Negotiating in a Hurricane: John Branca and the Michael Jackson Estate

When the "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, unexpectedly died in 2009, he left behind an estate that was over $500 million in debt, with largely illiquid assets, and legions of creditors poised to begin to seize assets in as soon as 60 days. The task of managing Jackson’s estate, in the role of co-executor—bitterly contested by some members of the Jackson family—fell to celebrated entertainment lawyer John Branca, who was re-hired by Jackson just two weeks prior to his death after on-and-off engagements with the entertainer since the mid-1980s. Soon after Jackson’s death, Branca’s closest colleagues and advisors recommended that he begin to sell assets, but he decided to go down a different path. This case explores the intricately executed series of negotiations Branca undertook to revive Jackson’s legacy with many initiatives including a major movie deal, lucrative multi-album recording agreements, two Cirque de Soleil shows, a Tony Award winning Broadway musical, and even more ambitious plans. While Jackson had earned about a billion dollars during his lifetime as a performer, Branca’s stewardship brought the entertainer's estate from the edge of bankruptcy a value of about three billion dollars and rising.