Michael Jackson’s 93-Year-Old Mom Katherine Pleads for Information on Late Pop Star’s Will to Be Sealed as She Demands $500k from Estate
Katherine is pleading for help from the court.
Jan. 8 2024, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine pleaded with a judge to keep certain information about the late pop star’s will and family trust hidden from the public — claiming if released, it would subject her to “invasive” media attention.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, 93-year-old Katherine asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to seal portions of a recent motion she filed in her battle with the estate over a proposed deal.
Michael with his parents.
As we first reported, last year, the estate, run by executors John Branca and John McClain, asked the court to sign off on a confidential deal. The executors claimed the deal would be incredibly lucrative for the beneficiaries of Jackson’s will and trusts. The only beneficiaries of Michael’s estate are his three children: Prince, Paris and Blanket.
Michael also instructed the executors to take care of Katherine for the remainder of her life and he set up a separate trust that provided for her.
Katherine is fighting the executors over a secret deal.
Katherine opposed the secret deal presented by the executors. She filed a heavily redacted motion in an attempt to block the deal.
In court, the executors argued Katherine had a long history of opposing deals they brought to the table. They claimed she tried to stop them from moving forward with the 2009 concert film This is It! — which was released months after his June 2009 death and turned out to be one of the highest-grossing concert films in history.
Paris is one of the beneficiaries of Michael's trust.
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“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 in a court filing.
Katherine testified in court where she explained her reasoning to the judge. However, in the end, the court sided with the executors.
“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,” the order read.
Katherine filed an appeal of the decision which is pending.
As we first reported, Katherine recently asked the court to order the estate to cover a portion of the legal fees she racked up while fighting them over the confidential deal.
Katherine said the law firm Glaser Weil Fink Howard Jordan & Shapiro (Glasser Weil) billed her for $561,548 for their work between April 2023 to November, 2023.
Michael with his parents.
Katherine said that the estate and has “ample resources and much more than will be necessary to pay its anticipated expenses.”
Now, Katherine and her legal team demanded the court seal portions of her recent motion. They claimed, “Because of Michael’s fame, his surviving family members remain in the public eye, and face intense media scrutiny.”
Katherine said the “terms of the Family Trust are confidential and private to the Jackson family, including Ms. Jackson.”
Michael’s mother asked that the information in her motion related to the terms of the family trust and Michael’s will be sealed. She claimed if the information was made public, it would “subject her and her family’s private affairs to invasive media attention.”
A judge has yet to rule.