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Aretha Franklin's Sons Reportedly Working Together to Gain Control of Her Estate
Two sons of Aretha Franklin have teamed up to gain control of her estate accusing its current representative of mismanagement and keeping them in the dark.
In light of the recovered wills of Aretha Franklin, her sons have joined forces in an attempt to take complete control of her estate.
Aretha Franklin performing onstage at the Elton John AIDS Foundation on its 25th Year on November 7, 2017 at the Cathedial of St. John the Divine. | Source: Getty Images
IT ALL BEGAN WITH THE DISCOVERY OF HANDWRITTEN WILLS
It’s been reported a few weeks ago that three handwritten wills were discovered in the late Franklin’s Detroit home which revealed details on how she wished to allocate her assets.
The wills, two of which were dated 2010 and a third in 2014 specified the division of her assets among her three sons, Edward, Ted, and Kecalf, and also left specific instructions in caring for her fourth son, Clarence who has special needs.
INSIDE THE COURTROOM: Today a judge will hear arguments to decide if three handwritten wills found in the home Aretha Franklin should stand in the eyes of the law @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/LB8SOR0ldh
— Ali Hoxie (@ali_hoxie) June 17, 2019
KECALF MOVED TO UNSEAT FRANKLIN'S ESTATE REPRESENTATIVE
In response to the wills, Franklin's youngest son, Kecalf filed a motion in court, requesting for her current estate representative, Sabrina Owens to be replaced by him. He accused Owens of mismanagement of his mother’s estate and keeping him and his brothers in the dark about the estate’s accounting and inventory as well as business deals being negotiated including the television show, “Genius,” and an MGM biopic about the legendary singer’s life.
He also claimed he knew nothing about an investigation over his mother’s music catalog or on the forgery of her checks as well as audits in relation to her IRS tax returns.
Edward submitted documents backing up his brother and citing the wills as basis . He specified the 2014 will as proof that Kecalf should be appointed the head of the estate, per his mother’s wishes.
We are talking one on one with Aretha Franklin’s youngest, son Kecalf Cunningham tonight on @FOX2News at 6pm. We are here at the documentary screening of “Amazing Grace” on what would be her 77th birthday. pic.twitter.com/HH4O1qQGDY
— Roop Raj (@rooprajfox2) March 25, 2019
OWENS DENIES KECALF'S ALLEGATIONS
Owens denied Kecalf’s allegations and insisted she’d been transparent in her job and doing it properly. She even blames the siblings for the delays in inventory which have yet to be done. She also claimed to inform the brothers about the business negotiations in relation to their mother’s estate.
A Michigan judge has been asked to decide whether one of Aretha Franklin's sons could take control of the late singer's estate and replace its current representative https://t.co/tjRDvrZBLq
— CNN (@CNN) June 18, 2019
KECALF GETS SUPPORT FROM HIS BROTHER EDWARD
Following this conflict, Kecalf has now enlisted the support of his brother, Edward to strengthen his case against Owens. According to The Blast, Edward submitted documents backing up his brother and citing the wills as basis. He specified the 2014 will as proof that Kecalf should be appointed the head of the estate, per his mother’s wishes.
In addition to that request, Edward also asked the court to bar Owens from selling any of his mother’s assets pending the decision regarding the possibility of Kecalf taking over.
Aretha Franklin's youngest son is seeking to gain control over late star's multi-million dollar estate https://t.co/qFUwE7xTQU
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) June 19, 2019
Franklin died in August due to a long battle with pancreatic cancer. It was believed she left no will at the time of her death. The handwritten wills recently recovered have yet to be validated by a judge. The examination is still ongoing.
