Paris Jackson has asked the court to order Michael Jackson’s estate to transfer $600million (£450million) into a family trust established for her and her two brothers.
In a fresh legal filing, Paris, 28, alleges that estate executor John Branca has prevented the siblings from accessing their inheritance. She argues there is no valid reason the funds have not been moved into the trust more than 17 years after their father’s death.
The petition, filed on October 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court and seen by Page Six, claims that the estate has generated billion of dollars but the family trust set up to provide for Michael’s three children, Prince, 29, Paris and Bigi, 24 is still unfunded.
The terms of the family trust state that each child was to begin receiving income from their individual share once they reached the age of 21.
At 30, they were due to receive the first portion of the principal held in their respective trusts—one-third of the total.
A further half of the remaining balance was scheduled to be paid at 35, with each sibling receiving the rest outright at 40. The petition notes that Prince is four months away from turning 30, while Paris turns 29 in April and Bigi reaches 25 in February.
Paris Jackson last month. She is seeking the release of $600million from her late father Michael Jackson’s estate into a trust for herself and her two brothers
The petition specifically names executor Mr Branca and accuses him of maintaining an “iron grip” on the siblings’ finances, including control over how much money they are permitted to receive.
Mr Branca and John McClain were appointed co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate after the singer died on June 25, 2009, aged 50. Following Mr McClain’s death in May 2026, Mr Branca became the estate’s sole remaining executor.
Mr Branca, an attorney, was first hired by Jackson in 1985. He left the singer’s team in 2006 amid financial disagreements, but returned in 2009—just eight days before Jackson’s death.
Paris claims that Mr Branca has decided how much she, Prince and Bigi receive from the estate, saying those payments have fallen short of the amounts specified under the family trust.
The dispute between Paris and the estate’s executors has continued for months, with the singer making several allegations during the past year.
According to the new filing, her claims have been challenged and discouraged, while the limited funds distributed to the siblings were allegedly reduced by millions after she began pursuing legal action.
“This course of conduct and administration should not continue,” the petition states.
The filing says the Jackson estate has billions of dollars in assets, pointing to the 2018 sale of its 10 per cent stake in EMI Music Publishing to Sony for $287.5million (£214million), as well as the 2020 sale of Neverland Ranch for $22million (£16million).
In a new court filing, Paris, 28, accused estate executor John Branca of blocking the children from receiving their inheritance and argued there was no legitimate reason for the delay. Mr Branca is pictured in New York City in 2023
By December 2024, the estate was reportedly holding around $850million (£633million) in cash and cash equivalents.
The executors have previously placed the value of the estate between $2billion (£1.5billion) and $3billion (£2.2billion), the petition says.
After taking possible liabilities into account, Paris estimates that roughly $600million (£445million) could be available for distribution. She is asking the court to direct Mr Branca to transfer that sum to the family trust, or another amount the judge considers suitable.
The case is due to return to court for a hearing on December 4.
A spokesman for the Michael Jackson Estate told Daily Mail: “Ms. Jackson’s counsel is well aware that the Estate is prevented from fully funding the philanthropic giving and individual trusts for the beneficiaries until several legal hurdles have been removed, including in particular the ongoing IRS litigation where they sought $700million in taxes and penalties from the Estate.
‘The Estate was able to secure a ruling to significantly reduce that amount, but 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. In fact, more than $200million has already been distributed for the benefit of Paris and the other beneficiaries.
‘Michael Jackson’s will is clear. 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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Should Michael Jackson’s children have to fight for their inheritance after all these years?
The petition claims that the estate has generated billion of dollars but the family trust set up to provide for Michael’s three children, Prince, 29, Paris and Bigi, 24 is still unfunded (L-R) Janet Jackson, Paris, LaToya Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson pictured at Michael’s 2009 memorial
A spokesperson for Paris responded to the Daily Mail, stating: ‘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 ruling is the latest development in the ongoing legal disputes surrounding Michael’s estate.
Last month Paris filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court asking to reduce the pay of Mr Branca, claiming he has missed a series of deadlines in submitting financial statements for the years 2023 and 2024.
Attorneys for Paris claimed in a filing, which has been reviewed by The Daily Mail, that ‘the gap between executor’s level of compensation and his persistent incompetence is intolerable.’
Paris’s legal team alleged that ‘the only remedy that might prove effective in shaping executor’s conduct’ would be to ‘incrementally reduce executor’s compensation for 2023 and 2024 from 15 percent to 10 percent of the gross entertainment-related income.’
Paris’s attorneys further alleged in the filing that Mr Branca has demonstrated a ‘longstanding refusal, for the better part of a decade, to prioritize timely and complete reporting’ of the estate’s financial statements.
As a result of the ‘mismanagement,’ the estate has been mired in ‘time-consuming litigation,’ Paris’s attorneys claimed, while Paris has allegedly had to ‘expend time and her own resources trying’ to get Mr Branca ‘to fulfill his most basic responsibilities.’
Mr Branca has missed ‘concrete deadlines’ set by the court, Paris’s legal team alleged, adding that the executor is also allegedly asking for the court to approve a payment of $109,219,648.27 ‘in compensation for himself, his now deceased co-executor [John McClain] and his law firm for these two years at issue.’
Paris is requesting the court ‘award her attorneys’ fees and costs,’ as she thinks her moves are ultimately advantageous to the estate.
A spokesman for Paris Jackson told The Daily Mail last week, ‘Enough of the smoke and mirrors – Paris is asking to reduce the management fee.’
Jackson’s spokesman said that Mr Branca ‘has repeatedly failed to meet deadlines ordered by the judge that are in place to provide Paris and her siblings visibility about how the estate is being run.
‘Since money is what motivates executor Branca, this is the only way to enforce the timeline he agreed to.’
A spokesman for Michael Jackson’s estate told The Daily Mail last Wednesday that it was ‘an understatement to say that this motion is completely without merit, nor is it argued on facts.’
Jackson’s estate said that while Paris’s ‘attorneys have motioned for a reduction in executor compensation, when in fact the executors waived that from the estate’s beginning, and have never taken any executor compensation.
‘They are paid a separate, court-ordered management fee for operating the hugely successful Michael Jackson business.’
The estate said it was ‘nonsensical that the motion seeks absurd penalties for the 2023 and 2024 accountings which have already been filed or for the 2025 and 2026 accountings which are not required to be filed for another six and 14 months, respectively.’
Mr Branca’s team has previously stated that under his management, the value of the estate went from $500million in debt to being worth more than $2 billion.
Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 on June 25, 2009 after suffering cardiac arrest in the Los Angeles mansion he was living in. Authorities in February 2010 deemed his death as the result of acute propofol intoxication.
Jackson had been administered the powerful drug by his personal doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, who told investigators that the singer called the substance (which he took via an IV drip) ‘milk’ and said he needed it to sleep.
Eventually, Murray’s care of Jackson fell under scrutiny after the singer’s death, amid questions about his judgment in giving Jackson the substance in certain doses, and not meeting safety precautions in administering the drug.
Jackson’s death was ultimately deemed a homicide by investigators and in November of 2011 – more than two years after his death – Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.
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