Subscribe
Follow Us
A Michigan jury has settled the years-long family conflict over the estate of legendary singer Aretha Franklin. After a two-day trial, the jury deliberated for less than an hour before determining that a four-page document, written by Franklin in 2014 and found under a couch cushion months after her death in 2018, should be recognized as her will, according to APNews. The verdict dismisses a longer and more detailed document from 2010.
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Michigan jury finds handwritten document found in singer Aretha Franklin’s couch is a valid will. pic.twitter.com/xZ2WQnyrzw
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 11, 2023
The resolution brings an end to over four years of uncertainty that had caused divisions within Franklin's family. It also paves the way for the division of income and assets from her estate according to her true wishes.
The victory in court goes to Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, who had argued that the papers dated 2014 should supersede the 2010 will, which was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at the late singer's suburban Detroit home.
Initially, it was believed that Aretha Franklin had died without leaving a will. Under Michigan law, her assets would have been divided equally among her four sons. However, the discovery of the handwritten documents in 2019 brought forth a new legal battle.
After the verdict was announced, Aretha Franklin's grandchildren expressed their support by embracing Kecalf and Edward. Kecalf Franklin, expressing his relief, said, “I'm very, very happy. I just wanted my mother's wishes to be adhered to. We just want to exhale right now. It's been a long five years for my family, my children.”
While the singer did not leave behind a formal, typewritten will, the handwritten documents with their scribbles and hard-to-decipher passages gained significance in the legal proceedings. In the closing arguments, lawyers for Franklin's sons stressed that the discovery of the papers in an unexpected location should not undermine their validity.
