Paris Jackson Moves to Cut MJ Estate Executor’s Pay, Citing 'Persistent Incompetence'

Paris Jackson has filed a motion asking the Los Angeles County Superior Court to drastically cut the compensation paid to John Branca, the executor of her late father Michael Jackson’s estate. According to the Daily Mail ^[2], Paris’s attorneys claim Branca has shown "persistent incompetence" in filing financial statements on time, arguing that the gap between his pay and his performance is "intolerable."

The filing, reviewed by the Daily Mail ^[2], requests that Branca’s compensation be slashed from 15% to 10% of the estate’s gross entertainment-related income for 2023, 2024, and subsequent years until a 2026 accounting is filed. TMZ reported ^[1] that Paris claims Branca filed late or incomplete statements despite seeking approval for over $109 million in compensation for himself, co-executor John McClain, and a law firm.

A spokesperson for the Michael Jackson estate told the Daily Mail ^[2] that the motion is "completely without merit" and not argued on facts. The estate clarified that Branca and McClain waived their executor compensation when the estate began, receiving instead a separate, court-ordered management fee. The spokesperson called the request for penalties on 2025 and 2026 accountings "nonsensical," noting those reports are not due for six and 14 months, respectively.

Branca’s team has previously highlighted his success in turning the estate from $500 million in debt to worth more than $2 billion, according to the Daily Mail ^[2]. However, Paris argues that Branca’s "longstanding refusal" to prioritize timely reporting has mired the estate in litigation and forced her to expend her own resources to ensure basic responsibilities are met.

The legal battle follows a May ruling where a judge ordered $625,000 in bonus payments to outside law firms to be returned to the estate, per Just Jared ^[3]. An accounting report filed earlier this month revealed Paris received approximately $6.3 million in benefits during 2024, TMZ noted ^[1].

A representative for Paris told the Daily Mail ^[2], "Since money is what motivates executor Branca, this is the only way to enforce the timeline he agreed to." The estate maintains that the executors have never taken any executor compensation and that their management fee supports the "hugely successful" Michael Jackson business.