Judge Dismisses Most of Paris Jackson's Estate Petition

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has struck down most of a petition filed by Paris Jackson challenging the management of her late father Michael Jackson's estate, dealing a significant setback to the 27-year-old musician's efforts to increase oversight of its finances.

On November 10, retired Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff granted a motion from estate executors John Branca and John McClain to dismiss the bulk of Paris's claims under California's anti-SLAPP statute, which protects court filings from retaliatory lawsuits. The ruling, filed two days later, determined that Paris's petition primarily targeted the estate's own protected legal documents and failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success. As a result, the court ordered Paris to cover the executors' attorney fees, though the exact amount remains undetermined. A small portion of her filing survives, focusing on issues like delays in fee approvals and the need for greater transparency in billing.

Paris filed the petition in July, expressing concerns about irregular payments authorized by Branca, an attorney, and McClain, a music executive, who have overseen the estate since Michael's death in June 2009 from acute propofol...