Paris Jackson sues estate executor to release $600 million to family trust

Paris Jackson, 28, filed a petition on Oct. 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court requesting that executor John Branca be ordered to make a preliminary distribution of $600 million from Michael Jackson's estate to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. The filing argues that, despite the estate generating billions of dollars and holding roughly $850 million in cash as of Dec. 2024, the trust intended for her and her brothers, Prince and Bigi, remains unfunded.

Jackson alleges that the estate's will required her siblings to begin receiving income from their portions of the trust at age 21 and to receive one-third of the principal at age 30, half of the remainder at 35, and the balance at 40. She contends that these payments have not been made as stipulated and that Branca controls the timing and amount of any disbursements.

"Ms. Jackson’s counsel is well aware that the Estate is prevented from fully funding the charitable foundation and the 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. While we were able to secure a ruling to significantly reduce that amount, 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. More than $200 million has already been distributed to or for the benefit of Paris and the other beneficiaries," a spokesperson for the Michael Jackson Estate said.

The petition cites several large transactions, including the 2018 sale of a 10% stake in EMI Music Publishing for $287.5 million, the 2020 sale of Neverland Ranch for $22 million, and a 2023 deal that provided $750 million upfront for a 50% interest in the estate’s remaining intellectual-property assets. Those deals generated over $1 billion in pre-tax liquidity, and the estate reports more than $2.5 billion in gross earnings through Dec. 2024.

Jackson’s request also seeks reimbursement of her legal fees and costs from estate assets. The court will consider whether California law requires a faster distribution of assets to beneficiaries without jeopardizing creditors or pending litigation.