Judge cites handwritten will and awards real estate to Aretha Franklin’s sons

Late last year, the judge overseeing Aretha Franklin’s estate awarded real estate to her sons based on a handwritten will from 2014, discovered between couch cushions. Despite scribbles and challenges in interpretation, a Detroit-area jury had deemed the document valid four months earlier.

The 2014 will override a 2010 handwritten will found at Franklin’s home in 2019. One son, Kecalf Franklin, receives property valued at $1.1 million, while another, Ted White II, gets a Detroit house. A third son, Edward Franklin, is awarded property. The estate still faces disputes over music assets, but the recent decision marked progress in resolving the complex case.

For more information see Ed White “Judge awards real estate to Aretha Franklin’s sons”, AP News, November 28, 2023.

Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.