Paris Jackson Is Questioning ‘Premium Payments’ By Michael Jackson’s Estate For Unrecorded Attorney Time

Paris Jackson, the daughter of Michael Jackson, is accusing her father’s estate of mismanagement of funds. Court documents obtained by People reveal that Paris is concerned with payments that were awarded to three law firms in 2018.

The documents state that the 27-year-old objects to granting “premium payments” for unrecorded attorney time. Paris’ complaint specified a six-month period in 2018, saying this is when the co-executors of her father’s estate requested payments of $625,000 for the law firms for “uncaptured time.”

The document states that two of the firms had already received their payments, making this a violation of the “Court’s order allowing only partial payment of attorneys’ fees until Court approval is obtained.”

“Even worse, these payments appear, at least in part, to consist of lavish gratuities bestowed upon already well-compensated counsel,” the complaint adds, per Hello.

What did Paris Jackson say about the alleged mismanaged funds of her father’s estate?

In her objection, Paris raised concerns about a lack of transparency and oversight, specifically objecting to the payments being made without proper court approval. She argued that the attorney fees were not only premature but potentially excessive, especially considering the court had previously mandated partial payments pending review. Her legal team also described the payments as “gratuities” that did not serve the estate’s beneficiaries.

How is Michael Jackson’s estate responding to Paris’ accusations?

Michael Jackson’s estate has released a statement to deny the accusations brought forth by Paris.

“The Executors’ approval of payments to attorneys have been made with the same business judgment that has earned this Estate over $3 billion,” the estate said in the statement, per People. “We are confident that the objected-to payments are appropriate as, indeed, they are fully consistent with payments made in the decade prior, all of which have been approved by the Probate Court.”

According to Hello, Michael Jackson divided his estate between his children and his mother, Katherine, as well as several children’s charities. Michael’s three children—Prince, Paris, and Bigi—get 40% of his estate, while his mother also gets 40%. The charities get the remaining 20%.