In a hearing in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday, March 22,Katherine Jacksoncontinued to face legal hurdles with the estate of her late son and music iconMichael Jackson.
In addition to her ongoing appeal of a previous court decision, the Jackson family matriarch is now fighting against her grandsonBigi(formerly known as Blanket)over whether her legal bills should be paid from the estate’s funds.
Attorney John Branca and A&R executive John McClain, the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, received a favorable ruling last year in probate court. The decision, related to a reported $600 million sale of half of Jackson’s music catalog to Sony, allowed them to move forward with the proposed deal — despite Katherine’s objection to it.
Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine Jackson and son Blgi attend a ceremony honoring late singer at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles in August 2011.ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
“I don’t think I can resolve this today,” judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, who will be retiring next month, and has presided over various Jackson rulings for the past 15 years, said on March 22. “My hope was that maybe you all would be able to resolve it on your own.”
From left: Prince Michael Jackson, Katherine Jackson, Bigi Jackson and Paris Jackson in 2012.Lester Cohen/WireImage
Lester Cohen/WireImage
However, since that’s been unsuccessful, he announced that a new judge will oversee the case.
In the filing, the executors claim the estate was saddled with debt and on the verge of bankruptcy when Michael Jacksondied in June 2009.
Michael Jackson preforms before an estimated audience of 60,000 in Brunei on July 16, 1996.FRANCIS Sylvain/AFP via Getty
FRANCIS Sylvain/AFP via Getty
“You may not be the judge who finally lands this plane, but we are definitely getting close,” Steinsapir said. “We haven’t had a dispute like this in years — and it’s notthat bigof a dispute — but we just wanted to thank you.”
The estate’s brief claims Katherine was the only party to file a written objection to the sale of the megastar’s assets. According to the estate, she believed they did not exercise “ordinary care and diligence” and argued that it was better “to wait a few years to maximize the value.” Per the brief, the estate also claims Katherine felt that the executors had not sufficiently shopped the “transaction” around to determine fair market value and that the estate should “have obtained a premium payment.“According to Billboard, the music assets are valued at over $1.2 billion.
The Jackson estate couldn’t be reached for comment. Reps for Katherine and Bigi have yet to respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Bigi Jackson attends the Annual THRILLER NIGHT Halloween Party on October 28, 2022.Kevin Winter/Getty
Kevin Winter/Getty
However, according to the court filings, Bigi isn’t entirely against his grandmother’s request. He “does not object to reasonable attorney fees and costs” for her initial objection to the deal as she presented “essential evidence.” But he believes “the overall amount for the trial might be high,” and he questions if “four lawyers charging fees of $840 to $1,400 per hour was necessary.”
After the filing, Jackson’s nephewTaj Jacksonposted onsocial mediain support of Katherine. “Fair warning: Keep bad mouthing and throwing low blows at my 93-year-old grandma and my gloves will come off. Do you really want me to enter this ring? #FamilyFirst.”
Paris Jackson in 2023; Michael Jackson in 2005.Justin Sullivan/Getty
Justin Sullivan/Getty
Jackson’s daughter Paris briefly appeared on Zoom and said she was “with my grandmother and little brother [Bigi] on this.” But after the judge approved the transaction, Jackson’s three children accepted the court’s decision, while Katherine was the only family member to file an appeal, which is currently pending.
“There are a couple of points I wanted to make,” Katherine’s attorney Adam Pines said in court on Friday, once again requesting that the estate pay the half a million dollars in attorney fees Katherine has accumulated while appealing last year’s decision.
“The executors' principal argument is that their hands are tied, that the money is stuck in the estate, and it can’t be distributed to the trust yet and all these things that might happen. But we also live in reality, and we just received their accounting for 2020 — one year — and they have $35 million in distribution from the estate, including $2.3 million for public relation consultants. Millions and millions of dollars they are paying out,” he said, pausing momentarily.
“But when they say, ‘Oh, we can’t pay this, our hands are tied, and the procedural requirements have not been met,’ I don’t think it’s fair,” he continued. “This year, $5 million were paid for Katherine’s taxes. I appreciate that they did that, but it’s certainly a confirmation that they can pay this amount.”
Michael Jackson at 02 Arena on March 5, 2009.MJ Kim/Getty
MJ Kim/Getty
“I didn’t say it was fair, and I didn’t say it was the right position,” Judge Beckloff responded. “I just can’t get there because of the state defendant and the facts that are being contested. I don’t think it’s a situation where we can all say there is no disputed facts involved and the court can just go decide this matter. I’m not saying either side is right in this. I’m just saying I can’t get past the procedural hurdles to make a decision. And, you know, Bigi made it clear that in his view, the appeal fees are not reasonable.”
The next court hearing will be scheduled on or before May 30, 2024.
source: people.com
