Marty Singer Defends John Branca in Paris Jackson Estate Dispute

Singer, a veteran entertainment litigator who has represented Michael Jackson, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, called the petitions targeting the estate “outrageous.” He said beneficiaries have already received $200 million and could receive hundreds of millions more, adding: “This is a case of no good deed goes unpunished.”

Paris Jackson is seeking a court order to transfer $600 million into the Michael Jackson Family Trust. Her October 29 petition says the trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after her father’s death, despite the estate holding approximately $850 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of 2024. The trust also benefits her brothers, Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24. A hearing is set for December 4.

A transfer would not mean an immediate $600 million distribution to Paris. Under the trust’s terms, the children begin receiving principal outright at 30, with further installments at 35 and 40. The estate has said it cannot fully fund the individual trusts and philanthropic giving until legal hurdles are resolved, including IRS litigation over a government claim for $700 million in taxes and penalties.

The dispute also covers fees and spending. Paris is contesting more than $109 million in combined compensation for executors and legal counsel for 2023 and 2024, and has challenged Branca’s management fee, private-jet travel and other expenses. The estate called her fee motion “completely without merit.”

In an April ruling, retired Judge Mitchell Beckloff ordered $625,000 in bonuses paid to outside attorneys returned to the estate, finding the payments insufficiently justified. The decision also described the estate as having been transformed from one “teetering on the brink of bankruptcy” in June 2009 into a “financial powerhouse.” Earlier, Beckloff struck parts of a separate Jackson petition under California’s anti-SLAPP law and ruled the executors could seek attorneys’ fees; they later sought more than $115,000 from her. After the bonus ruling, Jackson’s lawyers sought about $1.16 million in reimbursement. Branca objected, saying the request included unrelated work and claimed credit for money already returned voluntarily.