Paris Jackson Asks Michael Jackson’s Estate to Transfer $600 Million to a Trust for Her and Her Brothers, 17 Years After His Death

The estate says outstanding legal matters, including an ongoing IRS dispute, must be resolved before the trusts can be fully funded

Paris Jackson is asking her late father Michael Jackson’s estate to release $600 million to a family trust meant to benefit her and her two brothers, arguing that they have waited more than 17 years for the trust to be funded.

In a new court filing, Paris, 28, said the estate has generated billions of dollars since the King of Pop’s death in 2009, but the trust intended to provide for his children has yet to receive its funding. She is asking a Los Angeles judge to order a partial distribution of the estate’s assets to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, according to documents filed Oct. 29 and reviewed by PEOPLE.

The trust was established to provide for Michael’s three children, Prince, 29, Paris and Bigi, 24. Under its terms, the siblings were supposed to begin receiving income from their respective shares when they turned 21. They were also meant to begin receiving portions of the money held for them at age 30, with additional distributions at 35 and 40, according to the filing.

Paris claims those arrangements have not happened as her father intended.

“More than seventeen years after his passing, Michael Jackson’s family trust remains unfunded,” the petition states.

The filing points out that Prince is approaching his 30th birthday, while Paris turns 29 in April and Bigi turns 25 in February. Paris argues that the lack of funding has left the siblings dependent on the estate’s remaining executor, John Branca, to determine when and how much money they receive.

Paris’ attorneys argue that the estate has generated substantial cash through a series of business deals and property sales, making a partial distribution to the family trust possible. Those transactions include the sale of the estate’s interest in EMI Music Publishing for $287.5 million in 2018, the sale of Neverland Ranch for $22 million in 2020 and a 2023 deal with Sony involving Michael’s music and other intellectual-property assets, according to the petition.

The transactions generated more than $1 billion in cash for the estate before taxes and expenses, the filing claims. The executors have previously valued the estate at between $2 billion and $3 billion, according to the petition.

Paris’ attorneys also point to an estate accounting that showed approximately $850 million in cash and cash-equivalent assets as of December 2024. After accounting for potential liabilities, Paris believes roughly $600 million is available for distribution, according to the filing.

The petition also revisits a promise the estate’s executors made in 2011, when they told the court they were considering filing a separate request to distribute money. Paris’ attorneys allege that request was never filed.

The dispute comes amid a broader disagreement between Paris and the estate over how her father’s finances have been managed. In the latest filing, she alleges that after she began challenging the estate’s administration last year, her objections were met with public criticism, litigation and a multimillion-dollar reduction in the money provided to her and her siblings.

The Michael Jackson Estate says it cannot fully fund the trusts until several legal matters are resolved, including ongoing litigation with the Internal Revenue Service, which sought $700 million in taxes and penalties.

“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 said in a statement to PEOPLE.

The Estate also denied withholding or reducing payments to the beneficiaries, calling the claim “a complete fabrication.” It said more than $200 million had already been distributed for their benefit and noted that, under Michael’s will, “None of his children receive a distribution until they are in their 30s.”

“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 spokesperson said.

Paris’ latest request follows another legal dispute involving the estate earlier this year. In May, a Los Angeles judge ruled that $625,000 in bonus payments made by the estate’s executors to outside law firms in 2018 must be returned to the estate after sustaining Paris’ objection to the payments, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

At the time, attorneys for the estate said they disagreed with the decision but respected it and planned to move forward accordingly. They also emphasized that the bonus payments had not gone to the executors themselves.

The ruling is the latest development in the ongoing legal disputes surrounding Michael’s estate, which has been managed by Branca and John McClain since they were appointed co-executors following Michael’s death on June 25, 2009, at age 50. McClain died in May 2026, leaving Branca as the estate’s remaining executor.

A judge is scheduled to hear Paris’ request on Dec. 4. She is asking the court to order a $600 million transfer to the family trust, or another amount the judge determines is appropriate.

Via: People