Paris Jackson has asked a Los Angeles probate court to order a $600 million transfer from Michael Jackson’s estate into the family trust set up for her and her brothers. The filing, dated Oct. 29 and reported this week, argues that the trust has sat unfunded for more than 17 years since the King of Pop’s death in 2009.
What We Know
According to court documents reviewed by Entertainment Weekly and TheWrap, Paris Jackson wants the estate’s executor to partially fund the Michael Jackson Family Trust and begin distributing income to its beneficiaries: Paris, her older brother Prince and her younger brother Bigi. She is seeking $600 million, or whatever amount the judge considers appropriate.
The petition says Michael Jackson’s will intended the children to start receiving trust income once they turned 21, with larger distributions of principal at later ages. All three have passed that first milestone without the payments the filing says their father planned. “More than 17 years after his passing, Michael Jackson’s family trust remains unfunded,” the filing states, as quoted by TheWrap.
Her lawyers point to years of asset sales and deals that, in their view, have produced “considerable amounts of cash,” including the sale of Neverland Ranch and agreements with Sony involving Jackson’s music catalog. The filing also argues that the executors “have never presented any plan for funding the Michael Jackson Family Trust to the Court,” and that roughly $600 million in distributable cash is available even after accounting for potential liabilities.
A hearing on the request is scheduled for Dec. 4, 2026, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Background
This is not the first clash between Paris Jackson and the people running her father’s estate. Over the past year she has objected in court to some of the executors’ decisions, including payments to colleagues, and her latest filing claims she was met with “scorched earth litigation” after raising those concerns.
The estate, led by longtime executor John Branca, has turned Jackson’s legacy into one of the most valuable in entertainment since his death in June 2009, clearing large debts and striking major music-publishing deals. Part of that story involves the Sony/ATV catalog, which once included the Beatles songs Jackson famously bought in the 1980s, a deal that strained his friendship with Paul McCartney.
Prince Jackson is set to turn 30 in early 2027, an age the filing links to a further distribution of principal, which adds urgency to the request.
Reactions
The estate pushed back strongly. In a statement to People, cited by Entertainment Weekly and TheWrap, it said it cannot fully fund the trusts while other legal matters remain unresolved, including a long-running dispute with the IRS over taxes and penalties. The estate said it had secured a ruling that would “significantly reduce” that bill, but that the matter is not settled. It called claims that it withheld or cut beneficiary payments “a complete fabrication” and said more than $200 million has already been distributed to beneficiaries.
A spokesperson for Paris Jackson replied that the estate was “once again deflecting from its own incompetence,” arguing that Branca had the ability and obligation to partially fund the trust long ago and that Paris “had no choice but to step in herself.”
What’s Next
The probate judge will weigh the request at the December hearing. The court could order the full $600 million, a smaller amount or no distribution at all, and the estate has signaled that the unresolved tax case remains central to its position. Any order would mark a major shift in how money flows from one of music’s most lucrative estates to Michael Jackson’s three children.
For more on her life and career, read our Paris Jackson biography.