Jul 11, 2023 at 10:27 PMUpdate: 5 hours ago
A jury in the US state of Michigan has ruled that a will found in singer Aretha Franklin’s bank in 2014 is authentic and legal.
That reports BBC News. The verdict follows a years-long battle between various children of the ‘Queen of Soul’. The argument was over two different handwritten versions of her will.
When Franklin passed away in August 2018, it appeared she had no will. But nine months later, two handwritten versions of her will were found in her old home.
Franklin had drafted one version in 2010; this document was found in a locked chest of drawers, along with various old record contracts. The second version came in March 2014 and was found in the cushions of the couch in her living room.
Six jurors had to determine which version was more legally valid. Two of Franklin’s children, Kecalf and Edward, had argued that the latest will from 2014 was legally valid. Their half-brother Ted White argued that the 2010 will should be the guiding principle in the distribution of her inheritance.
Jury had handwriting expert examine documents
To reach a verdict, the jury had a handwriting expert check whether the document from the bank was actually written by Franklin himself.
Franklin’s estate was placed under judicial scrutiny after her death, meaning the court must ultimately rule on the sale of her estate, among other things.
Franklin, known for hits like (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman in Respectdied of cancer at the age of 76.
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2023-07-11 20:27:00
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