing also claims that when Paris began challenging the administration of the estate 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 money provided to her and her siblings.

“This course of conduct and administration should not continue,” the petition states.

According to the filing, Michael intended for each of his children to receive one-third of the capital of their respective trusts when they turned 30.

They would then receive half of their remaining shares at age 35, with the balance fully distributed at age 40.

Prince is set to turn 30 in four months, while Paris will be 29 in April and Bigi will be 25 in February.

Paris argues that the estate has enough money to fund the trust while covering its outstanding obligations.

A spokesperson for Michael Jackson’s estate told Page Six: “Ms. Jackson’s attorney is well aware that the estate is blocked from fully funding the charitable foundation and individual trusts for beneficiaries until several legal hurdles have been cleared, including in particular the ongoing litigation with the IRS, where they have sought $700 million in taxes and penalties from the estate.”

“While we were able to obtain a ruling to significantly reduce this amount, the matter is not settled and could still change. Additionally, the claim that the executor withheld or ‘cut off’ payments is a complete fabrication. More than $200 million has already been distributed to or for the benefit of Paris and 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 intended.”

Among the transactions cited in the filing are the 2018 sale of its approximately 10% stake 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 up front for a 50% stake in the estate’s remaining intellectual property assets.

These transactions alone generated more than $1 billion in pre-tax, pre-expense cash, according to the petition.

The domain also reported generating over $2.5 billion in gross revenue through December 2024, with an overall estimated value of between $2 billion and $3 billion.

As of December 2024, the estate held approximately $850 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Paris estimates that even after accounting for potential liabilities, about $600 million remains available for distribution.

The petition argues that California law favors distributing estate assets to beneficiaries whenever it can be done without endangering creditors or other interested parties.

She also maintains that pending tax issues and litigation do not justify maintaining all of the estate’s assets. The petition notes that almost all of the creditors’ significant claims and litigation have been resolved or favorably settled, with only certain claims remaining.

Paris is asking the court to order Branca to transfer the $600 million to the family trust, or any other amount the judge deems appropriate.

She is also seeking reimbursement for her legal fees and costs from the estate’s assets.

The case is scheduled for a hearing in December.

Michael died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50. He named his family trust as the sole beneficiary of his estate, with Branca also named trustee.