Michael Jackson’s 92-year-old Mother Katherine Files Appeal to Stop Secret Deal Put Together by Pop Star’s Estate
May 4 2023, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine has not given up in her fight against her late son’s estate over a proposed deal, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, 92-year-old Katherine and her legal team revealed they are appealing the recent court ruling in favor of the estate.
As we first reported, last year, the estate, run by executors John Branca and John McClain, asked the court to approve a confidential deal. Branca and McClain have run Michael’s estate since his death on June 25, 2009.
The two said the transaction would be lucrative to the beneficiaries of Michael’s estate — his children Prince, Paris and Blanket. In his will, Michael added a provision that said his mother will be supported for the remainder of her life.
Recently, Katherine filed an opposition to the deal. Her motion was kept under seal and the reasonings for fighting it are unclear. The estate fired back at Katherine claiming she had previously opposed big deals that brought in millions.
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Branca and McClain pointed to the 2009 documentary film This Is It, which was released after Michael’s death. The executors said Katherine had tried to fight the deal but was shut down by the court. Eventually, the film became one of the highest-grossing concert films ever released.
The executors argue their work has turned Michael’s estate profitable. “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.
The judge ended up signing off on the estate’s recent despite Katherine testifying in court. The order stated, “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.”
Now, Katherine has taken the matter to the higher court in hopes of overturning the decision.