Joe Jackson wants allowance from Michael's estate

Joe Jackson, the elderly father of late pop star Michael Jackson, has filed a court petition seeking an allowance from the singer's estate, saying his son had supported him for many years.

The legal filing in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Michael Jackson's estate has earned an estimated US$100 million (NZ$140 million) since the singer's sudden death on June 25, and administrators expect it to earn US$100 million more by the end of the year.

The filing claims Joe Jackson, who suffers from diabetes, was supported by Michael Jackson before his sudden death through payments made to the singer's mother and Joe Jackson's wife, Katherine Jackson, which were passed on to Joe Jackson.

Joe Jackson says his expenses exceed $20,000 per month, but his income from US Social Security is a mere $1700.

"Mr Jackson's circumstances require a family allowance because he is 81 years old and Michael Jackson supported him in the same manner as his wife, Katherine Jackson, who was Michael's mother and who the court granted a family allowance on October 2," says the petition.

Michael Jackson, known as the King of Pop for his chart-topping record career, died of a drug overdose on June 25 at age 50 in Los Angeles only weeks before he was to have begun a series of comeback concerts in London.

Since then, a movie about the singer has taken in US$144 million at global box offices. Sales of his old records have seen a resurgence, and this past week the soundtrack for "This Is It" topped US record charts with sales of 373,000 copies.

In his will, Michael Jackson left his estate to a family trust benefiting his three children, mother and charities.

When the estate's administrators sought court approval for an allowance to help Katherine Jackson pay her expenses, they excluded Joe Jackson "without cause and for no apparent reason," according to the petition filed on Friday.

A declaration accompanying the filing states that in the early 2000s, Michael Jackson paid Katherine Jackson roughly US$50,000 a month and that amount grew to US$66,000 per month later this decade.

The declaration claims Michael Jackson knew some of that money was passed along to Joe Jackson to help him pay his expenses, and the suit says those payments have now stopped.