Robson and Safechuck seek $400M as Paris challenges estate fees

Executors of Michael Jackson's estate revealed in Los Angeles court filings on Sept. 15 that two men who have accused the late singer of sexual abuse are seeking 400 million in damages, a previously undisclosed figure that has become central to a separate dispute between the estate and Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson, over payment of legal fees. The disclosure came as executors John Branca and John McClain defended payments to multiple law firms, arguing that failing to cover those fees would leave the estate unable to defend itself in the Robson and Safechuck litigation.

Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who detailed their allegations in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, have long sued Jackson's companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, alleging abuse as children. Robson first filed suit in 2013 and Safechuck in 2014. An appeals court revived parts of the litigation in 2023 and a trial remains scheduled for next year, according to the filings. Representatives for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In the filings, Branca and McClain said that if the court limits the executors' ability to pay outside counsel as Paris Jackson has...