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Estate Executors Call Paris Jackson’s Challenge ‘Naïve’

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — A source familiar with the estate’s position said the executors do not see this dispute as a personal clash with Paris. Rather, the source characterized the objections as stemming from her attorney’s lack of familiarity with complex entertainment estates

Published

1 year ago

July 15, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The long-running administration of Michael Jackson’s estate has entered another contentious phase, as co-executors John Branca and John McClain filed a new supplement defending their decision to pay significant legal fees, including $250,000 bonuses to outside attorneys—while accusing Paris Jackson’s lawyers of lodging untimely and misguided objections.

In the Fifth Supplement to the Fee Petition, filed July 14, 2025, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the executors state that Paris Jackson’s objections—submitted more than a year after the original petition—should be overruled outright. The filing contends that no other heirs or the California Attorney General have opposed the payments. Paris Jackson, 27, is the second child and only daughter of the late pop legend Michael Jackson. Her biological mother is Debbie Rowe, an ex-wife of Jackson who signed over custody of Paris and her brother, Prince Jackson, following the couple’s divorce in 1999. Paris and Prince’s youngest sibling is Blanket “Bigi” Jackson.

A source familiar with the estate’s position said the executors do not see this dispute as a personal clash with Paris. Rather, the source characterized the objections as stemming from her attorney’s lack of familiarity with complex entertainment estates, describing the lawyer as relatively inexperienced in this area and not part of a major Los Angeles-based firm. According to the source, the estate’s team views the objections as reflecting “a large amount of naïveté” about how music industry transactions are handled. Central to the dispute is the compensation awarded to two law firms, Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP and Greenberg Traurig LLP. The executors argue these firms were pivotal in negotiating the 2018 sale of the estate’s minority stake in EMI Music Publishing to Sony for $287.5 million—an asset they say the estate acquired in 2012 for just $47,500. At the time of that acquisition, EMI’s publishing division controlled 1.3 million copyrights, with a catalog that included music by Arcade Fire, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Drake, Jay-Z, Norah Jones, Pink, Rihanna, and Usher. The sale reportedly generated a return of more than 6,000 times the initial investment.

“This was not an asset that Michael or the Estate owned at the time of Michael’s death,” the filing asserts, adding that it was the executors’ “ingenuity and strategic negotiations” that created this value. They maintain that the attorneys’ expertise in entertainment transactions justified fees beyond hourly rates, describing such arrangements as “common” in the music business. The firms were paid $250,000 bonuses in December 2018, in addition to regular billing. Paris Jackson’s legal team argued that the executors exceeded their authority by paying more than 70% of legal fees “on account” without court approval. Branca and McClain disputed that interpretation and cited a February 3, 2010, court order authorizing them to retain and pay legal counsel—such as litigation, trademark, and corporate attorneys—on an ongoing basis in connection with the operation of the MJJ Business. The executors emphasized that this order did not impose a 70% limit on those payments. According to the filing, “to the contrary,” the court specifically recognized the need to allow the executors discretion to assemble a highly experienced legal team to manage the business.

The executors also stated that, despite the lack of any restriction, they generally withheld 30% of billed fees as a matter of practice, with exceptions when they believed payment in full served the estate’s best interests. They noted the estate has received investment earnings on those withheld amounts. The filing argues that since Michael Jackson’s death, the executors and their legal teams have transformed the MJJ Business—which had been saddled with more than $500 million in debt—into an enterprise with assets now worth several billion dollars. The estate’s attorneys have represented the estate in more than fifteen lawsuits in the United States and have coordinated with counsel in Europe and Japan. Almost all litigation against the estate and nearly all of the 65 creditor claims have been resolved favorably. In addition to defending the $250,000 payments, the executors pushed back on objections to a smaller $4,675 payment to Blank Rome LLP. They characterized this as “de minimis” and pointed out that courts have previously excused declarations for such modest amounts. However, they offered to provide additional documentation if the court requests it.

Under the terms of Michael Jackson’s trust arrangements, his children do not gain full control of their trust funds until they reach age 40. According to Carolina Family Estate Planning, they receive allowances starting at age 21, with access to the first third of their share at age 30, a second third at age 35, and full access at age 40. The supplement also asks the court to strike certain “affirmative relief” requests in Paris Jackson’s objections as improperly presented under California procedural rules. The executors warned that pursuing the objections would further drain estate resources and create additional delays, calling the effort “not in the interest of…the other beneficiaries.” If the court declines to summarily reject the objections, Branca and McClain request a formal evidentiary hearing and propose that retired Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff serve as referee under a stipulation signed by the executors and other Jackson heirs, including Katherine Jackson and Michael’s sons, Prince and Bigi. The filing states that the Attorney General has not objected to referring such matters to the retired judge. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 16, 2025, before Judge Brenda Penny in Los Angeles.

Stacy M. Brown

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NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper with nine seconds left for the game winning touchdown as his team beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Hurts finished the day 26/37 for 264 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 […]
The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2026

Oakland Post

Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 yards. During the final drive Hurts went 6-8 with 61 passing yards and the touchdown. Titans defensive tackle — and team captain — Jeffery Simmons said this week that the way to defend Jalen Hurts is to make him “play quarterback.”

Hurts said to Simmons after today’s game: “You started that sh**. I had to finish it.”

Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger in the first half but he ultimately finished the game. He had four carries and nine yards and one catch for eleven yards. He will get an MRI for his injury, but admitted to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network he was fine.

Caleb Williams leaves game against Vikings with apparent lower-body injury

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was helped off the field with a right leg injury with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Williams was down, writhing in pain after scrambling to his left. After departing the injury tent, Williams raised his right fist, acknowledging the crowd while expressing his frustration. Testing will commence on Monday to find out more details about his injury.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Johnson admitted regarding Williams’ injury. “He’s in good spirits. He’s a team player.”

Williams finished the day with 138 passing yards and one interception.

“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee — that was my first inclination,” Johnson said. “But, a hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Bryce Young once again dominated the Falcons

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 5-1 against the Atlanta Falcons and is undefeated at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today, Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Panthers to a 34-3 dismembering of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia Tech alumnus Darren Waller caught two touchdowns and linebacker Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

Cooper Rush started his second straight game for the Falcons and it did not go well. The partisan crowd voiced their displeasure after Rush completed 10/17 passes for 86 yards and two interceptions. Jack Strand entered the game for Rush prompting cheers from the Falcons fans. The rookie threw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt. Strand was the first QB to accomplish that feat since Sam Darnold in 2018 and is the first Falcons player to do that since Brett Favre in 1991. Strand finished the day with 59 passing yards and 16 rushing yards.

According to reports, quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is expected to make his season debut this Thursday at the Green Bay Packers. His return should help the Falcons. They are the first team since the 2008 Rams to not run any plays in the red zone after the first two games to open a season.

The bright spots for the Falcons today were the Spelman College Jaguarettes performing with the Falcons cheerleaders and Florida A&M’s marching band, The Marching 100, also performed during halftime!

Jayden Daniels gets carted off after apparent arm injury

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared to injure his left elbow on the final play of the first half in his game against the Dallas Cowboys. During the play, Daniels got stepped on, braced himself for the fall, and his elbow bent the wrong way. Daniels draped a towel over his head as he exited the field on the cart.

He was later ruled out.

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow to the same arm during week nine of last season against the Washington Commanders, which led to him being shut down for the remainder of the season.

The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win

Master the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework with Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt. Learn every stage, tactic, and win!
The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2026

Oakland Post

Negotiation framework stages, tactics, and winning strategies from AutoNetwork

Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt deliver the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework in Episode 8 of The Color of Our Money Is Green. This episode covers the three foundations of every effective negotiation, the full seven-stage negotiation sequence with exact language for every stage, and five of the most common dealership tactics with the specific response each one requires.
What You Learn in This Episode:
The three foundations that make every negotiation tactic work
The complete seven-stage car-buying negotiation sequence
Exact language for every stage of the dealership conversation
Five common dealership tactics — the turnover, the four-square, the packed payment, spot delivery, and forced add-ons — and how to counter each one
Why signing preliminary paperwork isn’t the same as signing the final contract
___________________________________________________________________
“The Color of Our Money Is Green: A Buyer’s Guide to What Cars Actually Cost” — stan.store/RGist
____________________________________________________________________
AutoNetwork helps serious car shoppers inspect any new vehicle online before walking into a dealership. I’m Roosevelt — I’ve been reviewing cars and shaping digital car buying and credit union auto leasing since before YouTube car reviews existed.
You’ll find detailed walkaround reviews, POV test drives, and buyer-focused breakdowns covering comfort, space, features, and real-world value.

How to use the channel:
Watch the walkaround of the car you’re considering
Visit AutoNetwork.com for the full review
Check CouponsOffersAndDeals.com for current dealer specials
Walk in already knowing what you want — and what it should cost

AutoNetwork.com
CouponsOffersAndDeals.com
Affiliate disclosure: some links earn a small commission at no cost to you and help support the channel. Insta360 is one of those partners.

The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Mazda CX-90 Luxury: Heated Seats & Premium Comfort! #shorts

Stay toasty in the CX-90! Plush Nappa leather, heated/ventilated seats, and a memory-equipped heated steering wheel deliver ultimate luxury.
The post Mazda CX-90 Luxury: Heated Seats & Premium Comfort! #shorts appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2026

Oakland Post

Mazda CX-90 interior with heated seats offering premium comfort.

Experience ultimate comfort in the CX-90. Nappa leather, heated/ventilated seats, 8-way power adjustments, and memory settings for both front passengers. The heated steering wheel with memory tilt/telescope adds premium convenience.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EH5A4eQ4ipY