Paris Jackson has launched a new attack against the executors of her late father Michael Jackson’s estate, comparing them to “The Wizard of Oz” amid an ongoing financial dispute. In response, the estate’s administrators revealed they have spent more than $65 million on Paris.
The 27-year-old filed court documents on Friday, October 3, opposing the executors’ request to pay fees to external legal firms.
Paris’s attorney stated that the executors admitted to making “six-figure extra-contractual payments” in 2018. They allegedly paid “millions more in undisclosed gifts” over the past seven years.
Her lawyer argued this conduct is “indefensible,” born of “comfort and arrogance.” The estate, much like “The Wizard of Oz,” demands blind trust, refusing to let anyone examine its operations.
The motion from Paris’s legal team criticized the executors for making “no attempt to establish the veracity” of their claims regarding legal payments. They also failed to justify the payment amounts or address alleged unbilled work.
Paris contended the executors lacked authority for these “extra-contractual gifts.” She also claimed they failed to initially disclose the 2018 gifts or calculate them using any clear metrics.
Paris also accused the executors of presenting a motion to delay the disclosure of evidence. This evidence would allow her to request certain documents and information. She requested an immediate denial of the executors’ petition to dismiss her inquiry.
On Thursday, October 9, executors John Branca and John McClain responded by detailing Paris’s benefits. They stated Paris has received approximately $65 million in benefits from the estate since Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.
The executors argued that Paris “never would have received that” if they had followed usual procedures for an estate of this kind in July 2009.
They regularly submit accounting reports to the court and asked a judge to dismiss Paris’s petition. The executors maintained their expenses were both appropriate and necessary for the estate’s continued operation.
The estate’s filing further suggested that Paris’s argument regarding $600,000 in bonuses, which are refundable if not approved, in a year where the estate earned nearly $300 million “hardly merits rebuttal.” They claim her objections would “drastically impede” their ability to run the estate’s business.
An attorney for the executors emphasized their track record. The estate has transformed from “substantial debts and liabilities” into a $2 billion entity, now a “powerhouse and a force in today’s music industry.” The executors welcome reviews of their actions.
A judge has not yet issued a ruling on the matter.
This is not the first time Paris has raised concerns. In August filings, she alleged that “a very close, well-paid group of attorneys is exploiting the executors’ lack of oversight to siphon money from the estate, in plain sight.”
Another filing from Paris’s team called the irregular payments into question. These payments, they argued, raise “serious and substantial questions about the executors’ ability to effectively supervise attorneys.”
The executors dismissed Paris’s implications. Estate lawyer Jonathan Steinsapir previously stated that the “historic turnaround and success” of the estate “for the benefit of his children speaks for itself.”
Steinsapir added that the executors’ business judgment generated billions. This judgment also determined fair compensation for their legal team. They also defended Michael from “unfounded attacks by opportunists” seeking to profit from the estate.
Steinsapir described claims by Paris’s “new group of lawyers” as “unfounded and defamatory.” He expressed confidence that the court would “soundly reject” these claims and again approve the estate’s accountings. The court has done so “numerous times over the past sixteen years.”
Branca and McClain have served as executors of Michael Jackson’s estate since the pop icon’s death at age 50 in 2009. Paris and her brothers, Prince and Bigi Jackson, are beneficiaries, along with Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson.
