Photo Credit: Kostiantyn Li
Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris alleges that the estate’s executor John Branca is receiving excessive payments given his failure to meet court-ordered deadlines.
In the latest in a seemingly never-ending legal battle over Michael Jackson’s estate, the late pop legend’s daughter, Paris, asks the court to step in to reduce the payments to John Branca, the executor of the Jackson estate. The filing requests a gradual reduction of Branca’s compensation for 2023 and 2024, decreasing it from 15% to 10% of the gross entertainment-related income.
According to her court filing, the 28-year-old Paris claims that the 75-year-old Branca has paid himself over $100 million in compensation in only two years—far more than any member of the Jackson family has received from the estate since Michael’s passing 17 years ago. Branca has denied the accusations in Paris Jackson’s filing, calling them “nonsensical.”
An entertainment attorney, Branca has overseen the estate since Michael Jackson’s death in 2009. Branca and former record company executive John McClain originally oversaw the estate together until McClain’s passing earlier this year.
“Enough of the smoke and mirrors—Paris is asking to reduce the management fee. Executor Branca has repeatedly failed to meet deadlines ordered by the judge that are in place to provide Paris and her siblings visibility about how the estate is being run,” said a representative for Paris Jackson. “Since money is what motivates Executor Branca, this is the only way to enforce the timeline he agreed to.”
Since July, Paris Jackson has accused Branca and McClain of mishandling the estate’s money, since she reportedly noticed irregular payments. She has since accused the attorneys of “skimming money” from the estate and claimed in April that they were using her father’s money to publicly insult her.
Months of court hearings and back-and-forth filings led the executors to submit an 83-page status report dismissing Paris Jackson’s claims yet again. The report, according to Paris, was designed to make her look back in the eyes of the public.
“This overlitigation is waste,” read Paris’ filing. “At nearly every hearing, (…) executors try to avoid the merits by characterizing Paris’ concerns as lawyer-driven or in service of some purported desire for media attention. Neither is true.”
The fling went on to explain that the litigation has been painful for Paris and a distraction from her life and career. Her attorneys asserted that since their client “dared to raise an objection,” the executors of the estate “have used her father’s money to attack her in the media.”
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