Paris Jackson asks a judge to move $600 million into a family trust she says hasn’t seen a penny in the 17 years since Michael Jackson passed away

Paris Jackson is petitioning a Los Angeles court to force the estate of her late father, Michael Jackson, to transfer $600 million into a family trust. The petition, filed on Oct. 29, argues that the siblings have waited more than 17 years for the trust to be funded as their father originally intended.

According to The New York Times, the 14-page document claims that the estate managers have shown incompetence and financial mismanagement. Paris, 28, filed the petition independently, and her brothers, Prince Jackson, 29, and Bigi Jackson, 24, are not part of it. The filing highlights that the family trust remains unfunded despite the massive success of projects like the biopic “Michael,” which brought in over $1 billion at the global box office.

PEOPLE reported that the trust, created to support Michael Jackson’s three children, reportedly dictated that the siblings should have started receiving income from their shares when they turned 21, with further distributions meant to occur at age 30 and again at 40. Paris argues that the lack of funding leaves the siblings reliant on the estate’s remaining executor, John Branca, to determine any financial access.

Paris’ team argues the estate has made enough to cover prior litigation

According to the NYT, the petition argues that various business deals have filled the estate’s coffers, including the sale of a 10% interest in EMI Music Publishing for more than $287 million, the sale of Neverland Ranch for $22 million in 2020, and a 2023 Sony deal for music rights that brought in $750 million. Paris’ lawyers claim the estate has generated earnings exceeding $2.5 billion and held approximately $850 million in cash as of December 2024.

They reportedly suggest that after accounting for potential liabilities, about $600 million is available for a partial distribution. Paris’ representative said she is “fighting for transparency and accountability” after years of financial delays. The statement added, “The executors had the ability and obligation to begin funding the trust long ago. Instead, they have paid themselves over $200 million. It’s time to act in the best interest of Michael’s beneficiaries as he intended.”

In response, an estate representative told PEOPLE that the estate cannot fully fund the trusts until certain legal hurdles are cleared, specifically mentioning ongoing litigation with the IRS over $700 million in taxes and penalties. The estate said that while it has reduced that amount, the matter is not yet settled. The estate has also been dealing with new sexual abuse allegations against the late singer, as well as renewed interest in the singer and his cause of death because of the biopic.

The estate representative reportedly called the claims of withholding money “a complete fabrication,” noting that more than $200 million has already been distributed for the benefit of the children. The estate also asserted that under the terms of the will, “None of his children receive a distribution until they are in their 30s.”

The outlets noted that Paris’ representatives pushed back, arguing that the estate is simply “deflecting” to hide its own issues. They claim there is no pending appeal with the IRS. They also said that Paris’ earlier objections to some of Branca’s deals were met with “scorched earth litigation, public attacks, and a multimillion reduction in monies provided to her and her siblings by the estate.”

A hearing on the matter is set for Dec. 4.