Paris Jackson is asking the court to direct Michael Jackson’s estate to transfer $600 million (£450 million) into a family trust established for her and her two brothers.
In a fresh legal filing, the 28-year-old alleges that estate executor John Branca has prevented the siblings from receiving the inheritance intended for them. She argues that, more than 17 years after their father’s death, there is no valid reason the funds have not been moved into the trust.
The petition was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 29 and reviewed by Page Six. It claims Michael Jackson’s estate has generated billions of dollars, while the trust created for his children — Prince, 29, Paris and Bigi, 24 — remains without full funding.
According to the trust’s terms, each sibling was supposed to begin receiving income from their share after turning 21.
At age 30, they were expected to receive the first installment of the principal held in their individual trusts — one-third of the total.
A further half of the remaining balance was due at age 35, with the final portion to be distributed when each beneficiary reached 40. The filing notes that Prince will turn 30 in four months, while Paris turns 29 in April and Bigi celebrates his 25th birthday in February.
Paris Jackson pictured last month. She is seeking the release of $600 million from her late father Michael Jackson’s estate for a trust benefiting her and her two brothers
The petition accuses Branca of maintaining an “iron grip” over the siblings’ finances and deciding how much money they are permitted to receive.
Branca and John McClain were appointed co-executors of Michael Jackson’s estate after the singer died on June 25, 2009, aged 50. McClain died in May 2026, leaving Branca as the estate’s sole remaining executor.
Branca first began working for Jackson in 1985. He left the singer’s team in 2006 following financial disagreements, then returned in 2009, just eight days before Jackson’s death.
Paris alleges that Branca has controlled both the amount she and her brothers receive and the timing of those payments, with the sums falling short of what the family trust requires.
The dispute between Paris and the estate’s executors has continued for months, with the singer raising several complaints during the past year.
She claims her objections have been met with resistance and attempts to discourage her, while the already limited payments made to her and her brothers were reduced by millions of dollars after she submitted earlier legal filings.
“This course of conduct and administration should not continue,” the petition states.
The filing says the estate has substantial resources, including money generated from the 2018 sale of its 10 percent stake in EMI Music Publishing to Sony for $287.5 million and the 2020 sale of Neverland Ranch for $22 million.
Paris Jackson’s filing accuses executor John Branca of blocking her and her siblings from receiving their inheritance, despite there being no legitimate reason for the delay. Branca is pictured in New York City in 2023
The estate reportedly had around $850 million in cash and cash equivalents as of December 2024.
Its executors have previously placed the estate’s value between $2 billion and $3 billion, according to the petition.
After allowing for possible liabilities, Paris estimates that roughly $600 million could be distributed. She is asking the court to order Branca to transfer that amount to the family trust, or another sum the judge considers appropriate.
A hearing has been scheduled for December 4.
A spokesperson for the Michael Jackson Estate told Our News Outlet, “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 $700 million 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 $200 million 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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Join the discussion
Should Michael Jackson’s children still have to fight for their inheritance after all these years?
The petition says Michael Jackson’s estate has generated billions, yet the family trust created for his three children — Prince, Paris and Bigi — remains unfunded. Janet Jackson, Paris, LaToya Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson are pictured at Michael’s 2009 memorial
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Paris Jackson for comment.
The latest filing adds to a series of legal disputes involving Michael Jackson’s estate.
Last month, Paris asked Los Angeles Superior Court to reduce Branca’s compensation, alleging that he had failed to meet multiple deadlines for submitting the estate’s 2023 and 2024 financial reports.
In documents reviewed by Our News Outlet, her attorneys argued that “the gap between executor’s level of compensation and his persistent incompetence is intolerable.”
They said the most effective way to influence Branca’s conduct would be to reduce his compensation for 2023 and 2024 from 15 percent to 10 percent of the estate’s gross entertainment-related income.
Paris’s lawyers also accused Branca of refusing for nearly a decade to prioritize the timely and complete preparation of the estate’s financial statements.
They claimed the alleged mismanagement had led to lengthy, costly litigation and forced Paris to spend her own time and money trying to persuade Branca to carry out what they described as his most basic duties.
Her legal team said Branca had missed specific court-ordered deadlines and was seeking approval of a $109,219,648.27 payment for himself, his late co-executor John McClain and his law firm for the two years in question.
Paris is also asking the court to award her legal fees and expenses, arguing that her efforts ultimately benefit the estate.
A spokesperson for Paris told Our News Outlet last week, “Enough of the smoke and mirrors — Paris is asking to reduce the management fee.”
The spokesperson said Branca had repeatedly failed to meet deadlines ordered by the judge, leaving Paris and her siblings without adequate insight into the way the estate is being managed.
“Since money is what motivates executor Branca, this is the only way to enforce the timeline he agreed to,” the spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for Michael Jackson’s estate told Our News Outlet on Wednesday that it was “an understatement to say that this motion is completely without merit, nor is it argued on facts.”
The estate said Paris’s attorneys had sought to reduce the executor’s compensation even though the executors waived traditional executor fees from the beginning and had never taken such compensation.
“They are paid a separate, court-ordered management fee for operating the hugely successful Michael Jackson business,” the statement said.
The estate also called it “nonsensical” to seek penalties over the 2023 and 2024 accountings, which it said had already been filed, or over the 2025 and 2026 reports, which were not due for another six and 14 months, respectively.
Branca’s team has previously said that his stewardship transformed the estate from approximately $500 million in debt into an enterprise worth more than $2 billion.
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50 after suffering cardiac arrest at the Los Angeles mansion where he was living. In February 2010, authorities determined that his death resulted from acute propofol intoxication.
The powerful anesthetic had been administered by Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. Murray told investigators that Jackson referred to the intravenous drug as “milk” and said he needed it to sleep.
Following Jackson’s death, scrutiny centered on Murray’s medical decisions, including the doses he administered and the safety measures used while giving the drug.
Investigators ultimately classified Jackson’s death as a homicide. In November 2011, more than two years after the singer died, Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.
