Katherine Jackson has lost an appeal against Michael Jackson’s estate over a proposed catalogue sale.
In recent years, the Jackson family matriarch has filed multiple objections to a plan to sell half of Michael’s catalogue to Sony Music Group, with the deal reportedly worth $600 million (£458 million).
And on Wednesday, editors at People reported that Katherine’s latest appeal has also been rejected by a judge at a Los Angeles court, with it decided that her claims “lack merit” and that John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of The Michael Jackson Family Trust, did not violate the terms of the trust or Michael’s will when making the deal.
“Here, the will gave the executors broad powers of sale, with no exception for the specific assets at issue in this case,” the court filing states. “As such, the probate court 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.”
In addition, the judge also shut down Katherine’s attempt to block the massive deal, noting she had “forfeited” her argument because she didn’t make a claim before a lower-level probate court.
Lawyers for Katherine, now 94, have not yet commented on the decision.
When Michael died at age 50 in 2009, his estate was transferred to The Michael Jackson Family Trust, with beneficiaries including his three children – Prince, 27, Paris, 26, and Bigi, 22 – and unnamed charities. Katherine is a lifetime beneficiary of a sub-trust.
Jackson’s estate reportedly brings in approximately $75 million (£57 million) annually.
Earlier this year, editors at Billboard claimed the bosses at Sony had closed a deal to buy half of Michael’s publishing and recording masters for around $600 million.
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