Paris Jackson’s bitter battle over her late father Michael Jackson’s fortune has taken another dramatic turn.
A Los Angeles judge ruled Wednesday that the King of Pop’s longtime estate executor, John Branca, can keep certain financial information confidential amid ongoing litigation over his handling of the estate, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
In two separate rulings issued Nov. 4, Judge Brenda J. Penny granted Branca’s requests to seal limited portions of court filings containing confidential information about the executor’s attorney fees, legal costs and estate accounting.
One order specifically allows Branca to conceal “confidential, nonpublic information regarding the amount of Executor incurred attorney fees and costs” involved in litigation over the reasonableness of his actions.
The second ruling concerns information related to the estate’s “Fourteenth Account Current and Report of Administration of Estate and Petition for Settlement Thereof; and for Instructions Re Family Allowance.”
The judge determined that making the information public could create a “substantial probability of prejudice” to the estate’s interests in pending litigation, future negotiations and ongoing business matters.
Both motions were unopposed.
The rulings mark a legal victory for Branca as he continues facing scrutiny over his management of the late singer’s multibillion-dollar estate.
However, the orders do not indicate that Paris, 28, opposed the requests or that the judge ruled directly against her.
In a third court order issued the same day, attorneys informed the judge that a separate matter involving motions previously heard on Oct. 7 had been resolved.
The document does not specify the terms of the resolution or identify which issues were settled.
Reps for Paris and Branca did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
The latest developments come just days after Paris demanded that Branca transfer $600 million from her father’s estate into the family trust intended to benefit her and her brothers, Prince, 29, and Bigi, 24.
As Page Six exclusively reported, the singer filed a bombshell petition Oct. 29 accusing Branca of withholding the siblings’ inheritance and maintaining an “iron grip” over when and how much money they receive.
Paris claims the family trust remains unfunded more than 17 years after her father’s death, despite the estate generating billions of dollars.
She further alleges that Branca retaliated against her for questioning his handling of the estate by reducing payments to her and her brothers by millions of dollars.
According to the filing, Michael intended for his children to begin receiving income from their respective trusts at age 21, followed by portions of their principal inheritance at ages 30, 35 and 40.
Paris argues the estate has approximately $600 million available for distribution even after accounting for outstanding financial obligations.
A spokesperson for the estate previously denied her allegations, telling Page Six that the claim Branca withheld or reduced payments was “a complete fabrication.”
The representative insisted that more than $200 million had already been distributed to or spent for the benefit of Michael’s children and other beneficiaries.
The estate also maintained that unresolved legal matters, including an ongoing dispute with the IRS, have prevented the family trust from being fully funded.
Paris’s petition is scheduled for a hearing Dec. 3.
Michael died in June 2009 at age 50.
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