Michael Jackson's Estate Seeks $9 Million as Paris Fights for $1.16 Million

Caption: Michael Jackson in a 1983 publicity photo. Credit: Matthew Rolston / Epic Records, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Michael Jackson’s estate is asking a court for permission to pay more than $9 million in legal fees for six years of work, just as the estate is fighting Paris Jackson’s request for $1,165,481.90 in her own legal costs. The two requests put very different price tags on work tied to one of entertainment’s most valuable estates.

The Estate Says Six Years of Work Built a Bigger Business

According to court documents described by TMZ, executor John Branca says the estate’s lawyers and other professionals handled tax planning, trademarks, business deals and other legal matters over a six-year period. The filing argues that the fees reflect work performed while the estate was transformed from what Branca described as more than $500 million in debt after Jackson’s 2009 death into a business he now values at about $2 billion.

That request arrives while another fee fight is already before the court. Paris Jackson previously challenged $625,000 in bonuses paid to estate attorneys, and a court ordered that money returned to the estate in April 2026.

Paris Jackson’s Separate Request Is Still Unresolved

Paris is now asking the estate to reimburse $1,165,481.90 in legal expenses connected with her challenge. Branca has objected to the size of that request, arguing that reimbursement should be limited to work that produced a benefit for the estate and its beneficiaries.

The estate’s position does not dispute that Paris achieved a result in getting the $625,000 returned. The disagreement is over how much of her legal bill should be paid from estate funds.

One Judge Now Has Two Very Different Fee Questions

The court has not yet ruled on the estate’s request to pay more than $9 million or on Paris Jackson’s request for roughly $1.16 million. That leaves the financial dispute centered on a basic question: how much legal work should the estate itself fund when family oversight and estate management collide.

The next development will be the judge’s decision on what expenses are reasonable and payable from Michael Jackson’s estate.

References: Michael Jackson’s Estate Seeking Over $9 Million in Legal Fees | Michael Jackson Estate Fighting Daughter Paris’ Demand for $1 Million in Legal Fees