Paris Jackson Loses Bid to Oversee Father's Estate, Ordered to Pay Fees

On November 10, 2025, a Los Angeles judge dealt a major blow to Paris Jackson's efforts to gain more oversight over her father Michael Jackson's estate. Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff sided with the estate's executors, John Branca and John McClain, granting their motion to strike down most of Paris' legal petition.

The judge found that Paris' claims were largely based on the estate's own court filings, which are protected under California's anti-SLAPP statute that shields legal petitioning activity from retaliatory lawsuits. As a result, the court ruled that the estate is "entitled to an award of attorneys' fees," effectively ordering Paris to pay for the estate's legal costs.

Only a small portion of Paris' original filing remains under consideration, such as questions about certain premium payouts for unrecorded attorney time. The decision underscores the broad authority the executors retain over the estate's administration, including financial and operational decisions.

For Paris, the loss cuts deeper than just the legal setback. It represents another chapter in her lifelong negotiation between inheriting her father's legacy and maintaining her own independence. Despite receiving an estimated $65 million in benefits from the estate since Michael's death in 2009, Paris has continued to challenge the executors' management of her father's intellectual property and brand.

However, the judge's ruling makes clear that the estate remains firmly in control, with the surviving paragraphs of Paris' petition allowing for only limited follow-up. The larger war she waged for oversight, transparency and a say in her father's legacy appears, for now, to be over.