Paris Jackson has asked a Los Angeles court to order a preliminary distribution of $600 million to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. She filed the petition on October 29, 2026, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The trust benefits Paris, 28, and her brothers Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24. Paris says the trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after her father, Michael Jackson, died in June 2009 at age 50, even though the estate has earned billions from music deals, property sales and other ventures. A judge is scheduled to hear her request on December 4.
The estate, run by remaining executor John Branca, says it cannot fully fund the trusts until legal matters are resolved, chiefly a long-running dispute with the IRS. It calls the claim that it withheld payments “a complete fabrication” and says more than $200 million has already been distributed for the beneficiaries benefit. Paris says the will meant the children to get income from their shares at 21, then portions of principal at 30, 35 and 40, and that none of that has happened as planned.
Quick Facts
| Detail | What we know |
|---|---|
| Who filed | Paris Jackson, 28, daughter of Michael Jackson |
| Date filed | October 29, 2026 |
| Court | Los Angeles County Superior Court |
| Amount requested | $600 million to the Michael Jackson Family Trust |
| Who benefits | Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson, 29, and Bigi Jackson, 24 |
| When Michael Jackson died | June 2009, at age 50 |
| Remaining executor | John Branca, after co-executor John McClain died in May 2026 |
| Estate value claimed | Up to $3 billion |
| Cash reported, December 2024 | About $850 million |
| Main blocker cited | IRS dispute, first seeking about $700 million in taxes and penalties |
| Hearing date | December 4 |
What Paris Jackson Is Asking the Court to Do
Paris is not asking for a personal payment or for the estate to be closed. She is asking a judge to order a preliminary distribution of $600 million into the family trust, an interim step that would move money before every remaining legal matter is finished. Her petition frames the request as overdue, since more than 17 years have passed since her father died and the trust meant to hold the childrens shares has still not been funded.
The figure is large, but her filing presents it as a first step rather than a final number. She says the estate is worth up to $3 billion, which would make $600 million a portion of the total. She also notes that as of December 2024 the estate reportedly held about $850 million in cash, which supports her argument that a distribution of this size is practical now. Paris has raised concerns about the executors before: in 2025 she questioned more than $600,000 in premium payments to law firms.
Why the Trust Is Still Unfunded After 17 Years
The central fact in this dispute is simple to state and hard to explain: 17 years after Michael Jackson died, the family trust has still not been funded in the way the will described. Paris says that is a failure to carry out the plan her father left behind. The estate says it is the result of legal matters that must be resolved first, and that it has still provided for the children in the meantime.
Paris argues that the delay has real effects. The will set out a plan in which the children would receive income from their shares at 21, then portions of principal at 30, 35 and 40. Prince is now 29, Paris is 28 and Bigi is 24. Under that reading, income should already have been flowing for years, and Prince is close to the first principal milestone. Paris says none of that has happened as planned, which means the plan has not been carried out on the schedule her father set.
The IRS Dispute at the Center of the Fight
The estate says the main reason the trusts cannot be fully funded yet is a long-running dispute with the IRS. When the dispute began, the IRS sought about $700 million in taxes and penalties. That is a very large claim, and it created a risk that a large share of the estate could be owed to the government if the IRS had won in full.
A court ruling later reduced the amount the IRS was seeking, but the matter is still unsettled. A dispute that is reduced but not resolved still leaves the estate with an open liability, and the executors say they must hold back money until they know the final figure. Paris does not accept that as a full answer. Her position is that the estate has earned billions and holds hundreds of millions in cash, so it can make a $600 million distribution and still keep enough in reserve.
What the Estate Says in Response
The estate has pushed back firmly. It calls the claim that it withheld payments “a complete fabrication.” That is strong language, and it signals that the executors see the petition as a misreading of both the will and the record of what has already been paid. The estate says more than $200 million has already been distributed for the beneficiaries benefit, which undercuts the idea that the children have received nothing.
The estate also disputes the timing argument. It says the will provided that distributions were not to start until the children were in their 30s. If that reading is correct, then the fact that no principal has been distributed yet is not a failure, it is the plan working as written. Paris is 28 and Bigi is 24, so neither has reached 30 yet, and Prince is 29. The estate is now run by John Branca alone, after co-executor John McClain died in May 2026.
The Will, the Ages, and the Timing Question
At the heart of this case is a question about what Michael Jackson intended. Wills often set up a staged plan for young beneficiaries: income while they are young, then portions of the principal in stages as they get older. That is the structure Paris describes, with income at 21 and principal at 30, 35 and 40. The estate describes a different schedule, one in which distributions were not to start until the children were in their 30s.
The difference between those two readings is not small. Under one reading, the children should already have been receiving income for years. Under the other, the main distributions have not yet come due. The judge will need to look at the actual language of the will and the trust documents to decide which reading is right. Family disputes over money can be hard to watch from the outside, because they involve grief as well as finance, and they often play out in public, as in stories like Jen Affleck and Zac Affleck marking daughter Nora fifth birthday amid divorce.
What Happens Next
The next step is a hearing scheduled for December 4, when a judge will hear Paris request for a preliminary distribution. A hearing on a petition like this does not decide the whole estate. It decides whether the judge will order money to move now, before the remaining legal matters are finished, or whether the estate can keep holding the money until those matters are resolved.
Either outcome will matter. If the judge orders the $600 million distribution, it would be a major shift, moving a large sum into the family trust after 17 years. If the judge declines, Paris may need to wait for the IRS matter to be resolved, or she may need to bring a different kind of challenge. The case also shows how slow a large estate can become when tax disputes are involved, a point that also appears in other celebrity court cases such as La La Anthony and Carmelo Anthony divorce settlement, which turned on how a court divided money after a long relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money is Paris Jackson asking for?
She is asking a judge to order a preliminary distribution of $600 million to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. The money would go into the trust that benefits her and her brothers, rather than being paid to her directly as a personal sum.
Why has the trust not been funded yet?
Paris says the trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after Michael Jackson died in June 2009. The estate says it cannot fully fund the trusts until legal matters are resolved, chiefly a long-running IRS dispute that first sought about $700 million and is still unsettled.
What does the will say about when the children get money?
Paris says the will meant the children to get income at 21, then principal at 30, 35 and 40. The estate says the will provided that distributions were not to start until the children were in their 30s. The judge will need to decide which reading matches the documents.
When will a judge hear the case?
A judge is scheduled to hear her request on December 4. That hearing will focus on whether a preliminary distribution should be ordered now, before the remaining legal matters are finished.
Sources
- Page Six: Paris Jackson demands $600m from Michael estate
- Moneywise: Paris Jackson and the Michael Jackson estate $600 million claim
- Grazia Magazine: In 2009 Michael Jackson left a trust for his 3 children
Final Thoughts
Paris Jackson is asking a court to do what she says should have happened years ago: move $600 million into the family trust so the plan her father left behind can finally start to work. The estate says it has already distributed more than $200 million for the beneficiaries benefit and must wait for the IRS dispute to be resolved. Both sides point to the same documents and reach different conclusions, which is why a judge will need to decide. The December 4 hearing will not settle every question, but it will be a clear test of whether 17 years is long enough to wait.
