Paris Jackson asks court to move $600 million from father's estate into family trust

The request

Paris Jackson, 28, has asked a court in Los Angeles to direct the Michael Jackson estate to transfer $600 million into the family trust meant for her and her brothers, Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24. According to court papers reported by People and Page Six, she filed the request on 29 October. European outlets converted the sum to between roughly 520 and 536 million euros. A hearing on the request is scheduled for 4 December, when a judge in Los Angeles is expected to take it up.

Terms of the trust

Under the will, the three children were to receive income from the trust from age 21. Each was also to receive a third of the capital at 30, with further partial distributions at 35 and 40, according to the reports. Prince is about to turn 30, which Blick puts a few months away. Paris says the trust has never been properly funded more than 17 years after her father's death, and that the estate has earned billions from music rights deals and asset sales in the meantime. Her filing argues there is no legitimate reason the money has not been transferred, and asks for a partial distribution of the sum or whatever amount the court considers appropriate.

Dispute with the executor

Paris accuses John Branca, 75, the estate's longtime executor, of holding the siblings in what Blick describes as an iron grip by controlling when and whether they receive money. According to the reports, she says Branca uses the payments as leverage and cuts their allowances whenever criticism of his management grows louder. La Vanguardia reports that she also points to what she describes as non-contractual gifts from Branca to colleagues. She says public attacks followed once she began to question his management.

The estate's response

The estate rejects her account. Its spokesperson told Page Six that the claim that money was blocked without cause is invented, according to Blick. The estate says more than $200 million has already been paid to Paris and other beneficiaries. It argues the trust cannot be fully funded until several legal matters are settled, including an IRS claim that initially stood at $700 million in taxes and penalties. The estate says a court ruling has substantially reduced that claim, but the matter is not closed and could still change. Blick reports that the IRS still pursues claims worth several hundred million dollars.

Estate finances

Figures for the estate's wealth vary by outlet. Blick cites an estimate of up to $3 billion for the Jackson empire, which it ties to music rights deals with Sony and the sale of the Neverland Ranch, and says US media report about $850 million in bank accounts at the end of 2024. El País, citing a Forbes report, says the estate generated $140 million in the past year. None of these estimates is settled, and the court has not yet ruled on how much the trust should receive.

Requested transfer to family trust600

Paid to Paris and other beneficiaries (estate says more than)200

Initial IRS claim before court reduction700

Requested transfer to family trust

600 million US dollars

Paid to Paris and other beneficiaries (estate says more than)

200 million US dollars

Initial IRS claim before court reduction

700 million US dollars

Data from the article text

What comes next

The request will be heard at the hearing on 4 December, which is the next scheduled step in the case. Until then, the estate and Paris disagree over how much has been paid, why the trust remains underfunded, and when the remaining money can be released. The outcome of the IRS claim will also shape how much the estate can distribute. For now, the court has not decided whether to order any transfer.