Paris Jackson‘s ongoing battle against the executors of her late father Michael Jackson‘s sizable estate has hit a roadblock.
Los Angeles Referee Mitchell L. Beckloff, a retired judge who has been appointed to adjudicate the dispute, recently ruled against parts of a petition Paris brought against the estate. Per PEOPLE, Beckloff granted executors John Branca and John McClain’s motion to strike several portions of the petition on the grounds that it was built directly on the substance of the estate’s own filings. Branca and McClain prevailed by invoking California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which protects against retaliatory legal action.
“This order is limited to minor procedural issues,” a representative for Paris noted in a statement to PEOPLE, “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. We will be submitting an updated filing shortly.”
Prince Jackson/Instagram
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Paris Jackson and the Michael Jackson estate.
Paris accused the estate in her petition of making indulgent payments to attorneys and asked the court to reconsider a 2010 order that allowed for such actions. The model and musician sought to compel the executors to file their own petitions for orders that would require payment to attorneys for the years 2019-2023.
In essence, Paris advocated for the executors to conduct themselves with a more rigorous sense of responsibility with respect to her father’s moneyed estate. Her petition alleged that Branca and McClain regularly make irregular payments and have made non-contractual gifts of up to $250,000 to attorneys.
Paris’ petition argued that “the five-year and growing lag inherently prejudices the ability of the court and the beneficiaries to provide effective oversight,” cutting herself and brothers Prince and Bigi — beneficiaries of their fathers’ estate — out of the equation when it comes to its management.
Interestingly, the executor’s motion to dismiss didn’t dispute those claims. Instead, they took issue with the basis of Paris’ petition being in the executors’ probate court filings, which their motion clarifies as “protected activity.”
While not all of Paris’ petition was struck down, Referee Beckloff ruled that Branca and McClain are “entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees.”
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Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty
Michael Jackson’s estate has been a hotly contested legal entity since the pop legend’s death in 2009.
Court documents obtained by EW in 2024 revealed that at the time of his death, Jackson was in debt to the tune of $500 million, with some of the debt in default. The estate has also inherited the responsibility of adjudicating cases brought by individuals accusing Jackson of sexual abuse. In 2021, the estate won a battle against accuser Wade Robson, who sought to hold two of Jackson’s entertainment companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, liable for his alleged crimes.
The estate is now facing criticism from some corners for backing Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming biopic of Jackson. After reading a draft of the script, Paris criticized the project as “dishonest” and “filled with inaccuracies.”