Overview
- Paris Jackson has asked the court for $1,165,481.90 in attorneys’ fees after a judge ordered $625,000 in attorney bonuses returned to the estate in April 2026.
- Executor John Branca filed objections saying Paris’s request is excessive, that it includes work unrelated to the bonus dispute, and that some recoveries she credits were voluntarily returned.
- Separately, the estate has asked the court for approval to pay more than $9 million to its own lawyers for six years of tax, trademark, business and legal work.
- The central legal question is what counts as a “reasonable” fee tied to a benefit obtained for the estate, a standard that will guide any award to Paris and the court’s review of the estate’s broader billing.
- If the judge limits recoverable fees, beneficiaries could receive less from future challenges and the ruling could change how much courts allow estates to pay outside counsel for large, ongoing administrations.