An ugly legal battle between the Michael Jackson estate and the late pop legend’s mother Katherine Jackson revealed an interesting figure. In a legal filing made by the estate attempting to avoid having to pay for Jackson’s legal bills in preventing an undisclosed recent business deal, it was revealed that (according to the estate), Katherine Jackson has gotten payments adding up to a total of $55 million since her son died in 2009.
It’s not known for sure what deal Katherine Jackson was attempting to block in court, although the obvious conclusion is that she wanted to prevent the recent $600 million sale of a portion of the Michael Jackson catalog to Sony. But whatever it was, the estate’s executors don’t think they should have to pay for it:
“Contrary to claims made by Mrs. Jackson’s counsel, the executors have in fact provided liberally for Mrs. Jackson’s maintenance, care and well being…Since Michael’s death, the executors have expended for Mrs. Jackson’s benefit more than $55 million.”
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That includes $33 million in cash payments, including a monthly allowance of $160,000, a mansion reportedly worth $15 million, and a payment of $3.7 million made in December of last year to settle a tax bill. And in the filing, the estate’s lawyers attempt to make clear that this matter is specifically about Katherine’s legal bills and that she will continue to be provided for by the estate’s considerable resources:
“Importantly, this petition is not about Mrs. Jackson’s maintenance, care, comfort and support…This petition is about payment of attorneys’ fees for an objection filed on Mrs. Jackson’s behalf, which the court overruled, and the subsequent, frivolous and still pending appeal.”
Even Michael Jackson’s son Blanket has expressed that he thought his grandmother’s appeal for compensation for legal bills was a “long shot,” but now it’s up to a judge to decide. It’s unclear how his siblings Paris and Prince Michael feel about the situation