The attorneys of John Branca and John McClain said they created the motion to “account for the fees and costs incurred by the Executors in connection with the anti-SLAPP motion” they were granted last November.

Michael Jackson estate demands $115K in costs and fees in Paris Jackson legal battle

The attorneys of John Branca and John McClain said they created the motion to “account for the fees and costs incurred by the Executors in connection with the anti-SLAPP motion" they were granted last November.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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January 15, 2026 5:06 p.m. ET

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Pop singer Michael Jackson performs onstage during his 'Bad World Tour' in 1988; Paris Jackson attends 2025 GQ Men of the Year on Nov. 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif. Credit:

Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; Phillip Faraone/Getty

The attorneys for Michael Jackson’s estate executors are seeking $115,000 in legal costs and fees amid their ongoing dispute with Paris Jackson over the King of Pop’s estate. **

Attorneys for estate executors John McClain and John Branca filed documents in Los Angeles court last Friday that listed all of the costs and fees that their clients are owed in connection to their anti-SLAPP motion against Paris that was granted by a judge last November, PEOPLE reports. **

In the filing, Branca and McClain’s attorneys state that the new motion was created to “account for the fees and costs incurred by the Executors in connection with the anti-SLAPP motion so that the Court can determine the amount of the award,” per the outlet. They are entitled to reimbursement because their motion was granted.

Michael Jackson wearing a red leather jacket at the opening of the stage musical, 'Dream Girls,' Los Angeles, Calif.

Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty

The documents state that Branca and McClain are seeking $93,924.63 in fees and $1,238.39 costs specifically for the anti-SLAPP motion, according to PEOPLE. They’re also reportedly asking for additional legal costs and fees on top of that amount. **

Representatives for Michael Jackson’s estate did not immediately respond to **’s request for comment.

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The filing from Branca and McClain’s attorneys comes just two months after Los Angeles Referee Mitchell L. Beckloff granted their motion to strike down several portions of Paris’ July petition on the grounds that it was composed entirely of the estate’s own filings. The pair succeeded by through the use of California's anti-SLAPP laws, which include protections against retaliatory legal action. **

In a statement to EW, a spokesperson for Paris suggested that this filing was just another way for Branca and McClain to “take even more money” from the Jacksons. **

"For months, Paris Jackson has worked to address what appear to be troubling discrepancies and financial irregularities in the administration of her father's estate,” the spokesperson said. “It's no surprise the executors and their lawyers are using every tool at their disposal to take even more money from the Jackson family and use it to line their own pockets.”**

They continued, “Paris remains undeterred and will continue fighting for transparency, accountability and fairness for her family."

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Paris is a beneficiary of Jackson’s estate alongside her two brothers, Prince and Bigi. The 27-year-old actress took legal action against Branca and McClain once again in November, alleging that the executors have been taking advantage of their roles as executors of the “PYT” singer’s estate in order to enrich themselves. **

Branca and McClain, conversely, filed an October motion in which they claimed that Paris has received $65 million in benefits from Jackson’s estate over the years, per PEOPLE. The filing also revealed that Jackson was more than half a billion dollars in debt when he died in June 2009.

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