Paris Jackson's Bid to Take Down Her Late Father's Estate Hits Major Roadblock
A Los Angeles judge has ruled that most of Paris Jackson's complaint against her late father Michael Jackson's estate can be struck from the record, citing California's anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute.
The ruling came on Monday, leaving only a small piece of Paris' original complaint remaining in contention. According to court documents, Paris had filed a lawsuit claiming that she was "concerned" regarding payments being made by her father's estate, specifically unapproved bonus payments to law firms.
However, the judge has ruled that these concerns are unfounded and that Paris' lawsuit amounts to an abuse of the judicial process. The anti-SLAPP statute is designed to prevent individuals from filing lawsuits solely to harass or intimidate others, and in this case, it seems to be protecting the estate's executors, John Branca and John McClain.
Despite the setback, a spokesperson for Paris has told Page Six that she plans to refile her petition. The spokesperson maintained that Paris will continue to fight for her family's interests, citing "a pattern of behavior displayed by the executors and their attorneys" that raises significant red flags.
The dispute centers on payments made by the estate to law firms, with Paris claiming that these payments are lavish gratuities bestowed upon already well-compensated counsel. The estate has responded by stating that it's simply following a typical playbook for an estate of this nature.
Meanwhile, the King of Pop's estate has also claimed that Paris has been paid $65 million from her father's estate, including benefits received from the estate's sale and other transactions. They argue that their business judgment has taken the estate from "nothing but debt" to a $2 billion powerhouse in the music industry.
As the dispute continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether Paris will be successful in her bid to take down her late father's estate.
A Los Angeles judge has ruled that most of Paris Jackson's complaint against her late father Michael Jackson's estate can be struck from the record, citing California's anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute.
The ruling came on Monday, leaving only a small piece of Paris' original complaint remaining in contention. According to court documents, Paris had filed a lawsuit claiming that she was "concerned" regarding payments being made by her father's estate, specifically unapproved bonus payments to law firms.
However, the judge has ruled that these concerns are unfounded and that Paris' lawsuit amounts to an abuse of the judicial process. The anti-SLAPP statute is designed to prevent individuals from filing lawsuits solely to harass or intimidate others, and in this case, it seems to be protecting the estate's executors, John Branca and John McClain.
Despite the setback, a spokesperson for Paris has told Page Six that she plans to refile her petition. The spokesperson maintained that Paris will continue to fight for her family's interests, citing "a pattern of behavior displayed by the executors and their attorneys" that raises significant red flags.
The dispute centers on payments made by the estate to law firms, with Paris claiming that these payments are lavish gratuities bestowed upon already well-compensated counsel. The estate has responded by stating that it's simply following a typical playbook for an estate of this nature.
Meanwhile, the King of Pop's estate has also claimed that Paris has been paid $65 million from her father's estate, including benefits received from the estate's sale and other transactions. They argue that their business judgment has taken the estate from "nothing but debt" to a $2 billion powerhouse in the music industry.
As the dispute continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether Paris will be successful in her bid to take down her late father's estate.
I'm not surprised by this ruling, it seems like an executors' move to silence Paris and prevent any further scrutiny on their questionable actions 
. The fact that most of her complaint can be struck from the record kinda says it all - they're trying to bury the truth. 
I do feel for Paris, she's got a right to know what's going on with her dad's estate and make sure her family's interests are protected 
. But at the same time, it's gotta be frustrating for her that she can't just get to the bottom of things without being slapped with an anti-SLAPP law 
. This case is gonna keep playing out in the public eye, I'm keeping an eye on it... 
she's already dealing with so much after losing michael 
and now this lawsuit thingy is just adding more stress to her life ugh. i think the court ruling was pretty harsh tho 
but at the same time, i can understand why the estate would wanna protect themselves 
maybe paris should refile her petition and try to get some new lawyers 
'cause this one seems like a real bummer 
paris is really fighting for what she thinks is right but i feel bad for john branca and john mcclain they're just trying to do their job 
meanwhile the estate is getting all this cash from paris' dad's music sales and they're like "oh we're just following protocol" 
. It feels like the executors are using that anti-SLAPP law to silence her and avoid accountability. 
. Maybe there's some truth to those "red flags" she mentioned... would be interesting to learn more about that 
. i hope paris gets some answers soon, this whole thing is giving me major stress 
she just wants to know what's goin on with her dad's estate and apparently nobody's been transparent about it 
. And the fact that her original complaint got most of it stricken from the record because of an anti-SLAPP law? That just seems like a way to silence her and protect the estate's interests.
. We'll have to see how this plays out in court, but one thing's for sure: it's going to be a wild ride 
.
. The judge's ruling is pretty harsh, but maybe refileing her complaint will lead to some real progress 
i hope she refiles this thing and really makes some noise about it...this fam drama needs to get sorted out ASAP! 
. i mean, i can see both sides - paris might be worried about how her dad's estate is being run, and the executors might think they're just following procedure 
meanwhile, it's pretty interesting that the estate is claiming paris has already gotten $65 million from her dad... like, what's left for anyone else? 
. But if you're gonna play the victim card, you gotta bring your A-game 