Paris Jackson has escalated her legal dispute with the executors of her late father Michael Jackson’s estate, filing new court documents that sharply criticize how the estate is being managed.
The 27-year-old, who shares beneficiary status with her brothers Prince and Bigi, lodged an objection in Los Angeles court on Tuesday challenging the estate’s accounting for the 2021 calendar year — financial documents that were only provided to the siblings in September.
In the filing, Paris Jackson accuses co-executors John Branca and John McClain of abusing their authority “to enrich and aggrandize” themselves, failing to responsibly invest “enormous sums of cash,” and making decisions that allegedly undermine both the beneficiaries’ interests and Michael Jackson’s legacy.
“Paris is increasingly concerned the Estate has become the vehicle for John Branca to enrich and aggrandize himself, rather than serve the beneficiaries’ best interests and steadfastly preserve her father’s legacy,” the filing states, according to People.
Paris Jackson further alleges that Branca and McClain collected more than $10 million in compensation in 2021 — a figure she says is “more than double the amount distributed to any beneficiary from the family allowance.”
The filing also claims the executors are sitting on more than $464 million in cash and missed out on an estimated $41 million in potential profits due to what she describes as “unproductive investments.”
Paris Jackson also questioned the estate’s involvement in entertainment ventures, including the upcoming biopic Michael, in which actor Miles Teller portrays Branca, who is also serving as an executive producer on the film. She argues the estate has “morphed into a private entertainment investment fund” operated for the benefit of its managers rather than the Jackson heirs.
The singer notes that she has still not received accounting for the years 2022 through 2025 and is asking the court to reject the 2021 accounting and compel the executors to provide a transparent and accurate report of their activities.
A source close to the estate dismissed her filing as a “misguided” and “weak attempt to change the narrative of their loss.”
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for January 13.
