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Michael Jackson’s estate was not simply passed to his children when he died. Co-executors John Branca and John McClain managed the estate’s assets and businesses, dealt with debt and a major tax dispute, and pursued projects and transactions involving Jackson’s music and likeness. As described in a 2024 California Court of Appeal opinion, the assets were still in the probate estate rather than distributed to the family trust. Later objections by Paris Jackson raised further questions about oversight, but the claims and responses reported so far are not court findings.
Who controlled the estate, and who was meant to inherit?
Jackson died on June 25, 2009. His will named attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain as co-executors. Their role was to administer the estate, including its assets and entertainment businesses; it was not the same as immediately distributing those assets to the beneficiaries.
The will directed estate property to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. Its beneficiaries include Jackson’s three children and charities. His mother, Katherine Jackson, had a life-beneficiary interest in a sub-trust for her support, according to the appellate record.
In its 2024 opinion, the California Court of Appeal said the estate’s property had not yet been transferred to the trust because tax disputes and other litigation had kept the probate proceeding open. The court explained that the executors could manage estate property during probate, with remaining property to go to the trust when probate concludes. That describes the status addressed in the 2024 appeal; it is not proof that every issue in the administration has since been resolved.
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How the estate went from debt to commercial activity
The estate faced substantial debt when Jackson died. Afterward, it pursued commercial projects based on his music and likeness, while operating businesses that controlled rights to recordings and compositions. One early project was the concert-rehearsal film This Is It, released in 2009. The Tax Court’s 2021 account also describes later licensing and catalog activity.
Deal prices and revenue figures are not the same as money distributed to heirs. A gross transaction price does not, by itself, show what remained after debt repayment, taxes, expenses, other liabilities, or transfers to the trust.
Major music-rights transactions
| Transaction | What the sources establish | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Sony/ATV, 2016 | Later reporting says Sony acquired the estate’s interest in Sony/ATV. | This was a transaction involving the estate’s interest in that business, not evidence that every music right associated with Jackson was sold. |
| Sony Music Group, February 2024 | The Los Angeles Times reported a price of at least $600 million for half of Jackson’s music assets. | This is a reported gross deal price for the described half-interest transaction—not the estate’s net proceeds, the value of all Jackson-related rights, or an amount shown as paid out to beneficiaries. |
Jackson had bought the ATV Music Publishing Catalog in 1985; the Tax Court’s historical account says it contained at least 175 Beatles songs. He later combined it with Sony’s publishing business to form Sony/ATV. Because “music assets” can cover different rights and interests, it is more accurate to describe the reported 2024 deal in the terms the Los Angeles Times used than to say the estate sold all of Jackson’s music.
What the Tax Court decided—and what it did not
The IRS and the estate disputed the date-of-death values of three assets for federal estate-tax purposes. In a 2021 memorandum decision, the United States Tax Court assigned the following values:
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| Asset in the dispute | Tax Court value | What the value refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson’s image and likeness | $4,153,912 | The court’s value for this asset in the estate-tax valuation dispute. |
| New Horizon Trust II | $0 | The court’s value for the trust that held Jackson’s Sony/ATV interest, for the disputed date-of-death valuation. |
| New Horizon Trust III | $107,313,561 | The court’s value for the trust that held the Mijac Music interest. |
These are findings about the three disputed assets, not a complete estate balance sheet or a measure of what the children ultimately received. The Tax Court said a decision would follow under Rule 155, so the figures should not be treated as proof that the entire tax computation or all probate questions had been settled.
What the 2024 appeal said about the executors’ authority
Katherine Jackson challenged the executors’ authority to make a transaction while probate remained open. The California Court of Appeal affirmed the probate court’s authorization, reading the will to give the executors broad powers to manage estate property during probate and to provide for transfer of what remained to the trust after probate ended.
The ruling addressed the challenged transaction and how the will’s provisions fit together. It was not a blanket approval of all future transactions or a finding that every beneficiary supported the deal. The opinion noted that Katherine was the only beneficiary to file written objections to that transaction; it also said the children’s positions at hearings were not uniform or always clearly stated.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What later beneficiary objections allege
An American Bar Association article published in July–August 2026 reports that Paris Jackson filed formal objections on November 19, 2025, to accountings for 2021. The article summarizes her allegations concerning delayed financial transparency, executor fees, and risks tied to the estate’s investment in a Jackson biopic.
The executors denied her claims and argued that their work had saved the estate from insolvency. The article also reports their statement that Paris had received approximately $65 million in benefits since her father’s death. Those are opposing positions reported in connection with the dispute, not established findings that the executors mismanaged funds or that the objections have been decided. The cited 2026 coverage does not establish the outcome of later proceedings, so a definitive account of their current status would require a subsequent court record or reliable follow-up reporting.
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