Michael Jackson estate battle: Paris asks courts to cut executor payments

Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris is asking courts to step in to cut the payments she claims John Branca, the executor of her father’s estate , is awarding to himself. Her court filing is the latest in a long-running legal battle over Jackson’s estate . The estate was overseen by Branca and former record company executive John McClain prior to the latter’s death in May at the age of 71.

Paris, 28, claims that Branca has paid himself over $100 million in compensation in just two years' worth of accountings. Paris says that is more than any member of the Jackson family has ever received from the Estate since her father’s death 17 years ago. After Branca, 75, responded to call the accusations against him “nonsensical,” a representative for Paris Jackson told The Independent : “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.” The statement continued: “Since money is what motivates Executor Branca, this is the only way to enforce the timeline he agreed to.” Michael Jackson and his daughter Paris, who is involved in a long-running legal dispute over his estate (Getty) Paris is asking the court to incrementally reduce the executor’s compensation for 2023 and 2024 from 15% to 10% of the gross entertainment-related income.

Back in April, Paris accused the executors of her father’s estate of using his money to publicly insult her. She has been alleging since last July that executors Branca and McClain were mishandling Jackson’s money, ever since she reportedly noticed irregular payments. She went on to accuse the attorneys of “skimming money” from her father’s estate.

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT.

If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Branca and McClain denied all allegations against them.

After months of court hearings and filings going back and forth between the two parties, the co-executors submitted an 83-page status report dismissing Paris’s claims once again, which prompted an April 6 filing where she accused them of trying to make her look bad in the public eye.

“This overlitigation is waste,” Paris’s filing said, according to court documents reviewed by The Independent . “At nearly every hearing... Executors try to avoid the merits by characterizing Paris’s concerns as lawyer-driven or in service of some purported desire for media attention.

Neither is true.” “This litigation is painful for Paris. It is a distraction from her own life and her own career. She would rather there be no press coverage of it whatsoever,” the filing said.

Paris’s attorneys claimed that “from the first day Paris dared to raise an objection,” Branca and McClain “have used her father’s money to attack her in the media.”