Michael Jackson's will: Paris Jackson alleges estate executors pocketed $10 million from her inheritance

When Michael Jackson died in June 2009 after suffering cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home, the world reeled. The 50-year-old, celebrated globally as the “King of Pop,” left behind a towering music legacy, one of the most profitable catalogs in modern history, but his financial picture was in disarray. According to the BBC, Jackson owed more than $500 million at the time of his death, prompting the court to place his estate under the control of attorney John Branca and A&R executive John McClain.



Over the past 16 years, the pair have managed his vast assets, from a significant share of his music catalog, half of which was sold to Sony in 2024, as reported by Billboard, to Broadway productions like MJ the Musical and the upcoming biopic Michael. Jackson’s children, Prince, Bigi and Paris, were named the estate’s beneficiaries. But recent developments point to a growing fracture within the family.

Paris Jackson pushes back

In recent months, Paris Jackson has escalated her concerns over the estate’s management, accusing the executors of mishandling funds and withholding information. Her new legal filing, submitted on November 18 and reported by PEOPLE, alleges that “irregular payments” and large uninvested sums point to serious mismanagement.



According to the document, Paris and her siblings did not receive the estate’s 2021 accounting until September 2024. She claims that more than $464 million of her father’s money “was never reinvested,” a move her team argues could have generated over £30 million in profit had the funds been properly managed. The filing states: “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.”



Paris further alleges that in 2021 alone, Branca and McClain kept more than $10 million in compensation, more than double what was distributed to the Jackson children. She also challenges their investment choices, including spending on projects the family describes as “high risk,” such as the upcoming biopic in which Branca, serving as a producer, approved Miles Teller to play a fictional version of himself.

Executors respond as the rift widens

Branca and McClain have maintained that they inherited a deeply indebted estate when they stepped in after Jackson’s death. They argue that they transformed the estate, burdened with more than $500 million in debt, into a thriving force in global entertainment. Their record includes major catalog deals, theatrical productions, and a biopic poised for international release.



But Paris’ filing points to growing mistrust, particularly over a lack of accounting disclosures for the past four years. The objection also cites Branca’s unprecedented move into producing a dramatic feature film: “It appears that Mr Branca used his position as an Executive Producer, a role he has never before performed in connection with any dramatic feature film, to cast the sole A-list actor in the production, Miles Teller, to play himself in the upcoming feature biopic.”



As the dispute unfolds, the beneficiaries, Prince, 28, Bigi, 23, and Paris, 27, remain at the center of a legal and emotional conflict over the stewardship of their father’s legacy.



Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here