Paris Jackson has vowed to “continue” fighting after suffering a setback in her legal battle against her father’s estate.
The 27-year-old singer, the second child and only daughter of Michael Jackson, has been challenging the executors managing her father’s estate, attorneys John Branca and John McClain.
The pair were appointed by the King of Pop‘s will and have been responsible for managing his assets, as well as his post-mortem business interests, since his death in 2009.
However, on Monday, Referee Mitchell L. Beckloff, a retired judge specially appointed to decide the dispute, granted the estate’s special motion to strike portions of Paris’ petition, after finding that many of her legal claims targeted the estate’s own court filings.
This meant they received special deference under California‘s anti-SLAPP statute, which protects against retaliatory legal actions.
But a representative for Paris told People that they would be submitting an updated filing “shortly.”
They said, “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. We will be submitting an updated filing shortly.”
It comes after Paris asked the court to revisit a 2010 order allowing the executors to pay their lawyers “on account,” meaning they don’t need to wait for formal court approval.
Her petition also sought to compel the executors to “file petitions for orders allowing or authorizing payment of compensation for attorneys and reimbursement of costs … for the years 2019 [through] 2023 within 90 days.”
Michael’s daughter, whom the musician shared with his second wife, Debbie Rowe, called for accountability and transparency, accusing the estate of operating with little oversight and making irregular payments.
These, according to her, allegedly included on-contractual gifts of $125,000 and $250,000 to counsel.
“These payments appear, at least in part, to consist of lavish gratuities bestowed upon already well-compensated counsel,” the court documents read.
While the executors’ motion to strike portions of the petition didn’t dispute those alleged payments, it targeted Paris’ objections to the timing and substance of the estate’s filings before the probate court, according to the ruling.
In an October 9 filing on behalf of Michael’s estate, it was claimed that Paris had received $65 million in benefits from the estate.
The filing alleged, “Few have benefited more from the Executors’ business judgment than Petitioner herself, who has received roughly $65 million from the Estate in benefits.
“She would have never received that had the Executors followed a typical playbook for an estate like this one in July 2009.”
The executors also argued they were responsible for transforming the estate, increasing its value to $2 billion.
As reported by Page Six, the filing said, “The Executors’ business judgment has taken an estate that ‘started out as nothing but debt and substantial ongoing obligations’ and ‘turned [it] into a $2 billion estate’ – an estate that is now ‘a powerhouse and a force in the music business today.'”
The estate is involved in the production of the upcoming biopic Michael, in which 29-year-old Jaafar Jackson, son of the pop star’s brother Jermaine Jackson, portrays his late uncle.
The Express US has contacted Paris Jackson’s representatives for comment.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
