Paris Jackson Seeks $600 Million From Michael Jackson Estate in Court Fight

Paris Jackson has asked a Los Angeles judge to order $600 million from her late father Michael Jackson's estate into the family trust, saying the fund set up for her and her brothers has stayed empty for more than 17 years after the singer's death. The Paris Jackson estate petition, filed on October 29, 2026, turns a long-running family dispute over one of music's richest fortunes into an open court fight.

Paris, 28, accuses sole executor John Branca of keeping an "iron grip" on when the children see the money their father left them. The estate calls her claims a "complete fabrication".

Key Points

• Paris Jackson, 28, filed a 14-page petition on October 29, 2026, asking a Los Angeles judge to order $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust.
• The money would benefit Paris and her brothers Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24 — the three children of Michael Jackson, who died on June 25, 2009.
• The petition says the trust has stayed unfunded for over 17 years, though the estate has earned over $2.5 billion and held about $850 million in cash at the end of 2024.
• Paris accuses executor John Branca of keeping an "iron grip" on distributions and cutting the siblings' payments after she challenged him last year.
• The estate says over $200 million has been distributed and the trust cannot be fully funded until IRS litigation over about $700 million is resolved. A hearing is set for December 4, 2026.

What Happened

Paris Jackson filed the petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 29, 2026. The 14-page document asks the court to compel the estate to distribute $600 million to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, created for Jackson's three children.

The filing says the trust has remained unfunded since Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009. Paris argues that is indefensible given the money involved: the estate has earned over $2.5 billion since the singer's death and held about $850 million in cash as of December 2024. She blames sole executor John Branca, accusing him of keeping an "iron grip" on distributions and cutting the siblings' payments after she challenged him last year. The will, Paris says, intended income from age 21 and a share of the principal by 30 — milestones already passing, with Prince 29 and Paris 28.

Background: The Estate, the Will and the Money

When Michael Jackson died in 2009, he left one of the most complicated estates in entertainment history: a vast music catalogue, debts, and a family trust for his children and his mother. The estate has since paid down debts and built earnings into the billions through music sales, licensing and other ventures.

The Michael Jackson Family Trust is at the centre of this dispute. Such trusts hold and distribute money for named beneficiaries — here, Jackson's three children. Paris says that despite the estate's enormous earnings, the trust was never funded, leaving the children dependent on payments decided by the executor. The estate tells a different story: it says more than $200 million has been distributed, and the trust cannot be fully funded while an IRS tax dispute over about $700 million remains unresolved.

Paris Jackson Estate: Why $600 Million, and Why Now

The $600 million is the sum Paris wants the court to order into the family trust now — large, but smaller than the roughly $850 million in cash the estate held at the end of 2024, and far smaller than the $2.5 billion earned since 2009.

The timing matters. Paris is 28, nearing 30, when the will envisaged a share of the principal, and Prince, at 29, is already close. By going to court now, Paris asks a judge to settle the question before the will's timetable runs out. A hearing is set for December 4, 2026.

Reactions

The estate moved quickly to reject the petition, calling Paris's claims a "complete fabrication" and saying more than $200 million has been distributed for the beneficiaries. Its position is that the family has been provided for, and the obstacle is the unresolved IRS litigation over about $700 million — not a refusal to fund the trust.

Paris's filing frames the dispute as a matter of control: one executor holding the power to decide when, and whether, the children receive money from their father's estate, while the trust their father created stays empty. Neither side has yet put a detailed valuation of the estate before the court, and the December hearing is expected to be the first time a judge weighs the two accounts formally.

Why It Matters

This case tests what a will actually guarantees when an estate keeps earning long after its owner's death. Michael Jackson's estate is one of the richest in music, and who controls that money has been contested for years. A court ruling could set the terms for the remaining fortune and how quickly the family trust is finally funded.

It also matters for the three Jackson children, who grew up in public while the dispute followed them into adulthood. The petition argues the will's promises — income from 21, principal by 30 — were clear, and 17 years is long enough to wait.

What Happens Next

A hearing on Paris Jackson's petition is scheduled for December 4, 2026, in Los Angeles Superior Court. A judge will consider whether to order the $600 million distribution into the Michael Jackson Family Trust, or accept the estate's position that the trust cannot be fully funded until the IRS litigation is resolved.

Before that hearing, both sides are expected to file further papers, including the estate's account of the $200 million it says was distributed. For now, the trust remains unfunded and the children remain waiting — 17 years after their father's death — for a judge to decide when the money will reach the trust created to hold it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Paris Jackson asking the court to do?

She asks a Los Angeles judge to order the Michael Jackson estate to distribute $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust for herself and her brothers Prince and Bigi.

Why does she say the trust should already be funded?

Her petition says the estate has earned more than $2.5 billion since Michael Jackson's death in 2009 and held about $850 million in cash as of December 2024, yet the family trust has never been funded.

What does the estate say in response?

It called the claims a "complete fabrication", saying more than $200 million has already been distributed and the trust cannot be fully funded until IRS litigation over about $700 million in taxes and penalties is resolved.

Who is John Branca?

John Branca is the sole executor of the Michael Jackson estate. Paris accuses him of keeping an "iron grip" over distributions and cutting the siblings' payments after she challenged him last year.

When is the hearing?

A hearing on the petition is scheduled for December 4, 2026, in Los Angeles Superior Court.

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