As Aretha Franklin’s Heirs Dispute Control of Estate, Judge Orders Court Supervision

The reigning queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, died in August of last year and the world believed that passed away without a will. But the discovery of three handwritten documents found in her home foreshadowed a rocky and emotional road for her family.

If Franklin had indeed died intestate, Michigan law dictated that because she did not have a spouse at the time of her death, her $80 million estate would have been divided equally among her four sons. But in each of the wills, provided specific provisions to be made for her oldest son, who reportedly has special needs, and that the balance of assets would then be distributed equally among her other three sons. But there remains a question of whether Franklin did create the wills herself, and the youngest son, Kecalf, convinced the judge to have a handwriting expert examine the wills to ensure his mother wrote the documents.

Aretha’s niece, Sabrina Owens, was originally named the estate’s personal representative, but Kecalf has also petitioned the court to replace her – with him, thus causing dissention among the family. Owens was Aretha’s choice to handle her estate, and she is known to be a capable business person, but the largest asset to the estate is no surprise: the rights to the diva’s music catalog and likeness. If properly managed, these can be a financial powerhouse to the heirs and preserve their mother’s legacy for future generations.

See Cozen O’Connor, As Aretha Franklin’s Heirs Dispute Control of Estate, Judge Orders Court Supervision, Lexology, September 11, 2019.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.