As previously reported by MJ Vibe, Paris Jackson has filed a formal objection against the executors of Michael Jackson’s Estate over legal fees she believes are being mishandled.
Last month, Paris submitted a petition asking the court to scrutinize payments made to several law firms for work done between July 2018 and December 2018. Paris expressed frustration over the executors’ prolonged delays in requesting court approval, which, she says, makes it challenging to review invoices for work completed years ago.
In her motion, Paris voiced serious concerns about the estate’s attorneys receiving “so-called ‘premium payments’ for unrecorded attorney time,” raising red flags over a pattern of six-figure “gifts” being paid out without proper oversight. She alleged that a “closely-knit” circle of high-powered lawyers has been skimming money from her father’s estate “in plain view.”
A representative for the Estate strongly denied these claims.
Michael Jackson’s Estate has been under the stewardship of executors John Branca and John McClain since the King of Pop’s tragic passing in 2009. The duo has overseen the Estate’s finances, business ventures, and payments to Michael’s beneficiaries, Paris, Prince, and Bigi.
However, Paris is now calling for a deeper investigation into the legal fee payments made from 2019 to 2023, demanding that invoices be submitted for court review. She’s also pushing for a restriction that would allow only partial payments until proper judicial approval is granted.
In her filing, Paris’ legal team pointed out that the executors had requested $625,000 in payments to three law firms for “uncaptured time,” without explaining why this time was never properly documented. They highlighted payments of $125,000 and $250,000 as lavish gratuities that go beyond contractual obligations, calling it “concerning” that such amounts were gifted without oversight.
Paris’ lawyers stated, “No client would give such gifts to her lawyers out of her own pocket. Worse still, these payments were made despite beneficiaries previously objecting to this practice.”
The motion accused the Estate’s counsel of obscuring these payments by delaying fee approval filings, suggesting that the executors either ignored the issue or were kept in the dark by their own legal team. “The records suggest a group of highly-compensated lawyers exploiting the Executors’ lack of oversight,” the filing stated.
Despite her concerns, Paris acknowledged the positive work the executors have done for the Estate, citing her efforts to privately raise these issues back in 2018. However, after seeing another $500,000 in “gifts” paid out just months later, she said her confidence in the Executors’ oversight has diminished.
Paris is now proposing the appointment of a third executor who can independently supervise the Estate’s legal counsel and ensure tighter control over financial decisions.
On the other side, the Estate’s attorney, Jonathan Steinsapir, dismissed Paris’ claims, stating, “The historic success of the Estate on behalf of Michael’s children speaks for itself.” He emphasized that the legal team’s compensation was fair, given the billions generated under the executors’ leadership, and dismissed the allegations as “baseless and defamatory.”
Steinsapir added, “We are confident the Court will reject these claims and approve the Estate’s accountings as it has done for the past sixteen years.”
He added:
“The Estate’s executors’ business judgment has generated billions of dollars for Michael’s children, and they have used that same business judgment to determine fair compensation for a world-class legal team that helped them achieve these unprecedented results, while also fighting back against baseless attacks against Michael by opportunists seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of the estate and its beneficiaries.
“The claims made by this new set of attorneys for [Paris] —who have no meaningful experience representing clients in the entertainment industry — are both baseless and defamatory. We are confident that the Court will reject them outright and will again approve the estate’s accountings as it has done numerous times over the last sixteen years.”
Nevertheless, Paris’ motion insists the Estate’s current approach to fee approvals raises “serious and substantial questions” about its internal oversight, especially regarding large, unexplained payments to legal counsel. She highlighted discrepancies in fee requests across different filings and urged the court to ensure stricter supervision going forward.
The battle continues in court, and MJ Vibe will keep fans updated on this developing story.
