Court Approves $600M Sony Sale by Michael Jackson Estate, Despite Mother’s Objections

A California appeals court has finally ruled that Michael Jackson’s estate can move forward with a $600 million sale of the singer’s catalog to Sony Music. This decision rejects objections from Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, who aimed to block the deal.

Last month, the appeals court issued a tentative decision against Katherine Jackson. On Wednesday, the court finalized that decision, ruling that the estate’s executors, John Branca and John McClain, did not violate the terms of Michael Jackson’s will when they negotiated the sale with Sony.

According to the court, “The will gave the executors broad powers of sale, with no exception for the specific assets at issue in this case.” The court further clarified that it was Michael’s intention to allow the executors to sell any estate assets, including those involved in this transaction.

Additionally, the court dismissed Katherine’s appeal for another reason: her legal team had “forfeited” their arguments by failing to raise them in a lower probate court.

Katherine Jackson’s attorneys have not responded to requests for comment. Although she can still appeal the ruling to the California Supreme Court, her chances of overturning the decision remain slim.

Earlier this year, Billboard reported that the Jackson estate and Sony Music reached an agreement for Sony to purchase half of Michael Jackson’s publishing and recorded masters catalog. The deal is valued at over $600 million.

However, the Jackson estate remains subject to Los Angeles probate court proceedings more than 15 years after Michael Jackson’s death in 2009. As a result, the executors took the then-confidential deal to Judge Mitchell Beckloff for approval, prompting Katherine to file objections. She argued that the sale violated Michael’s wishes and that the catalog would appreciate in value over time.

In April 2023, Judge Beckloff rejected Katherine’s objections and allowed the deal to proceed, leading to her subsequent appeal and the recent appellate court ruling.

In its decision, the court dismissed several of Katherine’s key arguments, including her claim that the sale violated inheritance rules by preventing Michael’s assets from being transferred to his heirs. The court stated that Michael’s will granted Branca and McClain “full power and authority” to make such deals while managing the estate.

The court also noted, “The proposed transaction is not a gift or distribution of estate assets—it is an asset sale, pursuant to which the estate receives a significant monetary payment and interest in a joint venture.” The court emphasized that the transaction would not diminish the estate’s value or hinder the executors’ ability to transfer the assets to the trust in the future.

The ongoing dispute over the Sony deal has exposed internal conflicts among Jackson’s heirs. In March, Jackson’s son, Blanket, asked the judge to stop Katherine from using estate money to fund her legal efforts against the Sony deal. Although both initially opposed the sale, Blanket and his siblings accepted the probate judge’s decision to allow it to proceed.

Later that week, the estate rebutted claims from Katherine’s attorneys that she required estate funds for her legal battle. The executors asserted that Katherine had received more than $55 million since Michael Jackson’s death, highlighting that nearly every request she made for her care and maintenance had been fulfilled, including over $33 million in cash.

A representative for the estate’s executors declined to comment on the recent court ruling.

This story was first published on Billboard.com.

Source: Billboard