Paris Jackson has directed accusations toward the administrator of her father Michael Jackson’s estate, alleging he blocks her and her siblings from obtaining their full inheritance.
The 28-year-old, who is presently embroiled in a high-profile legal dispute with estate executor John Branca, has filed court papers requesting that $600 million (£447 million) be deposited into the Michael Jackson Family Trust.
In the filing, obtained by Page Six, Paris asks a judge to compel Branca to transfer that amount — or a sum to be determined by the court — into the trust, which benefits Paris and her brothers Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24.
The actress/musician contends that the trust remains unfunded, 17 years after the Thriller singer’s death in 2009. She argues this contradicts the King of Pop’s will, which specified that his children should receive income from the trust when they reached the age of 21.
According to Paris, each of them currently receives smaller payments determined by Branca, and the money has reportedly been significantly reduced since she began her legal challenge against the estate last year.
Responding to her 29 October filing, a spokesperson for the Michael Jackson Estate told Page Six, “Ms. Jackson’s counsel is well aware that the Estate is prevented from fully funding the charitable foundation and the individual trusts for the beneficiaries until several legal hurdles have been removed, including in particular the ongoing IRS litigation, where they sought $700 million in taxes and penalties from the Estate.”
“Further, the claim that the executor has withheld or ‘cut’ payments is a complete fabrication. More than $200 million has already been distributed to or for the benefit of Paris and the other beneficiaries,” they continued. “The Estate looks forward to the time when all issues are resolved so that the charitable foundation and trusts can be fully funded as Michael wanted.”
A hearing on the matter will take place in December.
