In 2025, Paris Jackson challenged $625,000 in legal bonuses from Michael Jackson's estate; now she seeks a $600 million family trust transfer

In 2025, Paris Jackson challenged $625,000 in additional legal payments made from her late father Michael Jackson’s estate. Now, she is taking another step in questioning how his multibillion-dollar fortune is being managed. The 28-year-old has asked a Los Angeles court to order the transfer of $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust, which is intended to benefit her and her brothers. According to The Los Angeles Times, the petition raises questions about years of delayed trust funding, estate finances and when the singer’s three children will receive the financial benefits their father intended for them.Paris Jackson seeks $600 million transfer after challenging estate paymentsParis Jackson's latest petition asks a Los Angeles court to direct the remaining executor of her father's estate to transfer $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust. The request is intended to benefit all three children, Paris, Prince and Bigi, rather than provide the entire amount to her personally.According to The Los Angeles Times, the filing argues that the family trust has remained without the funding it was supposed to receive, despite the estate's considerable financial growth since the singer's death in 2009. Paris is seeking an initial transfer of $600 million, although she has also asked the judge to determine another appropriate amount if necessary.The request follows her earlier objections to the way the estate's finances have been handled. Paris has questioned the additional payments made to outside legal firms, the timing of financial distributions and the delay in moving money into the children's trust.What happened in Paris Jackson's $625,000 legal-fee dispute in 2025The earlier disagreement concerned $625,000 in additional bonus payments authorised by estate executors John Branca and John McClain for three outside law firms representing Michael Jackson's estate during the second half of 2018.In June 2025, Paris objected when the executors sought court approval for attorney compensation and expenses relating to that period. She argued that the additional payments had not been sufficiently explained and questioned whether there was adequate justification for the amounts involved. The matter eventually came before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff. During an evidentiary hearing, Branca testified that 2018 had been a particularly successful year for the estate because of several business transactions.The judge, however, concluded that the information presented did not establish that the bonus payments were reasonable. In 2026, Beckloff ruled against approving the $625,000 and ordered the money returned to the estate. Paris was also found entitled to reasonable attorneys' fees.The ruling did not establish that Branca or McClain had personally received the disputed payments. Their legal representatives later clarified that the money had gone to outside law firms and that the executors had not paid themselves those bonuses.Why Michael Jackson's three children are waiting for their family trustMichael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, aged 50, leaving behind three children. Prince and Paris were born during his marriage to Debbie Rowe, while his youngest son, Bigi, formerly known as Blanket, was born through a surrogate.According to the trust arrangements described in Paris's court filing, the children were expected to begin receiving income from their respective trust interests at 21, followed by distributions from the principal at 30, 35 and 40.Prince is now 29, Paris is 28 and Bigi is 24. Paris argues that the arrangements have not been implemented as intended because the family trust has not received the funding necessary to carry them out.Her filing also points to developments in 2011, when the executors reportedly indicated that they intended to approach the court about beginning the funding process. Paris maintains that the promised application was never made, leaving the beneficiaries waiting for years.How Michael Jackson's estate grew into a multibillion-dollar fortuneMichael Jackson's estate has continued to generate revenue from his music and other business interests since his death in 2009. Executors John Branca and John McClain oversaw deals involving his music catalogue, publishing rights and other assets, several of which brought in substantial sums.In 2018, the estate sold its stake in EMI Music Publishing for approximately $287.5 million. Two years later, Neverland Ranch, Jackson's former California home, was sold for around $22 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.The estate reached another major agreement with Sony in 2023, involving Jackson's music and intellectual property. The value of the estate has since become a central point in the dispute over how much money should be transferred to the family trust.In Paris's court filing, her legal team cites earlier valuations by the executors that placed the estate's worth between $2 billion and $3 billion. The filing also points to an estate accounting showing approximately $850 million in cash and cash-equivalent assets as of December 2024.IRS dispute remains an obstacle to funding the family trustOne of the issues affecting the estate is its long-running dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The tax authority previously challenged the estate's valuation of Michael Jackson's assets and sought approximately $700 million in taxes and penalties.In a statement to PEOPLE, representatives of the estate said that several outstanding legal matters needed to be settled before the family trust could be fully funded. They also rejected the suggestion that the executors had deliberately withheld money from the children or prevented them from receiving their intended benefits.John Branca becomes sole executor after John McClain's deathBranca and music executive John McClain were appointed co-executors following Michael Jackson's death in 2009. They were responsible for managing the singer's financial affairs, negotiating commercial agreements and overseeing the development of his estate.McClain died in May 2026, leaving Branca as the remaining executor. His departure has added another dimension to the questions surrounding the estate's administration. Paris's latest petition focuses on the remaining executor's responsibility for transferring money into the family trust and providing beneficiaries with greater clarity about the estate's financial decisions.The earlier dispute over the $625,000 payments also forms part of this wider disagreement. Paris has repeatedly questioned the additional compensation authorised for outside advisers and the way financial decisions have been presented to the court.The estate's representatives, meanwhile, have defended the executors' record, pointing to the substantial increase in the estate's value since 2009 and the wealth created for Michael Jackson's beneficiaries.Court to consider Paris Jackson's $600 million requestParis is now asking the Los Angeles court to consider an initial transfer of $600 million into the family trust before all outstanding matters involving the estate have been resolved. She has left room for the judge to determine a different amount if the requested figure is not considered appropriate.The court will now have to consider both positions as it examines the request. Until a decision is made, the $600 million remains a proposed transfer for the benefit of Michael Jackson's three children.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.