Photo: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images
On Wednesday, the executors of Michael Jackson’s estate were ordered to return $625,000, a win for Paris Jackson in her ongoing legal battle against them. The 28-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson had accused executors John Branca and John McClain of abusing their access to the estate, of which she and her brothers (Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24) are beneficiaries. According to court documents obtained by People, payments made to third-party law firms by the executors must now be “returned” to the estate, and Paris is now entitled to any attorneys’ fees and costs.
The news comes just a couple weeks after the premiere of Michael, the biopic about Jackson and his meteoric rise to fame. The most vocal of the siblings, Paris has largely been responsible for speaking to the press about the public’s perception of her family and late father and was adamant that she wanted nothing to do with the project. Last year, Paris posted on Instagram Stories to announce that she had no involvement in the film, despite the fact that her cousin Jaafar Jackson stars in the movie and her brother Prince served as a producer. “There’s a lot of inaccuracies and there’s a lot of full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn’t really fly with me,” she said at the time.
The film’s box-office success aside, Paris Jackson has scored a major victory with this estate battle. “Ms. Jackson’s objection to the $625,000 of bonus payments made in the second six months of 2018 is sustained … The payments shall be returned to the estate,” the motion reads. “Ms. Jackson may bring a motion for her reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs under the common fund theory for her meritorious objection to the executors’ fee petition.”
“The court did not in any way say that executors had made any inappropriate payments to themselves,” attorneys for the estate told People in a statement on Wednesday, adding that executors “created real and substantial generational wealth for the estate’s beneficiaries.” They went on: “We are gratified that the Court itself recognized and praised the work of the executors and its outside counsel in today’s decision.”
A spokesperson for Paris, meanwhile, told the outlet that she “has always been focused on what’s best for her family and this ruling is a massive win for them.” The statement read: “After years of delay, the Jackson family will finally get the transparency and accountability measures Paris has fought for. The Jackson estate is supposed to be a prudent, fiscally responsible entity that supports the Jackson family – not a slush fund to help John Branca live out his Hollywood mogul fantasies.”
Last month, Paris filed a document claiming that the executors used the media to “attack” her in an “unacceptable” manner, while using their status reports to “mock and belittle” her, per People. Paris also noted that she felt the executors were “operat[ing] in the dark,” and requested “an efficient, transparent, and orderly process” for the estate’s accounting.
Reps for Paris concluded: “After months of engaging in sexist, scorched-earth tactics against a beneficiary, it’s time for John Branca to acknowledge his many missteps and act in the best interest of the family he has a fiduciary duty to protect.”
Stay in touch.
The latest in style, self, culture, and power in your inbox.
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice
Related