Paris Jackson asks court to make Michael Jackson estate pay $600m into family trust

Paris Jackson has asked a court to make her father Michael Jackson’s estate put at least $600 million (about £460 million) into the family trust that is meant to benefit her and her brothers, escalating her long-running dispute with the estate’s executors.

What is Paris Jackson asking for?

In papers filed last week and reported by TMZ, Paris says her father intended his three children to receive income from the trust at 21 and start getting the capital itself from the age of 30. She asks a judge to order the estate to fund the trust and distribute the money as his will set out.

She accuses executor John Branca of using his control over payments to discourage challenges, and says the estate has cut her payments during the dispute, which has gone on for about a year.

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What does the estate say?

A representative for the estate said the trusts cannot be fully funded until legal obstacles are cleared, mainly a long-running dispute with the IRS, which at one point sought around $700 million in tax and penalties. The estate won a ruling that cut that sum significantly, but the case is not settled.

The estate denies withholding money, says more than $200 million has already been spent for the benefit of the children, and says none of them will receive a distribution until they are in their 30s. Its lawyer, Jonathan Steinsapir, called her claims false.

Why is the estate worth so much?

Michael Jackson died in 2009 owing hundreds of millions of dollars. Since then the estate has turned around his finances through music rights, deals including the sale of a stake in his catalogue, stage shows and films, including this year’s biopic Michael.

Sources: TMZ, Billboard, CBC News. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress, public domain.