Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris vowed to continue her legal battle against her late dad’s estate executors after a judge struck her petition raising questions about payments made by the estate.
Paris, 27, said she had concerns about “irregular payments” being made by her father’s estate executors John Branca and John McClain in July and subsequently filed a petition against them. Los Angeles Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, struck most of the petition on Monday, November 10.
According to People, the decision to strike was based on procedural issues with Paris’ petition. It was determined that Paris’ claims could not legally target the estate’s own court filings, as they are protected from retaliatory lawsuits under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
A spokesperson for Paris told Us Weekly on Thursday, November 13 that she and her legal team will continue her bid to challenge the estate executors following the setback.
“This order is limited to minor procedural issues and does not change the facts: the pattern of behavior displayed by the executors and their attorneys raises significant red flags, and Paris will continue working to ensure her family is treated fairly,” the spokesperson told Us in the statement. “We will be submitting an updated filing shortly.”
Earlier this year, Paris accused a small group of lawyers of exploiting her father’s estate by skimming money in “plain view,” according to documents seen by Us in August. A rep for the estate adamantly denied the claims.
In their roles as the late pop star’s estate executors, Branca and McClain have full control over Michael’s finances, business deals and payments to the family. The beneficiaries of his estate are Paris and her brothers, Prince and Bigi.
The Jackson 5 alum died at age 50 in 2009 of cardiac arrest associated with a lethal dose of propofol, a powerful sedative. Following his death, Michael’s physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
In Paris’ filing, she raised concerns about how the funds were being used and asked the judge to order the executors to submit paperwork for legal fees to third party firms from 2019 to 2023, so she can review what they paid. In addition, she wants an order stating that the executors can only make partial payments until the court approves invoices.
She said her petition was made “to protect the rights and interests” of her and the other beneficiaries.
In the filing, Paris’ lawyer raised concerns about large sums being paid as “gifts to Counsel.”
“Executors’ profound delay in seeking Court approval for extraordinary fees and costs, and lack of oversight with regard to large non-contractual payments Counsel bestowed upon themselves, is concerning,” the lawyer said. “The five-year and growing lag inherently prejudices the ability of the Court and the beneficiaries to provide effective oversight. But the fact that this delay obscured the payment of non-contractual $125,000 and $250,000 gifts to Counsel is even more troubling.”
Paris’ attorney added, “No client would give such gifts to her lawyers out of her own pocket. Worse still, Counsel made the payments knowing that the beneficiaries long ago objected to the practice, and were less than forthcoming in their belated disclosures.”
Paris said that “at a minimum, these gratuities, and counsel’s preposterous declarations in support of them, raise red flags.”
Per People, the executors denied mismanaging the funds in their own filing and argued that they transformed the estate into “a powerhouse and a force in the music business today” after inheriting an estate “burdened with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.” They claimed Paris “received roughly $65 million” in benefits.
“Few have benefited more from the Executors’ business judgment than Petitioner herself,” the filing alleged. “She would have never received that had the Executors followed a typical playbook for an estate like this one in July 2009.”
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