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Michael Jackson's Estate Wants Court's OK to Pay Lawyers $9 Million — While Fighting Paris Jackson Over Her Own Legal Bill
The King of Pop's estate, now worth an estimated $2 billion, is asking a probate court to approve six years of attorney fees even as it disputes the $1.16 million Paris Jackson says she's owed for successfully challenging its own lawyers' bonuses.
LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson's estate is asking a court for permission to pay its lawyers more than $9 million for six years of work, even as it simultaneously fights his daughter Paris Jackson over a much smaller legal bill of her own.
According to court filings obtained by TMZ, the estate's lawyers are seeking approval for fees covering multiple years of work that helped transform Jackson's finances since his 2009 death, when he owed more than $500 million. The estate says it has since paid off that debt entirely and built the singer's catalog and business interests into a conglomerate worth an estimated $2 billion.
The fight with Paris
The bigger fee request lands just as the estate is contesting a much smaller one from Paris Jackson. Earlier this year, a court sided with Paris in her challenge to $625,000 in bonus payments the estate's attorneys had paid themselves back in 2018, ordering that money returned to the estate. Paris is now seeking $1,165,481.90 in legal fees for winning that fight, arguing the estate must cover her "reasonable" costs under the terms of the ruling.
PARIS CLAIMED A "MASSIVE WIN" OVER THE ESTATE'S LAWYERS
Estate co-executor John Branca has objected, arguing in filings that Paris is trying to bill for unrelated legal battles beyond the narrow bonus dispute and is overstating how much her challenge actually saved the estate, according to a report on the dispute.
Why it matters
The dueling fee fights underscore how contentious managing Jackson's estate has remained nearly 17 years after his death, even as its underlying value has soared. Branca and co-executor John McClain have overseen a remarkable financial turnaround built on posthumous album releases, the Cirque du Soleil "Immortal" and "MJ" shows, and licensing deals — but that success has also multiplied the legal fees flowing through the estate's books.
What's next
A probate judge must sign off on both fee requests. Legal observers following the long-running estate saga say a ruling on the estate's $9 million request could come within weeks, with Paris's smaller claim likely to be resolved around the same time.