Paris Jackson’s Michael Jackson estate battle escalates; Marty Singer defends John Branca, says her lawyers should thank him; credits executor with turning a $500 million debt into billions of dollars | English Movie News
Paris Jackson‘s ongoing legal battle over her late father Michael Jackson’s estate has drawn a strong response from veteran Hollywood attorney Marty Singer. Defending estate executor John Branca, Singer has criticised Paris’s lawyers for repeatedly challenging the estate’s management and said they should be thanking the man they are targeting.Singer, who has represented several prominent names in the entertainment industry, including Michael Jackson himself, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, credited Branca with transforming the late singer’s financially troubled business into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.In a statement cited by The Blast, Singer said, “It is outrageous that Paris Jackson’s attorneys have been filing these Petitions going after the Michael Jackson Estate. They should be thanking John Branca for what he has done for the beneficiaries of the Estate as the manager of the Jackson business.”He further pointed out that Branca took charge of a business that was approximately $500 million in debt and helped turn it around. Singer said the beneficiaries have already received $200 million and could receive hundreds of millions more.“This is a case of no good deed goes unpunished,” Singer added.
Paris Jackson seeks transfer of $600 million into family trust
Paris Jackson has asked a Los Angeles judge to order the transfer of $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust, which also benefits her brothers Prince and Bigi. (Photo: Facebook)
Singer’s remarks come as Paris continues to challenge the way her father’s estate is being managed. In a petition filed on October 29, she asked a Los Angeles judge to order the transfer of $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust, which benefits her and her brothers, Prince and Bigi.The filing argues that the trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after Michael’s death. It also points to approximately $850 million in estate cash and cash equivalents at the end of 2024.A hearing on the petition is scheduled for December 4.However, even if Paris succeeds in getting the money transferred into the trust, it would not mean an immediate $600 million payout to the siblings. Under the terms of Michael’s trust, his children begin receiving outright distributions of the principal at the age of 30, followed by further instalments at 35 and 40.The estate has argued that certain legal hurdles must be resolved before it can fully fund the beneficiaries’ individual trusts and philanthropic commitments.A representative told TMZ, “Ms. Jackson’s counsel is well aware that the Estate is prevented from fully funding the philanthropic giving and individual trusts for the beneficiaries until several legal hurdles have been removed.”One of the major issues is the ongoing tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service, in which the US government sought approximately $700 million in taxes and penalties from the estate.
Michael Jackson estate has previously criticised Paris’ lawyers
This is not the first time representatives of the estate have questioned the legal team handling Paris’s case. In August 2025, estate attorney Jonathan Steinsapir told Us Weekly that her “new set of attorneys” had “no meaningful experience representing clients in the entertainment industry.”He later accused Paris and her legal team of making “a series of false allegations as part of a media campaign to distract from their legal setbacks and the inherent weakness of their case.”Paris’s legal challenges have, however, resulted in at least one significant court decision in her favour. In an April ruling, retired Judge Mitchell Beckloff ordered that $625,000 in bonuses paid to outside attorneys be returned to the estate, finding that the payments had not been sufficiently justified.The same decision acknowledged the financial turnaround achieved by the executors, describing the estate as having been “teetering on the brink of bankruptcy in June of 2009 when Michael Jackson died” before becoming “the financial powerhouse that it is today.”
John Branca’s compensation and estate spending under scrutiny
Marty Singer said Paris Jackson’s lawyers should thank Branca for turning Michael Jackson’s estate, which was reportedly $500 million in debt, into a multibillion-dollar business. (Photo: Facebook)
Paris’s legal team has also faced setbacks in court. Months before the April ruling, Beckloff struck portions of an earlier petition filed by Paris under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects certain speech and activities connected to legal proceedings. The judge also ruled that the executors were entitled to recover attorneys’ fees. They subsequently sought more than $115,000 from her.Following the ruling on attorney bonuses, Paris’s lawyers requested approximately $1.16 million in reimbursement. Branca objected, arguing that the bill included work unrelated to the proceedings and that her legal team was claiming credit for money that had already been returned voluntarily.Branca’s own compensation has also become a point of contention. Paris has asked the court to reduce his management fee and is challenging more than $109 million in combined compensation for the executors and legal counsel for 2023 and 2024.Her lawyers have also questioned private-jet travel and other expenditure by the estate. The estate has dismissed the objections as “the same hollow complaints” and described the motion challenging the fees as “completely without merit.”Meanwhile, Branca received approval last week to keep certain records confidential.
L. Londell McMillan speaks about advisers to wealthy heirs
The dispute has also brought renewed attention to the role of advisers in managing high-profile family fortunes. L. Londell McMillan, who represented Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, in 2009, had previously clashed with the executors over what he described as “a suspicious circle of relationships”.Speaking generally about heirs to major fortunes, rather than specifically about Paris’s legal team, McMillan told NewsNation in May that beneficiaries can sometimes be influenced by advisers who may not have their best interests at heart.“They’re often manipulated, and people are in their ears,” McMillan said. “They often trust the wrong people.”
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