Paris Jackson is continuing her legal fight against her late father’s estate, making insiders worry her attorney is trying to take it over.
The singer’s legal team, led by Craig Peters, have been arguing Michael Jackson’s estate, now worth over $2 billion, has been mis-managed by co-executors John Branca and John McClain in documents filed at probate court in Los Angeles.
Her filings claim the executors failed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars and paid themselves “lavish” fees and bonuses as they turned the estate’s fortunes around from 2009 when Michael died some $500 million in debt. Branca and McClain deny the claims made against them.
“Ms. Jackson and her attorneys are once again abusing the courts and the legal system by making a series of false allegations as part of a media campaign to distract from their legal setbacks and the inherent weakness of their case,” estate attorney Jonathan Steinsapir claimed to The Post.
In the estate’s latest filing, Branca and McClain accuse Paris’s team of making “headline-grabbing, yet false, accusations,” raising “specious concerns,” and ignoring years of approvals and agreements which have all been overseen by the court.
“This is about control,” a source added. “Paris’ attorney sees the opportunity. This man wants to take control of Michael Jackson’s estate.”
Paris has also been a vocal critic of the new biopic, “Michael,” set to hit cinemas next month, saying she had “0% involvement” with the movie and accusing the estate of spending up to $150 million to make it, which it would recoup if the movie proves a hit. In this respect, Paris is backed by her aunt, Janet Jackson, who recently blasted the movie after a family screening, as The Post previously reported.
Although there are million-dollar lawyers on both sides, the center of Paris’ dispute is over actually roughly $625,000 in fees and bonuses.
“That’s a rounding error. It’s one-tenth of one percent of the Sony deal. This isn’t about the money,” a source noted, referring to a the 2024 agreement the estate made with Sony Music Group, which paid at least $600 million for a 50 percent stake in Jackson’s music catalog. Even before that, sources say the estate was producing roughly $75 million a year.
Paris’ attorney, Peters, is a seasoned trial lawyer, but his background is rooted in personal injury, wrongful death, and product liability cases.
According to the filing and sources familiar with the proceedings, Peters has positioned himself as someone who claims to understand the estate better than the men who have run it for more than a decade.
Numerous requests for comment from Peters and his firm by The Post were not returned.
Meanwhile, sources noted since Branca and McClain took over the estate they have turned it into a global enterprise, generating millions of dollars a year.
On the issue of cash management, Paris’s team claims the estate left money sitting idle. The executors say they are ignoring a critical fact that most of the estate’s cash was tied up under an IRS lien connected to a tax dispute involving roughly $700 million. They said that money sat in an IRS-controlled escrow account and could not be invested.
While Paris’s team focuses on what they claim the estate failed to do, the executors point to major investments in the music industry from the estate which have delivered what they describe as “jaw-dropping returns,” all approved by the probate court without objection.
The filing also takes direct aim at claims Branca and McClain are unqualified to produce projects tied to Michael Jackson.
They note that both men’s credits include “This Is It,” the highest-grossing concert documentary of all time, “Michael Jackson ONE” in Las Vegas, and “MJ: The Musical,” the Tony Award-winning global production.
The duo also produced Spike Lee’s “Bad 25,” “Journey from Motown to Off the Wall,” and “Thriller 40” — all projects related to Michael.
The filings by the estate say any claims the executors are unqualified “cannot be taken seriously.” Further, the executors note they do not receive separate producer fees, and their work is part of their court-approved responsibilities managing the estate.
Paris, who has personally already received more than $65 million from the estate, also questioned payments tied to the late Quincy Jones, who produced Michael Jackson’s three most successful albums, “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad.”
The executors say those payments were part of a global settlement resolving multiple claims, some carrying far greater financial risk than the judgment itself, and note that these details were disclosed repeatedly in meetings, reports, and filings dating back to 2022 and as recently as January 2026.
They make similar arguments regarding air travel expenses, stating that contracts showing reimbursement arrangements were provided in 2023 and that any confusion reflects a failure to review materials already in Paris’s attorneys’ possession.
After 16 years of administration, the executors say the record is clear, that the estate has generated billions, and none of its payments have ever been disallowed. They also noted that Paris, 27, stands to inherit the multibillion-dollar estate with her two brothers, who have also been working to try and bring her back around and on board with the new biopic.
“No payment made by the estate has ever been disallowed by the court or determined to be unauthorized,” Steinsapir told the Post.
“It is shocking that Ms. Jackson, through her attorneys, has made these false objections, considering she has and will continue to benefit substantially from the dedicated and tireless work of the executors of the estate.”
