Michael Jackson’s estate claims mother Katherine has received more than $55m since his death

Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, has reportedly received more than $55m (£43.7) from his estate since the pop star’s death in 2009.

The revelation from a new court filing comes as the King of Pop’s youngest son, Bigi, was said to have filed a motion to block Katherine, 93, from using the money to fund an undisclosed legal battle.

Jackson died from a cardiac arrest as a result of a propofol overdose, aged 50, in 2009.

TMZ reports that Katherine has since received more than $33m (£26.2m) in cash from a $166,000 (£132,000) per month allowance, along with $15m (£11.9m) to buy and improve her home, which comes with a private gardener, chef and security.

Bigi, 22, is reportedly attempting to block Katherine from using more of the estate’s money to fund the legal dispute, believed to be over its recent catalogue deal with record label Sony, worth a rumoured $600m (£476.8m).

Formerly known as Blanket, Bigi – who was born Prince Michael Jackson II via surrogate in 2002 – has apparently submitted legal documents arguing that Katherine should pay for her own legal bills, stating that it would be “unfair” for him and his siblings, Paris and Prince, who are heirs to Jackson’s estate, to pay for the case.

The Independent has contacted Katherine Jackson’s representatives for comment.

Katherine surrendered her guardianship of Bigi to his older cousin, Tito Joe Jackson, in 2017, having formerly held joint guardianship.

Bigi has remained largely out of the public eye since his father’s death. He was included in a rare photograph shared by his sister, Paris Jackson, as a Father’s Day tribute last year.

Reposting a photo shared by a fan account on Sunday (18 June), Paris wrote on her Instagram story: “Happy father’s day”.

In the photo, the family are standing in a kitchen, as Michael is holding a young Bigi in his arms while the other two children are baking a cake, with Prince standing at the counter and Paris holding a wooden mixing spoon.

In 2021, Bigi made a rare TV appearance to call on world leaders to take action over the climate crisis. Two years prior to this, his father had been the subject of a controversial documentary, Leaving Neverland, which delved into allegations by two men that the “Thriller” artist sexually abused them as children.

The Jackson estate vehemently denies claims that the singer sexually abused young boys; the allegations were never proven in court. Jackson was acquitted of child molestation in 2005.

Earlier this week, Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed hit out at a forthcoming biopic, which is being made in collaboration with the late pop star’s estate, for allegedly ignoring the allegations against Jackson.

Michael is being billed as a definitive cinematic portrayal of the “Billie Jean” singer’s legacy.

Early reports on the casting announcements appeared to suggest that the film will focus on Jackson’s positive contributions to the music industry and his legacy.