Paris Jackson Received $65 Million in Benefits from Michael Jackson’s Estate: Estate’s Filing

In a dramatic legal twist that has pulled back the curtain on one of the most valuable celebrity estates in history, new court filings by Michael Jackson’s estate on Oct. 9 claim that the late pop icon’s daughter, Paris Jackson, has received approximately $65 million in benefits from her father’s estate.

The stunning disclosure came as part of a motion filed by the executors of Michael Jackson’s estate, in response to Paris’ legal attempt to challenge their control and transparency, particularly over alleged bonus and “premium payouts” in 2018.

“Few have benefited more from the Executors’ business judgment than Petitioner herself, who has received roughly $65 million from the Estate in benefits,” the filing alleges. “She would have never received that had the Executors followed a typical playbook for an estate like this one in July 2009.”

The executors claim they turned what was once a deeply indebted estate into a booming global brand.

Citing a judge’s prior praise, the motion quotes: “The Executors’ business judgment has taken an estate that ‘started out as nothing but debt and substantial ongoing obligations’ and ‘turned [it] into a $2 billion estate’ — an estate that is now ‘a powerhouse and a force in the music business today.’”

Paris, 27, filed a petition earlier this year that objected to what her lawyers called excessive “gifts” and “gratuities” of $625,000 paid to three law firms for what Paris describes as “uncaptured time,” without explaining “as to why counsel was incapable of recording unbilled time, or why such a failure should not preclude payment.”

Two of the law firms had received their prospective “premium payments,” violating the “Court’s order allowing only partial payment of attorneys’ fees until Court approval is obtained,” the filing claimed on June 24.

“Even worse, these payments appear, at least in part, to consist of lavish gratuities bestowed upon already well-compensated counsel,” the court docs allege.

In response on Oct. 9, the Michael Jackson estate executors pushed back strongly — calling that language “knowingly false.”

“Bonuses are not paid without consideration; they are paid for extraordinary services and results,” the new motion footnote reads. “And the bonuses are not complete divestments of control — they are subject to probate court approval.”

In previous filings obtained by PEOPLE on July 15, the Michael Jackson estate further claimed that the attorneys “were instrumental and critical in assisting and supporting the Executors in achieving unprecedented results for the Estate, including without limitation, the more than $287 million return on the EMI investment.”

Sony bought the Michael Jackson estate’s EMI shares in 2018, during which the alleged six-month period, executors requested approval for $625,000 in payments to three law firms. Additionally, the attorneys “cannot be adequately measured or fairly compensated by an hourly rate fee payment.”

“The Executors’ approval of payments to attorneys have been made with the same business judgment that has earned this Estate over $3 billion,” Jonathan Steinsapir, the attorney for the Estate of Michael Jackson, told PEOPLE in response to Paris’ filing on July 11. “We are confident that the objected-to payments are appropriate as, indeed, they are fully consistent with payments made in the decade prior, all of which have been approved by the Probate Court.”

Paris’ attorney did not respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.

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At the core of the dispute is a 2010 court order that allows the executors to pay attorneys without getting prior approval from the court. Paris’ petition calls for that order to be rescinded. However, the executors argue that she is improperly attacking protected legal filings under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which shields people from lawsuits meant to chill their right to petition the courts.

The executors insist that Paris has every right to challenge estate decisions — but must do so correctly.

“Of course, beneficiaries of the Estate — including Petitioner — can challenge the Executors’ actions or inactions, as they have in the past, including those related to the payment of the Estate’s attorneys,” the motion reads. “All the Executors ask is that Petitioner do so in a procedurally proper way, and not in obvious violation of the anti-SLAPP statute.”

The filing also strongly defends the payment of roughly $600,000 in bonuses — a small figure, they argue, compared to the $290 million the estate earned in 2018 alone.

“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.”

As the legal battle continues, what remains indisputable is the alleged scale of Paris Jackson’s financial benefit from her father’s legacy — and the executors’ assertion that their stewardship of the estate has played a central role in building that fortune.

At the time of his death in 2009, Michael was over $500 million in debt. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE in June 2024, the musician owed money to more than 65 creditors when he died.

Before his death at 50 from apparent cardiac arrest, the “Thriller” pop legend was planning a major comeback with a residency at London’s O2 Arena through 2010. At the same time, he was reportedly racking up $30 million in debt each year, a source tells PEOPLE.

Following his passing, responsibility for the debt shifted to his estate, with Paris and her brothers, Prince and Bigi, named as beneficiaries.

The next court hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 16.