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Michael Jackson’s 93-Year-Old Mom Demands $561k From Late Pop Star’s Estate as She Fights to Block Secret Deal
Katherine's mom is fighting for a 6-figure sum in court.
By: Ryan NaumannDec. 29 2023, Published 10:30 a.m. ET
Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine asked the court to order her late son’s estate to cough up a 6-figure sum to cover legal bills she racked up fighting the executors over a proposed deal.
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According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the 93-year-old explained that the law firm Glaser Weil Fink Howard Jordan & Shapiro (Glasser Weil) billed her for $561,548 for legal services provided.
The estate and Katherine have been going back and forth for months.
Michael died in 2009. The only beneficiaries of his trust were his three children — Prince, Paris and Blanket. However, he created a separate trust known as The Katherine Jackson Trust which was to take care of Katherine for the rest of her life.
Per the will he signed, Michael appointed John Branca and John McClain to be executors of his estate. Branca and McClain have bumped heads with the family at times. The executors claim they turned the estate around and pulled in hundreds of millions through various deals.
Katherine opposed a secret deal submitted by the executors.
Last year, Branca and McClain asked the court to approve a confidential deal they had received. The executors claimed the deal was incredibly lucrative.
Katherine opposed the deal in a heavily redacted response. The estate scoffed at her request claiming Katherine had previously objected to deals that turned out to be super successful, including the live concert film This is It! — which turned out to be one of the highest-grossing concert films ever released.
The executors claimed their record speaks for itself.
“The Estate was teetering on the verge of collapse, with more than $400 million in debt that encumbered Michael’s most significant assets and little or no liquidity or means to service that debt. Through creative thinking, hard work and business savvy—and, of course, Michael’s extraordinary creative legacy—the Executors transformed the MJJ Business into a profitable enterprise,” the executors said in a court filing.
In the end, the judge sided with the estate and ordered they could proceed with the deal despite Katherine’s objections.
“The proposed transaction is approved and the executors are authorized and instructed to take all actions necessary to implement the proposed transaction, including but not limited to signing all contracts and performing all obligations required of the estate,” the order read.
Days later, Katherine appealed the decision and asked a higher court to review the matter.
In her new motion for attorney fees, Katherine said that while her appeal is ongoing, she believed the estate was responsible for reimbursing her for a portion of her legal fees.
Katherine said her law firm had to interview family members, gather documents, prepare exhibits for trial, prepare trial briefs, prepare witnesses, examine and cross-examine witnesses, and various other tasks.
She said from April 1, 2023, to November 30, 2023, the law firm billed her $561,548.48 for a portion of the appeal work.
Katherine argued that the estate is solvent and has “ample resources and much more than will be necessary to pay its anticipated expenses.”
The executors have yet to respond.
