Michael Jackson's estate can sell his catalog to Sony: Court
What's the story
A California appeals court has ruled that the late "king of pop" Michael Jackson's estate can proceed with a $600M sale of the singer's catalog to Sony Music, despite objections from his mother, Katherine Jackson. The court stated that the executors of the estate, John Branca and John McClain, did not violate the terms of Michael's will when they agreed to the deal with Sony.
Details
Court rejected Katherine's objections
The court rejected Katherine's objections, stating that she had "forfeited" her arguments by failing to present them before a lower probate court. The court also dismissed her claim that the sale "would violate basic inheritance rules as it would prevent Michael's assets from being transferred to his heirs." The court clarified that the proposed transaction is an asset sale, not a gift or distribution of estate assets.
Deal
Sony to buy half of Jackson's publishing, recorded masters catalog
Earlier in 2024, the Jackson estate and Sony Music reached a deal for the latter to buy half of the singer's publishing and recorded masters catalog for over $600M. However, since the Jackson estate is still pending before a Los Angeles probate court more than 15 years after his 2009 tragic death, his executors sought approval from Judge Mitchell Beckloff for the deal.
History
Katherine's objections were rejected by Judge Mitchell Beckloff
When the executors approached Judge Mitchell Beckloff for approval of the deal, Katherine filed objections, including that the sale "violated Michael's wishes" and that the catalog would likely continue to gain value over time if retained. In April 2023, Beckloff rejected these objections and ruled that the deal could proceed. Katherine then filed an appeal, which led to Wednesday's ruling.
Family feud
Sony deal exposed rifts among Jackson's heirs
The Sony deal has revealed divisions among Jackson's heirs. In March, Jackson's son Blanket requested the judge to prevent his grandmother from using estate money to fund her efforts to block the Sony deal. Although they initially opposed the sale—Blanket and Jackson's other children accepted the probate judge's decision. The estate responded to claims from Katherine's attorneys that she needed estate money to pay for her legal battle, arguing she had received more than $55M since the singer's death.