The legal matters five years after the death of Aretha Franklin have not been settled.
Reports reveal that the late singer’s three sons; Ted White II, Edward Franklin, and Kecalf Franklin, are going to court to find out who will be in charge of their late mother’s estate.
The family reportedly found two handwritten wills by Franklin. The first one, dated 2010, stated that Ted White and Sabrina Owens, her niece, will be executors of the estate. It also had a stipulation for Kecalf and Edward to take business classes and get a certificate or degree before they could receive any benefits from the estate.
However, in the second will that was found, dated 2014, Ted’s name isn’t in the will and Kecalf is named the executor, without the mention of business classes. The will also states that the “Respect” singer’s home, that was worth $1.1 million at the time of her death in 2018, will also go to Kecalf and his grandchildren.
In usual circumstances the 2014 will would be the one in effect, however the 2010 Will was notarized and the other was not.
Kecalf’s attorney said in a statement, “Two inconsistent wills cannot both be admitted to probate. In such cases the most recent will revokes the previous will.”
White’s lawyer responded with, “If this document were intended to be a will there would have been more care than putting it in a spiral notebook under a couch cushion.”
What are your thoughts on this?