Michael Jackson’s Estate Faces $400M Lawsuit From Accusers

Michael Jackson’s estate is facing a legal storm, and this time it comes with a $400 million rate tag. Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claim Jackson sexually abused them when they were children, are officially demanding the staggering amount in their ongoing lawsuit, according to newly surfaced court documents.

The revelation came to light in filings connected to a separate legal issue involving Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson. Executors of the estate, John Branca and John McClain, disclosed the $400 million figure while addressing Paris’ objections over legal fees the estate has been paying to law firms handling various lawsuits.

In their September 15 court filing, Branca and McClain expressed deep concern over Paris’ push to limit how legal fees are approved. They warned that a decision in her favor could trigger serious consequences, stating that it would have “profoundly destabilizing consequences for the estate.”

They added that the estate “would likely have to default in [Robson and Safechuck’s lawsuit], where numerous depositions, discovery matters, and other matters are scheduled to take place over the next several months, and where [Robson and Safechuck] are seeking $400 million.” They called such a scenario “disastrous.”

The executors further emphasized the turnaround they’ve led for Jackson’s finances.

“It has taken an Estate mired in almost half a billion dollars of debt to a multi-billion dollar powerhouse,” they stated, pushing back on Paris’ request that the court step in.

Paris, today 27, has questioned the scale of legal spending and wants the court to limit the executors’ powers in approving such fees. But the executors insist the charges are standard and essential to protecting the estate’s assets and ventures like “MJ: The Musical,” the MJ One Cirque show, and an upcoming feature film.

Robson and Safechuck, who previously shared their accounts in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, allege they were repeatedly abused by Jackson starting when they were just 7 and 10 years old. Safechuck said he met Jackson during a Pepsi commercial shoot in 1986 and was later invited into the pop star’s inner circle.

They are suing Jackson’s companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, which have denied all allegations.

Without legal support, the estate warns, it could not only lose this case but also jeopardize the management of Jackson’s intellectual property. “The Estate would also lose the benefit of counsel maintaining its intellectual property portfolio, the lifeblood of its businesses,” the motion reads.

With one of beat’s most iconic legacies on the line, and a $400 million lawsuit in play, the fight over how the estate is run has never been more high-stakes.