More than 17 years after Michael Jackson’s death, a long-running question surrounding his children’s inheritance has become the centre of a new legal dispute. His daughter, Paris Jackson, is now asking a Los Angeles probate court to intervene, arguing that a family trust established for her and her two brothers remains unfunded despite the estate generating substantial money through business deals and asset sales.
The request has also exposed a growing disagreement over how Michael Jackson’s estate is being managed, how much money has already reached his beneficiaries and whether outstanding legal obligations justify the continued delay. With the estate pushing back against Paris’ claims, the dispute is now heading towards a December court hearing that could become an important moment in the administration of the late singer’s fortune.
Why Paris Jackson Is Asking for $600 Million From Her Father’s Estate
Paris Jackson filed a petition on October 29, 2026, asking a Los Angeles probate judge to order the transfer of approximately $600 million from Michael Jackson’s estate into the Michael Jackson Family Trust.
The trust was established for the benefit of Michael Jackson’s three children: Prince Jackson, Paris Jackson and Bigi Jackson. According to Paris’ petition, the arrangements intended for the siblings have not been carried out as she believes their father wanted.
A central part of her argument concerns the schedule under which the children were supposed to receive financial benefits.
The petition states that the siblings were meant to begin receiving income from their respective shares when they turned 21. It also describes a plan under which portions of the trust’s principal would become available as they reached later milestones, including ages 30, 35 and 40.
Those age requirements are becoming increasingly significant as all three children approach or pass the milestones outlined in the filing.
According to the petition:
- Prince Jackson is approaching his 30th birthday.
- Paris Jackson will turn 29 in April.
- Bigi Jackson will turn 25 in February.
Paris argues that despite these milestones, the family trust has remained unfunded more than 17 years after Michael Jackson’s death.
Her petition states:
“More than seventeen years after his passing, Michael Jackson’s family trust remains unfunded,”
The filing argues that the beneficiaries have consequently remained dependent on payments administered through the estate rather than receiving the trust benefits described in their father’s estate plan.
However, the dispute does not establish that a court has found the estate to have violated Michael Jackson’s wishes. The legal disagreement concerns competing interpretations of the trust arrangements and the appropriate timing for funding the beneficiaries’ trusts.
Looking Back at Paris Jackson’s Family Relationships
Paris Jackson’s relationship with other members of the Jackson family has also drawn public attention beyond the current estate dispute. Readers interested in another recent development involving Paris can revisit our Paris and Janet Jackson Fashion Week reunion report for more background.
Michael Jackson’s Estate Deals: The Financial Figures Behind Paris’ Request
The financial position of Michael Jackson’s estate is one of the most important elements of Paris’ petition.
Her legal team argues that the estate has generated substantial resources through business transactions, intellectual-property agreements and property sales since the singer’s death in 2009.
The petition highlights several major transactions, including the following:
| Year | Transaction | Reported value or details |
| 2018 | Sale of the estate’s interest in EMI Music Publishing | $287.5 million |
| 2020 | Sale of Neverland Ranch | $22 million |
| 2023 | Agreement with Sony involving Michael Jackson’s music and other intellectual-property assets | Included among the major transactions cited in the petition |
According to the filing, these transactions generated more than $1 billion in cash before taxes and expenses.
Paris’ attorneys also point to earlier valuations of Michael Jackson’s estate by its executors, which placed its value between $2 billion and $3 billion.
Another significant figure comes from an estate accounting showing approximately $850 million in cash and cash-equivalent assets as of December 2024.
Based on those financial figures and after accounting for potential liabilities, Paris’ legal team argues that approximately $600 million could be made available for transfer into the family trust.
However, an important distinction remains: the $600 million is the amount Paris is requesting, based on her attorneys’ assessment of the estate’s financial position. It is not an amount that a court has confirmed is currently available for distribution.
Her petition asks the judge to order the transfer, while also allowing the court to determine that a different amount would be appropriate.
Paris Jackson Says the Family Trust Funding Delay Goes Back Years
Paris’ petition does not focus exclusively on the estate’s current financial position. It also questions why the family trust has remained unfunded for so long.
Her attorneys point to 2011, when the estate’s executors reportedly told the court they were considering seeking authority for a separate distribution.
According to Paris’ filing, that request was never made.
Her legal team argues that the estate has continued to accumulate substantial resources through business transactions while failing to fund the family trust as Paris believes it should have.
The petition also raises concerns about the way payments to the beneficiaries have allegedly been handled.
Paris claims that the administration of the estate became increasingly contentious after she began challenging aspects of its management.
Her attorneys allege that John Branca, the estate’s remaining executor, has exercised substantial control over the timing and amounts of payments made to the beneficiaries.
They further claim that the amounts available to Paris and her brothers were reduced after she started questioning the estate’s administration.
These are allegations advanced by Paris and her legal team. They have not been established as facts by a court.
Michael Jackson’s Estate Rejects Paris’ Claims Over Payments and Trust Funding
The Michael Jackson Estate has strongly disputed Paris’ account, offering a different explanation for why the family trusts have not been fully funded.
In a statement to PEOPLE, estate representatives said that several unresolved legal matters prevent the trusts from being fully funded at this stage.
One of the most significant issues is the ongoing dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The IRS previously sought approximately $700 million in taxes and penalties in connection with Michael Jackson’s estate.
The estate says it secured a ruling that significantly reduced the amount originally sought, but the dispute has not been settled.
In its statement, the estate said:
“The Estate was able to secure a ruling to significantly reduce that amount, but the matter has not been settled and could still change,”
The estate also rejected Paris’ allegation that payments to the beneficiaries had been withheld or reduced.
It described the claim as:
“a complete fabrication”
Representatives further stated that more than $200 million has already been distributed to or for the benefit of Paris and the other beneficiaries.
The estate also challenged Paris’ interpretation of the distribution schedule, referring to Michael Jackson’s will and arguing that the children were not entitled to direct distributions of principal at the ages highlighted in her petition.
The estate stated:
“None of his children receive a distribution until they are in their 30s.”
It maintained that the trusts are expected to be fully funded once the outstanding issues have been resolved.
The statement concluded:
“The Estate looks forward to the time when all issues are resolved so that their trusts can be fully funded as Michael wanted,”
Paris Jackson’s Representatives Fire Back at the Estate’s Response
Paris’ representatives were not satisfied with the estate’s explanation.
A spokesperson for Paris told PEOPLE that the estate was deflecting responsibility and argued that Branca had both the ability and the obligation to partially fund the family trust much earlier.
The spokesperson said:
“The Estate is once again deflecting from its own incompetence. Paris called for the trust to be partially funded, something Mr. Branca had the ability and obligation to do long ago. After years of delay, Paris had no choice but to step in herself,”
The response highlights the central disagreement between the two sides.
Paris is not simply asking for the estate to wait until every outstanding legal matter has been resolved. Her petition argues that a partial distribution could be made now, based on the estate’s financial resources and potential liabilities.
The estate, meanwhile, maintains that unresolved legal and financial matters prevent the trusts from being fully funded at this stage.
Neither side’s position has been accepted as the final legal determination. The court has yet to rule on the request.
The $600 Million Petition Follows Paris Jackson’s Earlier Legal Victory
The latest petition also comes against the backdrop of earlier disagreements between Paris and the people responsible for administering her father’s estate.
Earlier in 2026, Paris successfully challenged $625,000 in bonus payments made in 2018 to outside law firms working for the estate.
In May, a ruling sustained her objection and ordered the disputed money to be returned to the estate.
The decision also introduced restrictions concerning future bonus payments to attorneys. Under the circumstances described in the ruling, written consent from beneficiaries or court authorization would be required.
The estate’s attorneys said they disagreed with the decision but respected it and intended to proceed accordingly.
They also emphasised that the disputed $625,000 had been paid to outside law firms rather than directly to the estate’s executors.
That earlier case forms part of a broader disagreement over transparency, legal expenses and financial oversight within Michael Jackson’s estate.
Paris’ latest request adds another significant issue to those ongoing tensions: whether the estate should transfer a substantial amount into the family trust before all outstanding legal matters have been resolved.
John McClain’s Death Leaves John Branca as Michael Jackson Estate’s Sole Remaining Executor
Another development in 2026 has changed the leadership of Michael Jackson’s estate.
Following the singer’s death on June 25, 2009, at age 50, John Branca and John McClain served as co-executors.
However, McClain died in May 2026, leaving Branca as the estate’s remaining executor.
This change is relevant to Paris’ latest petition because her allegations concern the administration of the estate under Branca’s continuing role.
Separate reporting in October 2026 also documented another disagreement between Paris and Branca involving executor compensation and estate accountings.
Paris has challenged the level of compensation and raised concerns about the timeliness and completeness of financial reporting.
Those matters are connected to the wider disagreement over estate management, although they remain separate from the specific $600 million transfer requested in her latest petition.
Why the IRS Dispute Matters to the Michael Jackson Family Trust
The unresolved IRS matter remains one of the estate’s central arguments against fully funding the family trust immediately.
The estate maintains that the final amount of its tax liabilities remains uncertain and that the ongoing litigation must be resolved before the trusts can be fully funded.
Although the IRS originally sought approximately $700 million in taxes and penalties, the estate says it obtained a ruling that significantly reduced the amount.
However, the matter remains unsettled and could still change.
A 2021 decision by the U.S. Tax Court addressed disputes concerning the valuation of several components of Michael Jackson’s estate, including his image and likeness and interests connected to music-publishing assets.
That proceeding forms part of the broader tax history surrounding the estate. Nevertheless, the estate’s current statement maintains that the IRS matter remains unresolved.
The distinction between full funding and partial distribution is particularly important here.
The estate’s position is that outstanding legal issues must be resolved before the trusts can be fully funded. It has not said that the family trust can never receive its money.
Paris, however, argues that unresolved liabilities do not necessarily prevent the estate from making a partial distribution now.
That disagreement is ultimately what the court will need to consider.
When Is the Paris Jackson $600 Million Estate Hearing?
The next major development is expected to come at a Los Angeles court hearing scheduled for December 4, 2026.
Paris is asking the judge to order the transfer of $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust, or to determine that another amount would be appropriate.
The key details of the legal dispute are summarised below.
| Detail | Information |
| Petitioner | Paris Jackson |
| Estate involved | Michael Jackson’s estate |
| Family trust | Michael Jackson Family Trust |
| Beneficiaries | Prince Jackson, Paris Jackson and Bigi Jackson |
| Requested transfer | Approximately $600 million |
| Petition filing date | October 29, 2026 |
| Remaining executor | John Branca |
| Former co-executor | John McClain, died in May 2026 |
| Major outstanding legal issue | IRS tax dispute |
| Previously sought IRS amount | Approximately $700 million in taxes and penalties |
| Estate’s stated distributions | More than $200 million to or for the beneficiaries |
| Scheduled court hearing | December 4, 2026 |
Importantly, the court has not ordered the requested transfer. There has also been no final ruling establishing that the estate improperly withheld the $600 million or that Paris is legally entitled to receive that amount immediately.
Similarly, the estate’s statements about beneficiary payments and its reasons for delaying full trust funding remain its positions in response to Paris’ petition.
The December hearing will provide an important opportunity for the court to consider the competing arguments surrounding the family trust and the estate’s financial obligations.
Following More Celebrity Estate Stories
Michael Jackson’s estate is not the only celebrity legacy facing questions over how a famous figure’s affairs are handled after their death. Readers following estate and legacy developments can also explore our Dolly Parton estate brand ambassador coverage.
Conclusion
Paris Jackson’s request for a $600 million transfer has brought renewed attention to the administration of Michael Jackson’s estate and the long-standing question of when his children’s family trusts will be funded.
While Paris argues that the estate has sufficient resources to make a partial distribution after years of delay, the estate maintains that unresolved legal matters, particularly its IRS dispute, must be addressed before the trusts can be fully funded.
The disagreement now rests with the Los Angeles court. Until the December 4, 2026, hearing and any subsequent ruling, the requested $600 million transfer remains a proposal rather than an approved distribution.
Source and Research Disclaimer
This article has been prepared based on research of the court-related information and published sources provided below, including reporting from PEOPLE, TheWrap and Good Morning America, alongside the referenced U.S. Tax Court decision. It reflects the information available from those sources as of November 3, 2026. Allegations and disputed statements have been attributed to the relevant parties and are not presented as established court findings. The article does not imply independent verification beyond the information supported by the supplied material.
Sources
- PEOPLE – Paris Jackson asks Michael Jackson’s estate to transfer $600 million to family trust
- TheWrap – Michael Jackson’s daughter seeks $600 million from his estate
- U.S. Tax Court – T.C. Memo. 2021-48
- Good Morning America – Paris Jackson gets legal win over $625,000 in estate payments
- PEOPLE – Paris Jackson legal dispute over $625,000 estate payments
Featured Image Credit: LucaFazPhoto / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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