Paris Jackson Wants Even More From Dad's Estate: $463K Interest Bill

Paris Jackson tasted victory last week in her ongoing legal battle with her late father Michael Jackson’s estate executors—and she’s not stopping there. A Los Angeles judge ruled that $625K in bonuses paid to outside law firms had to be returned to the estate. Now, Michael Jackson’s daughter is asking for another $463,752 in interest on top of that sum.

The bonuses at the heart of the dispute were defended by estate executors John Branca and John McClain, who’ve managed Michael Jackson’s affairs since his death in 2009. They argued the payments were standard in the music industry, especially given that the year the bonuses were awarded, the estate locked down several major deals. But the court disagreed, siding with Paris on the fundamental question of whether those payments were appropriate.

Here’s where it gets interesting: even as the judge ruled against the executors on the bonus question, he still praised them for the value they’ve delivered to the estate over the years. The executors’legal team pointed out that this was the first time bonuses to outside counsel faced objections, and that they’d always required those law firms to agree to return any funds if the court didn’t approve them. In other words, they’re banking on the structure of their arrangement to insulate them from further liability.

But Paris clearly has a different view. By demanding interest on the $625K, she’s arguing that the executors shouldn’t get a pass just because they built a refund clause into the contract. The estate reps remain confident Paris’s latest filing will be rejected, telling media they’re focused on celebrating Michael Jackson’s legacy and growing the business—especially riding the wave of the motion picture Michael’s record-breaking success.

What’s really playing out here is a fundamental question about how estates should be managed and who bears the cost when judgment calls turn out to be legally questionable. Paris won round one. Round two is just beginning.