Jackson family oppose will request

Michael Jackson’s family wants to delay the appointment of two men as temporary administrators of the pop superstar’s estate.

The family is asking for more time to investigate his estate, to see if another will emerges, and to accommodate his memorial service tomorrow, said a family source.

The family is making a court application to postpone naming lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain, who are designated in a five-page will as administrators to shepherd Jackson’s estate into a private trust.

Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, was granted some limited powers over the singer’s estate days after his death. But because Branca and McClain are named as executors in the 2002 will, it was expected that they would be granted more authority to oversee Jackson’s estate, estimated at more than €360m, in a scheduled hearing today.

Jackson’s mother and those close to her want “time to further investigate the circumstances and individuals that were surrounding Michael Jackson during his final days,” the source said.

In court filings, lawyers for Katherine Jackson ask Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff to delay naming of Branca and McClain as the estate’s administrators. Lawyers for the two men argue their appointment is crucial to controlling Jackson’s diverse financial interests and its liabilities, which include refunds due on the series of London concerts that have been cancelled, and several lawsuits.

The source said Katherine Jackson also wants the delay to see if any newer wills emerge.

“She wants to know what happened to her son before appointing individuals to take over his estate worth over a billion dollars,” they said.

In court filings, Katherine Jackson’s lawyers say it would be “premature” to contest the 2002 will, but they also note that several wills may have been filed. The 2002 will stated that Jackson wanted his three children entrusted to his mother who has been named a temporary guardian until July 13.

Today’s hearing will be crucial in deciding who takes control of Jackson’s financial empire. A judge last week delayed a hearing on who should have custody of Jackson’s three children, making today’s hearing entirely about the singer’s fortune.

Experts say the Branca and McClain have an upper hand going into the hearing because they were designated by Jackson. In Branca’s case, he helped organise one of the singer’s smartest financial moves – acquiring a stake in the Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalogue, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady GaGa and the Jonas Brothers.

Branca also helped Jackson acquire the rights to his own master recordings, which include ample material for new music to be released posthumously.

Gaining even temporary control of Jackson’s estate is key, lawyers for Branca and McClain argue in court filings, because they can begin tapping into the singer’s earning potential by licensing “records, music, TV, publishing, pay-per-view, theatrical” properties.