2023-07-12 12:18:17
A jury has ruled that a handwritten will of Aretha Franklin discovered in a sofa was legally admissible.
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When the Queen of Soul died in August 2018, her family believed she had left no will and that her estate would be divided equally between her four sons, Clarence, Kecalf and Edward Franklin, and Ted White Jr. However , in May 2019, two handwritten documents, neither of which was countersigned by a notary, were discovered at her home in Detroit. One in a locked cupboard was dated 2010 and the second, dated 2014, was found in a spiral notebook stuck under a couch cushion.
On Tuesday (July 11, 23), following a two-day trial and more than four years of family dispute, six jurors in a court in Pontiac, Michigan ruled that the 2014 document should serve as an official will, reports the New York Times.
There are notable differences between wills. The 2010 document stated that Kecalf and Edward Franklin had to “take business courses and obtain a certificate or diploma” to benefit from the inheritance, unlike the 2014 document. Under the will now deemed valid, the star states that his royalties and bank funds are to be divided equally among his sons except Clarence, while his youngest child, Kecalf Franklin, is to inherit his villa in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Kecalf and Edward Franklin argued in favor of the new document, saying it overruled the previous one, while their half-brother Ted White Jr. believed it did not. He argued that the 2010 will was longer, more detailed and featured the singer’s signature on every page.
According to BBC News, Kecalf Franklin told reporters outside the courthouse: “I’m very, very happy. I just wanted my mother’s wishes to be respected. We just want to blow right now. It’s been five long years for my family, my children. »
Addressing the conflict with Ted White Jr., he added, “I love my brother with all my heart. »
The Respect singer’s eldest child, Clarence, who suffers from mental illness, was not involved in the dispute. In a pre-trial agreement made by the brothers and his guardian, he will receive a percentage of Aretha Franklin’s inheritance.
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