Paris Jackson Seeks $600 Million Trust Transfer as Estate Dispute Deepens

The central question in Paris Jackson’s dispute with her father’s estate is how to move hundreds of millions of dollars into the family trust while tax litigation remains unresolved. Paris says roughly $600 million could be transferred after liabilities are accounted for; the executors say the estate has already distributed more than $200 million for the beneficiaries’ benefit.

In an Oct. 29 petition, Paris, 28, said the trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after Michael Jackson’s 2009 death. She pointed to about $850 million in estate cash and equivalents at the end of 2024. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4.

The estate disputes her account, calling claims that it withheld or reduced beneficiary payments “a complete fabrication.” Estate attorney Jonathan Steinsapir defended executor John Branca’s management in an August 2025 statement, saying the estate’s “historic turnaround and success” speak for themselves.

Trust funding and the tax dispute

Paris is seeking to fund the trust, not to receive its principal early. Under Michael’s 2002 will, his assets were directed to the family trust. As described in Paris’s petition, the children can receive income from age 21, while principal distributions begin at 30 and continue in installments at 35 and 40. None of the siblings has reached 30.

The executors say unresolved IRS litigation is a barrier to fully funding the trust. The dispute originally involved about $700 million in taxes and penalties. That leaves the parties arguing over a large cash balance while a substantial tax matter remains unsettled.

The estate’s financial recovery gives the disagreement added weight. Michael died with at least $450 million in debt, while Forbes estimates the estate has generated more than $3.5 billion since then. Branca, whom Michael named co-executor, helped negotiate the singer’s $47.5 million purchase of the ATV Music Publishing catalog in 1985. He also helped turn rehearsal footage into the concert film This Is It.

Revenue from Michael’s work continues to arrive through entertainment projects. The 2026 biopic Michael became the first biographical film to pass $1 billion worldwide. MJ: The Musical and Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE also continue to bring his catalog to audiences.

Family divisions over the biopic

Paris’s objections to the estate’s handling of her father’s legacy extend beyond money. In September 2025, she criticized an early version of the biopic’s script on Instagram Stories, saying her concerns about inaccuracies had not been addressed. She called the project “sugar-coated” and alleged, “The narrative is being controlled. There’s a lot of inaccuracy and there’s a lot of full-blown lies.” She said the film catered to fans who “still live in the fantasy.”

Other relatives supported the production. Her brother Prince Jackson was an executive producer and, producer Graham King told The Hollywood Reporter, was “on set every day.” Prince later praised their cousin Jaafar, Jermaine Jackson’s son, as “the only right choice” to play Michael.

La Toya Jackson said family involvement was “very important” because relatives could “say yay or nay” about the story. Marlon Jackson told E! News he had not spotted inaccuracies. Cousin Taj Jackson challenged critics on X, writing that the public would decide for itself who Michael Jackson was after seeing the film.

Court oversight and legal costs

Paris’s earlier objections to estate spending have led to a court-ordered return of money. In an April 29 ruling made public in May, retired Judge Mitchell Beckloff ordered $625,000 in bonuses paid to outside estate attorneys returned because they had not been sufficiently justified. He also credited Paris as the “catalyst” for an order requiring six years of attorney-fee petitions to be filed.

Beckloff praised the executors even as he ruled in Paris’s favor, describing their work as having turned an estate “teetering on the brink of bankruptcy” into a “financial powerhouse.” The mixed result captures the dispute’s competing claims: scrutiny of fees can produce concrete changes, while the court has also recognized the estate’s turnaround.

Other efforts have produced friction. In November 2025, Beckloff struck portions of an earlier petition under California’s anti-SLAPP law. The estate later sought more than $115,000 in legal fees and costs.

A proposed compromise also fell apart. Court filings reported by TMZ say an attorney for Paris’s younger brother, Bigi Jackson, formerly known as Blanket, helped negotiate accounting changes, including court approval for law-firm bonuses. The executors said Paris withdrew support and proposed substantially different terms. Her representatives argued that the estate sought exceptions that would weaken the proposed safeguards.

The parties are also contesting who should pay for Paris’s legal work. After the $625,000 ruling, her attorneys requested about $1.16 million in reimbursement. Branca objected, arguing that the request included charges tied to unrelated proceedings.

In a May interview with NewsNation, former Jackson attorney L. Londell McMillan spoke generally about outside influence on beneficiaries of large fortunes, without making specific accusations against Paris’s attorneys. “They’re often manipulated, and people are in their ears,” he said.

For now, the key financial issue remains the gap between the estate’s substantial cash balance and the trust’s unfunded status. The Dec. 4 hearing may clarify how the court views that gap alongside the unresolved tax litigation and the executors’ record of distributions and spending.