July 13th 2023.
A jury has decided in a dispute that pitted one of Aretha Franklin's sons against two others regarding two handwritten wills that were found following her death. The Associated Press reported that the jury decided that the last will written by the Queen of Soul - which was discovered in a notebook under cushions at her home in 2014 - was the one to be upheld. Another will from 2010 was found in a cabinet and was notarized and sealed.
Kecalf Franklin, one of the sons involved in the dispute, was relieved with the decision. “I’m very, very happy”, he said. “I just wanted my mother’s wishes to be adhered to. We just want to exhale right now. It’s been a long five years for my family, my children.” The jury needed less than an hour to come to its conclusion.
The attorneys for Kecalf and Edward Franklin argued that since Franklin wrote the will in 2014 and even though it wasn’t notarized, it was valid because it was the most current one. “You can take your will and leave it on the kitchen counter. It’s still your will,” attorney Charles McKelvie told the jury.
However, Ted White II - the other son involved in the dispute, who would have been the will’s executor - wanted the 2010 will to stand. His attorney, Kurt Olson, argued that this will had more validity because it was notarized and locked within a cabinet. He also said that the other will would not have been left in a couch if the other will was that important.
After the verdict, Olson said “We were here to see what the jury would rule. We’ll live with it.” Franklin had four sons, of which Clarence Franklin - who was not involved in the dispute - lives under guardianship in an assisted living center.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
