Entertainment

Court Approves $600,000,000 Sale Of Michael Jackson’s Catalogue Amid Family Drama

(Photo by Phil Dent/Redferns) Getty Images

Leena Nasir Entertainment Reporter
Font Size:

Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued a final ruling Wednesday permitting Michael Jackson’s estate to proceed with the $600 million sale of his catalogue to Sony Music.

This California appeals court ruling comes after Jackson’s mother, Katherine, attempted to block the deal, according to Billboard. Katherine reportedly issued objections to the sale, claiming it “violated Michael’s wishes.” The court ruled that the state’s executors, John Branca and John McClain, did not break the terms of Jackson’s will when they agree to sell to Sony, the outlet reported.

“The will gave the executors broad powers of sale, with no exception for the specific assets at issue in this case,” the court wrote, according to Billboard.

Michael Jackson performs on stage at the taping of the �American Bandstand�s 50th � A Celebration!", to air on ABC TV on May 3, 2002. (Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage) Getty Images

Michael Jackson performs on stage at the taping of the �American Bandstand�s 50th � A Celebration!”, to air on ABC TV on May 3, 2002. (Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage) Getty Images

The Jackson estate and Sony Music reached a deal that would award half of the legendary singer’s catalogue to the entertainment giant at the cost of over $600 million Billboard previously reported. The deal reportedly included publishing and recorded masters.

Katherine challenged the initial ruling, claiming it violated standard inheritance rules by blocking the transfer of all of Jackson’s assets to his heirs, the outlet reported. The court confirmed the validity of a prior ruling, reportedly saying, “As such, [a lower judge] did not err in concluding that it was Michael’s intent to allow the executors to sell any estate assets, including those at issue in the proposed transaction.”

Michael Jackson performs during a taping for the "American Bandstand's 50th...A Celebration!", in Pasadena, California Saturday April 20, 2002. (Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage) Getty Images

Michael Jackson performs during a taping for the “American Bandstand’s 50th…A Celebration!”, in Pasadena, California Saturday April 20, 2002. (Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage) Getty Images

“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 asserted, according to Billboard.

“While the proposed transaction will result in the estate exchanging assets for cash and other valuable rights, it neither diminishes the estate’s value nor impairs the executors’ future ability to transfer the estate’s assets to the trust,” the court reportedly added.

Michael Jackson (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) Getty Images

Michael Jackson (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) Getty Images

It was also noted that Katherine had “forfeited” her arguments by failing to raise her objections with the lower probate court, Billboard reported. Katherine is still able to appeal the ruling to the California Supreme Court, although the chances for overturning the ruling remain low, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Newly Filed Court Documents Reveal Michael Jackson Was $500 Million In Debt: REPORT)

The Jackson family has been at legal odds over a number of issues since the star’s death in 2009. Jackson’s son Blanket previously requested the courts stop his grandmother from using estate money to fund her efforts to block the Sony deal. Blanket and Jackson’s other children have not disputed the probate judge’s ruling, according to Billboard.

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel