A Los Angeles judge has ordered the executors of Michael Jackson’s estate to return $625,000 in bonus payments that were paid to third-party law firms in 2018, handing Paris Jackson a legal win she says will force the transparency her family has long sought. Paris celebrated the May 13 ruling in a statement released by her attorneys.
A spokesperson for Paris said she “has always been focused on what's best for her family and this ruling is a massive win for them,” adding that “after years of delay, the Jackson family will finally get the transparency and accountability measures Paris has fought for.” The statement also accused executor John Branca of trying to use the estate as a “slush fund... for his Hollywood fantasies” and said he used “sexist, scorched-earth tactics” during the dispute.
The order targets executors Branca and John McClain, who have controlled the estate since Michael Jackson died in 2009. Paris, along with her brothers Prince Jackson and Bigi Jackson, is among the primary beneficiaries of the estate, which was estimated at $2 billion when Jackson died and was later said to have grown to $5 billion by 2025.
That growth has come from a steady expansion of the Jackson name into business and entertainment projects. In 2024, the estate reached an agreement with Sony under which Sony bought a 50% stake in Jackson’s music assets for an estimated $600 million. The estate has also used his name and likeness in projects including MJ the Musical and the biopic Michael, which stars Jaafar Jackson in the title role.
The fight over estate spending sits against a long, complicated history. Jackson bought Neverland Ranch in 1987 for $19.5 million and lived there for more than 15 years. Built in 1982 and designed by Robert Altevers, the property once included as many as 22 structures, a zoo with exotic animals, amusement park rides and landscaping that spelled out Neverland before it was later sold by the executors.
The ruling gives Paris something concrete after years of legal conflict: the court has told the estate to pay back the money, and the family is now set to get the accounting she has been demanding.
