Paris Jackson Challenges Executor's Bid for More Than $100 Million
Paris Jackson has asked a Los Angeles court to reject a request by John Branca, executor of her father's estate, for more than $100 million in compensation. In an October 28 filing, she alleged that Branca is seeking payment for two years of work without a proper explanation. An executor is the person who manages a deceased person's affairs and assets.
The filing goes further. It describes the supporting documents for the request as "defective filings." It also says the executor has previously avoided disclosure duties through incomplete filings, and it calls this request "particularly offensive" because it asks for approval of more than $100 million. Billboard reported the filing on October 29.
Jackson is asking the court to cut Branca's compensation from 15 percent to 10 percent of the estate's gross entertainment-related income, meaning its earnings before expenses are subtracted. She describes the cut as a penalty.
The Jackson estate has responded sharply. It called Jackson's request for a reduction "nonsensical" and "absurd." It also said Branca waived compensation from the start and has been paid only a separate management fee, set by the court, for running the Michael Jackson business.
The request lands in a long-running dispute. In July 2025, Jackson raised concerns about "premium payouts" the estate made for attorney time that had not been recorded. In November 2025, she said the executors' work, including the Michael Jackson biopic, was designed to "enrich and aggrandize" them rather than help the family. Miles Teller has been cast to play Branca in that film.
The clearest court result so far came in May. A judge found that $625,000 in bonuses paid to three outside law firms were improper and ordered the money returned to the estate. The judge wrote that the totals "appear arbitrary" and reflected "what Mr. Branca determined was appropriate." Bonuses are extra payments on top of agreed fees.
Jackson has also asked for her own legal costs. In September, she requested $1.16 million from the estate for her challenge to the bonuses. The estate has said its executors took the estate from roughly $500 million in debt to a current valuation of more than $2 billion, a figure they cite in defending their work.
Jackson has described the fight as a waste of resources, calling it an expensive and time-consuming legal dispute. The October filing adds a new request to that list, and the court has yet to rule on it.
