Michael Jackson Estate Submits Costs and Fees Itemization Totaling $115K in Paris Jackson Legal Fight

The legal fight over Michael Jackson’s estate isn’t slowing down. In a new court filing, lawyers for the estate’s executors say they should be reimbursed for more than $115,000 in legal fees and related costs tied to their response to a motion brought by Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson.

Attorneys representing executors John McClain and John Branca filed documents in Los Angeles on Friday, Jan. 9, breaking down the time and expenses they say were required to research and respond to Paris’ legal challenge. The filing requests $93,924.63 in attorney’s fees and $1,238.39 in costs connected specifically to their anti-SLAPP motion, along with additional expenses associated with recovering the funds.

That anti-SLAPP motion—filed last year and granted in November—resulted in the court striking allegations Paris had raised in a July petition. According to the filing, the Jan. 9 request is meant to “account for the fees and costs incurred by the Executors in connection with the anti-SLAPP motion so that the Court can determine the amount of the award.” The executors argue they are entitled to reimbursement because they prevailed on the anti-SLAPP motion.

Paris’ side, however, framed the request differently. In a statement, a spokesperson said Paris has been trying to address what she believes are concerning issues in how the estate is being handled—and accused the executors and their lawyers of using legal tactics to collect even more money from the Jackson family. The spokesperson added that Paris plans to keep pushing for transparency, accountability, and fairness.

Paris is a beneficiary of the estate along with her brothers Prince, 28, and Bigi, 23. In November, she filed a new legal document alleging that Branca and McClain have misused their positions as executors for personal gain.

In that filing, she claimed that in 2021 alone, the executors received more than $10 million in compensation from the estate—an amount she said was “more than double the amount distributed to any beneficiary from the family allowance.”

The executors, for their part, have disputed that portrayal. In an October motion, they said Paris has received roughly $65 million in benefits from the estate.

Michael Jackson was more than $500 million in debt when he died in 2009. In their filing, the executors said they took what had been a financially troubled estate and transformed it into a “powerhouse and a force in the music business.”