Paris Jackson has once again alleged wrongdoing by the man running her late father’s business affairs.
Michael Jackson’s daughter has taken her legal war a step up with estate executor John Branca, claiming in new court filings that he wants to pay himself more than $100 million for just two years of work.
Paris, who has long sparred with John over his role as Michael’s executor, claimed in her October 28 filing in a Los Angeles court that he has offered only “defective filings” to explain the huge fees.
“This is not the first time Executor has avoided his disclosure obligations by means of incomplete filings,” the papers state, as per Billboard.
“This instance, however, is particularly offensive in that Executor’s defective filings include a request for approval of more than one hundred million dollars in compensation,” it further read.
As a penalty for the alleged failures, Paris wants John’s compensation reduced from 15 to 10 per cent of the estate’s gross entertainment-related income.
In a strongly worded response statement, the Jackson estate called Paris’s request “nonsensical” and “absurd.”
It noted that John Branca had in fact waived compensation from the start and has only ever been paid “a separate, court-ordered management fee for operating the hugely successful Michael Jackson business.”
“It is an understatement to say that this motion is completely without merit, nor is it argued on facts,” the estate added in its response statement.
John Branca and his co-executor have previously cited their well-documented business success, which took the estate from roughly $500 million (£375 million) in debt to a current valuation of more than $2 billion (£1.5 billion).
However, in May, Paris Jackson won a court ruling against the executors in which a judge ruled that $625,000 (£469,000) in bonuses paid to three outside law firms had been improper and must be “returned to the estate.”
About The Author
