Michael Jackson Estate Scores Victory In Legal Battle With His Mother Over $600 Million Sony Catalog Sale

Michael Jackson's estate has won a tentative court ruling that would allow it to proceed with a $600 million sale of the singer's catalog to Sony Music, overcoming his mother's objections aimed at blocking the deal.

Kathryn Jackson had argued that the huge deal violated the terms of Michael's will, but a California appeals court provisionally ruled on Wednesday (July 17) that she had “lost” that argument by failing to take it to a lower court.

Even if he had made that argument correctly, the appeals court said the executors of the estate had the power to make the agreement. The court said that Jackson's will had been assigned to executors (John Branca and John McClain) with the power to “sell, invest or otherwise manage real estate” while they were in charge.

“The court is inclined to affirm the probate court's order granting the executors' request to proceed with the proposed transaction,” the appeals court wrote in its decision, obtained by Advertising sign. “We tentatively conclude that Katherine's challenge fails on the merits because the court's order does not violate the terms of Michael's will.”

Such “tentative” rulings must be finalized before they are officially issued, but they strongly indicate how the court plans to rule. Katherine's attorney did not return a request for comment Thursday. A spokesman for the Jackson estate declined to comment. News of the interim ruling was first reported by Rolling rock.

As reported by Advertising sign earlier this year, Jackson's estate and Sony Music reached a deal that will see the music giant buy half of the singer's catalog of releases and recorded masters for more than $600 million.

But with Jackson's estate still pending before a Los Angeles court more than 15 years after his 2009 death, his executors took the then-confidential settlement to the judge Mitchell Beckloff for approval. When they did, Katherine raised objections—among them that the sale “violated Michael's wishes” and that the inventory would likely continue to gain value over time if held.

In April 2023, Beckloff overruled these objections and ruled that the deal could go ahead. Katherine then appealed, resulting in Wednesday's tentative ruling.

The dispute over the Sony deal has exposed rifts among Jackson's heirs. In March, Jackson's son Blanket asked a judge to block his grandmother from using money from the estate to finance her efforts to block the Sony deal. Although both had initially objected to the sale, Blanket and Jackson's other children accepted the judge's ruling allowing it to proceed.

Later that week, the estate responded to claims by Kathryn's lawyers that it needed money for the estate to pay for her legal battle, claiming it had received more than $55 million since the singer's death. The executors of the estate argued that “virtually none of Ms. Jackson's requests for her care or maintenance have been denied,” including more than $33 million in cash.