Paris Jackson Received $65M From Michael Jackson’s Estate Amid Legal Dispute Over Executor Payments
Paris Jackson has received approximately $65 million in benefits from the estate of her father, Michael Jackson, according to new court filings cited by People. The disclosure comes amid legal disputes over the estate’s management, including so-called attorney “premium payouts.”
The Oct. 14 filing follows Paris’ June challenge to $625,000 in payments made in 2018 to three law firms for work that was not recorded. She argued the payments were excessive and lacked proper documentation of time spent, raising questions about oversight and transparency.
The estate’s executors state that their management transformed Michael Jackson’s holdings from a debt-heavy estate at the time of his death into a $2 billion enterprise. The filing notes the legal team’s role in generating significant returns, including $287.5 million from EMI Music Publishing investments sold to Sony Music Group in 2018, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
“Few have benefited more from the Executors’ business judgment than Petitioner herself, who has received roughly $65 million from the Estate,” the filing states, according to People. “She would have never received that had the Executors followed a typical playbook for an estate like this one in July 2009.”
It also notes that payments of around $600,000 in bonuses are small relative to the $290 million the estate earned in 2018. The filing states, “Simply put, the argument that the payment of about $600,000 in bonuses… in a year where the Estate earned almost $300 million would justify dramatically impeding the Executors’ ability to operate the Estate’s businesses is hardly worth responding to further.”
The dispute concerns a 2010 court order giving the estate’s executors permission to pay attorneys without prior approval. Paris is seeking to overturn the order, citing concerns about accountability and fairness. The estate argues that her challenge involves protected legal filings and is barred under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects individuals from lawsuits intended to discourage them from exercising their right to free speech or to petition the courts, People reports.
According to the outlet, when Michael Jackson died in 2009, he owed over $500 million to more than 65 creditors. The estate says its management has since generated substantial revenue from his music catalog and other assets, benefiting Paris and her siblings, Prince and Bigi (previously known as Blanket).
Jonathan Steinsapir, attorney for the estate, told People in July 2025 that payments to attorneys were “fully consistent with payments made in the decade prior, all of which have been approved by the Probate Court.”
The next court hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 16.
