Paris Jackson has made a series of startling claims regarding the handling of her late father Michael Jackson’s vast fortune, filing a formal objection in Los Angeles Court that accuses the executors of the King of Pop’s estate of severe mismanagement.

Now 27 years old, Paris was only 11 when Michael Jackson died unexpectedly in 2009 at the age of 50. Along with her brothers Prince and Blanket (Bigi), she inherited a portion of one of the most famous and complex musical estates in history. After her father's death, Paris was raised by her grandmother Katherine Jackson, whose strict Jehovah’s Witness household shaped much of her adolescence. Over the years, she has spoken candidly about her struggles — from mental-health battles to a cocaine addiction that left a noticeable hole in her nose, something she addressed on TikTok. Despite these challenges, Paris has since built a career as a model, actress and musician, even drawing attention for covering all 80 of her tattoos at the Grammys last year.

In her new legal filing, Paris claims that co-executors John Branca and John McClain — who were appointed to manage and grow Michael’s estate after his death — failed to properly reinvest hundreds of millions of dollars. She alleges that $464 million (£353m) of her father’s wealth was left sitting idle instead of being strategically invested. According to her legal team, that amount could have generated over £30 million in returns if handled responsibly.

The filing states: “Paris is increasingly concerned the Estate has become the vehicle for John Branca to enrich and aggrandise himself, rather than serve the beneficiaries’ best interests and steadfastly preserve her father’s legacy.”

Perhaps the most dramatic accusation, however, involves the co-executors’ own compensation. Paris claims that Branca and McClain collected over $10 million (£7.6m) in 2021 alone — allegedly more than double the amount distributed to any family beneficiary that year. She further asserts that the pair have taken home close to $150 million in total compensation up to 2021, despite refusing to disclose financial accounting for the past four years.

Family members describe several of the estate’s recent investments as “high-risk,” including the upcoming biopic Michael. The project features John Branca not only as an executive producer — a role he has never held on a dramatic feature film — but also includes a surprising casting choice: actor Miles Teller reportedly plays Branca himself.

Paris with her brothers Prince and Bigi (Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Paris’ filing states: “It appears that Mr Branca used his position as an Executive Producer, a role he has never before performed, to cast the sole A-list actor in the production, Miles Teller, to play himself in the upcoming feature biopic.”

Despite the controversy, the estate’s executors argue that Paris has been one of the largest beneficiaries of their stewardship. They assert she has received roughly $65 million (£49.6m) in combined benefits since 2009. They also claim that Michael’s estate was over $300 million in debt when he died, insisting that without their strategy, the family would not have seen anything close to the financial recovery achieved.

The King of Pop will be portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson in the upcoming biopic (Steve Granitz/WireImage)

An October 14 filing on behalf of the executors reads:
“Few have benefited more from the Executors’ business judgment than Petitioner herself… She would have never received that had the Executors followed a typical playbook for an estate like this one in July 2009.”

As of now, John Branca has not publicly commented on the allegations. LADbible has reached out for a statement, and the legal dispute appears far from over as Paris pushes for greater accountability and transparency regarding her father’s multimillion-dollar legacy.

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Sources (LADbible, Daily Mail, People Magazine)