Paris Jackson Files for $600M From the Estate Her Father Left Her
In a Los Angeles probate petition, Paris Jackson says her father's family trust has sat empty for 17 years while his estate accumulated $600 million in distributable cash.
The estate built by Michael Jackson's music catalog holds approximately $600 million in distributable cash. His daughter wants some of it. Paris Jackson filed a petition in Los Angeles probate court on November 2 ordering that amount distributed to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, the instrument her father set up to pass his estate to his three children. The trust, Paris says, has never received a cent.
Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009. His will established the Michael Jackson Family Trust and designated Prince, Paris, and Bigi as beneficiaries. The trust prescribed income distributions starting on each child's twenty-first birthday, with principal distributions at age 30. Paris's filing states flatly: "Those dates have all long passed." Prince turns 30 in approximately four months. Paris turns 29 in April. Bigi turns 25 in February.
More than 17 years after his passing, Michael Jackson's family trust remains unfunded.
The estate's liquidity traces to major asset sales over the last decade and a half. The executors sold the estate's interest in EMI Music Publishing, sold Neverland Ranch, and struck a deal with Sony over Jackson's music catalog and intellectual property. By Paris's lawyers' accounting, those transactions left the estate holding approximately $600 million in cash before counting anything held at the entity level.
The Estate's Defense and Why the Filing Disputes It
The estate told People magazine it cannot fully fund the trust until IRS litigation is resolved. The Internal Revenue Service has sought approximately $700 million in taxes and penalties, though the estate says a ruling has "significantly reduce[d] that amount." A spokesperson said: "None of his children receive a distribution until they are in their 30s," and called the claims about withheld payments a "complete fabrication."
Paris's filing disputes the IRS excuse directly. It asserts "there is no pending motion and no pending appeal in the IRS Litigation," suggesting the estate's stated reason for inaction has expired. Her lawyers say any remaining liability could be addressed through "refunding agreements with the trustee and, if needed, the beneficiaries." The filing also says executors told the court back in 2011 that they "are contemplating and do intend to file a separate Petition for Preliminary Distribution" and then did nothing about it for 15 years.
The Estate is once again deflecting from its own incompetence.
What Comes Next
The petition asks the Los Angeles probate court to order the distribution. Prince Jackson reaches his thirtieth birthday in approximately early 2027, the age at which Michael's trust instrument prescribes principal distributions. Paris raised the unfunded trust in a separate filing a year before this one, with no action taken at that time. No ruling had been issued as of November 4, 2026. We will update this entry when the court responds.
Ad Watch News is an independent commentary site. We have no affiliation with Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson's estate, the Michael Jackson Family Trust, or any party named in this piece.
Sources & further reading
- TheWrap: "Michael Jackson's Daughter Seeks $600 Million From His Estate, Says Trust Remains Unfunded," Alyssa Ray, November 2, 2026
- Yahoo News Canada (via TheWrap): "Michael Jackson's Daughter Seeks $600 Million From His Estate, Says Trust Remains Unfunded," November 3, 2026
- Wikimedia Commons: Paris Jackson at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, August 30, 2025. Photo: Luca Fazzolari (LucaFazPhoto), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikimedia Commons: Michael Jackson, Victory Tour, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, July 8, 1984. Photo: Larry Davis / Los Angeles Times, digitized by UCLA Library, CC BY 4.0
