Michael Jackson Estate Details $115K in Costs for Paris Jackson Legal Case

Paris Jackson; Michael Jackson.
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NEED TO KNOW

• Attorneys for Michael Jackson’s estate executors filed documents in court claiming $115,000 in costs and attorney’s fees.
• The costs are related to an anti-SLAPP motion filed and granted last year.
• The executors remain in a legal dispute with Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson.

The ongoing legal dispute surrounding Michael Jackson’s estate has taken a new turn as attorneys representing the estate’s executors have informed the court they are owed $115,000 in costs and attorney’s fees.

On January 9, attorneys for estate executors John McClain and John Branca submitted documents to a Los Angeles court detailing the fees associated with their responses to a motion filed by Jackson’s daughter, Paris, who is also a beneficiary of the estate.

The filing indicates that the attorneys are seeking $93,924.63 in fees and $1,238.39 in costs specifically related to the anti-SLAPP motion, which was approved by the court last November. Additional costs related to recovering these funds are also included in the request.

The court’s approval of the anti-SLAPP motion resulted in the dismissal of allegations brought forward by Paris in a July petition. According to the documents, the purpose of the January motion was to calculate the fees and costs incurred by the executors in relation to the anti-SLAPP motion, thereby determining the appropriate award amount. The executors argue they are entitled to reimbursement due to their successful motion.

Paris Jackson at Paris Fashion Week in October 2025.
Credit: Gilbert Flores/WWD/Getty

A spokesperson for Paris criticized the executors’ filing, portraying it as a strategy to extract further funds from the Jackson family. “For months, Paris Jackson has worked to address what appear to be troubling discrepancies and financial irregularities in the administration of her father’s estate,” the spokesperson stated. “It’s no surprise the executors and their lawyers are using every tool at their disposal to take even more money from the Jackson family and use it to line their own pockets. Paris remains undeterred and will continue fighting for transparency, accountability, and fairness for her family.”

Paris, along with her brothers Prince, 28, and Bigi, 23, is a beneficiary of Michael Jackson’s estate. In November, she alleged that Branca and McClain had abused their executive roles to enhance their own financial gain, claiming they earned over $10 million in compensation from her father’s estate in 2021, a figure described as exceeding double what any beneficiary received from the family allowance.

The executors countered this by filing a motion in October asserting that Paris has received approximately $65 million in benefits from the estate since Michael Jackson’s passing. At the time of his death in 2009, Jackson’s estate faced over $500 million in debt, but the executors claim to have transformed it into a significant force within the music industry.