Paris Jackson is asking a Los Angeles probate judge to move $600 million from her father Michael Jackson’s estate into the family trust that benefits her and her brothers, Prince and Bigi. Her October 29 petition comes just months before Prince turns 30 in February, the age when she says his first payment from the trust’s principal comes due.
Under the terms described in the petition, each child was to start receiving income from their share at 21, then portions of the principal at 30, 35 and 40. All three have passed the first milestone. Paris, 28, says the trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after their father’s death.
Paris says that has left the siblings dependent on John Branca, the estate’s remaining executor, to decide how much they receive. She alleges that payments fell by millions of dollars after she challenged the estate’s handling of her father’s finances last year.
The estate denied cutting or withholding payments. In a statement to PEOPLE, it said it had already distributed more than $200 million for the beneficiaries’ benefit. That figure includes money spent on their behalf. As Wealth of Geeks previously reported, the estate’s 2024 accounting listed a roughly $4.9 million tax bill it paid for Prince.
How Paris Jackson Arrived at $600 Million
Paris Jackson demands $600M from dad Michael’s estate, accuses executor of withholding kids’ inheritance https://t.co/1hPFr9Mk5S
— Page Six (@PageSix) November 2, 2026
The estate reported about $850 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of 2024. Paris’ lawyers estimate that it could meet its potential liabilities and still make the transfer. They point to the $287.5 million sale of the estate’s stake in EMI Music Publishing in 2018, the $22 million sale of Neverland Ranch in 2020 and a later music-rights deal with Sony. Together, those transactions brought in more than $1 billion before taxes and expenses, according to the petition.
Her lawyers also cited a 2011 statement in which the executors told the court they intended to seek a preliminary distribution. Paris says they never filed that request. If the estate needs some of the money back, her petition proposes repayment agreements with the trustee and, if necessary, the beneficiaries, according to TheWrap.
Why the Estate Says the Tax Case Matters
The IRS originally sought about $700 million in taxes and penalties. The estate said it won a ruling that substantially reduced that figure, but its final tax bill could still change. The estate says it must resolve the tax case and other legal matters before it can fully fund the trusts. A spokesperson for Paris said Branca could have transferred part of the money years ago.
A 2024 California Court of Appeal opinion records where the assets stood at the time. In a separate case brought by Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, the court said the tax dispute and other litigation had kept the assets in the estate under probate court supervision. It upheld the executors’ authority to enter a business deal Katherine had opposed.
Paris Previously Challenged $625,000 in Legal Bonuses
In May, Judge Mitchell Beckloff ordered $625,000 returned to the estate after Paris challenged bonuses the executors approved for outside law firms in 2018.
He found the evidence insufficient to justify the payments. Lawyers for Branca and his fellow executor at the time, John McClain, told ABC News that they disagreed with the ruling but respected it.
The new petition leaves the size of any preliminary transfer to the judge and asks that the estate cover Paris’ legal expenses for bringing it. A hearing is scheduled for December 4.