Paris Jackson, 28, asked a Los Angeles judge to order a partial distribution of $600 million from Michael Jackson's estate to the family trust. She alleges the trust is unfunded despite billions in estate income. The estate disputes her claims and cites an IRS matter and the will's terms.
Paris Jackson, 28, is asking a Los Angeles judge to order a partial distribution of the estate's assets to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. In an October 29 filing, she requested a partial distribution of $600 million in estate assets to the trust. The trust was established to provide for her and her siblings Prince Jackson and Bigi Jackson. She is a beneficiary of her father's estate along with her brothers Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24.
What the filing alleges
Paris Jackson said the estate has brought in billions of dollars since Michael Jackson's death in 2009, while the family trust has remained empty. She claims she and her two brothers have gone without the money for more than 17 years. The petition states that the family trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after Michael Jackson's passing. She alleges longtime executor John Branca has failed to fund the trust despite the estate generating billions of dollars. The filing also alleges the siblings depend on Branca, receiving lesser amounts he dictates.
Court documents say each sibling was to begin receiving income from their share at age 21, with portions distributed at ages 30, 35 and 40. Her filing says this has not been carried out. Her attorneys argue that business deals and property sales, including the 2020 sale of Neverland Ranch for $22 million, have generated a large amount of money for the estate. The executors previously valued the estate at between $2 billion and $3 billion, citing a 2018 music publishing sale, the Neverland sale and a recent Sony deal.
Last week, Paris Jackson accused Branca in court documents of incompetence. According to her motion, Branca sought $109,219,648 in combined compensation for himself, his lawyers and late co-executor John McClain, who died in May at age 71.
The estate's response
A spokesperson for the Branca-led estate said the motion is completely without merit. The spokesperson asserted that the executors waived executor compensation from the start and are instead paid a separate, court-ordered management fee for operating the Michael Jackson business. The estate called the claim that it withholds or reduces payments a complete fabrication. It said more than $200 million had been distributed or spent for the beneficiaries. The estate also said none of the children is set to receive a distribution until they are 30. It stated that the will is clear that none of the children receive a distribution until they are in their 30s.
The estate said it cannot fund the trusts in full until other legal matters are resolved, including litigation with the IRS. The IRS had sought $700 million in taxes and penalties, and the estate said a ruling significantly reduced that amount. The estate added that the matter is not settled and could still change.
A spokesperson for Paris Jackson disputed the estate's response, saying the estate is deflecting from its own incompetence. The spokesperson said Branca had the ability and obligation to partially fund the trust long ago.
