Jackson's estate opposes father's cash bid

Superstar Michael Jackson's estate is opposing a bid by his father to receive a monthly allowance, saying it would take money away from the singer's young children.

Lawyers for estate administrators John Branca and John McClain filed papers yesterday opposing Joe Jackson's efforts to get more than 15,000 dollars (£9,300) a month from his son's estate.

They said Joe Jackson had failed to show that his son supported him while he was alive. Jackson, 50, died on June 25 in Los Angeles.

The filings also note that the singer omitted his father as a beneficiary in his will and trust, and that any money paid to Joe Jackson would reduce the estate's assets available for Michael Jackson's mother and three children.

The children, Katherine Jackson and various unnamed charities are the only beneficiaries of Michael Jackson's estate.

Katherine Jackson and the children are receiving more than 86,000 dollars a month, and the administrators recently moved to increase the monthly payments. The exact allowance amount has not been released.

Joe Jackson filed for the monthly allowance in November, saying he had little income and relied on his son's help to survive.

It will be up to a judge to decide whether Joe Jackson receives any money from the estate. A hearing on the petition is scheduled for January 28.

A former steelworker in Gary, Indiana, Joe Jackson managed and trained his children and organised the Jackson 5. He has been married to Katherine Jackson for 50 years, but he lists his home in Las Vegas. She lives at a family home in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.