The discovery of handwritten wills in the home of the late Aretha Franklin could ignite a dispute among family members about the estate of the "Queen of Soul." She died last August without a formal document to guide her sons about her music, property and other assets. But the newly found writings filed in court Monday could change everything.
HOW WERE THE WILLS DISCOVERED?
A niece, Sabrina Owens, who serves as the estate's personal representative, discovered a key to a locked cabinet at Franklin's home on May 3, according to a court filing. Two handwritten wills from 2010 were inside. One says a will from decades earlier is "no good." The other one found in the cabinet is 11 pages long and has a notary's signature. On that same day, Owens was searching under living room cushions when she located a notebook with another will, dated March 2014.
The four-page document sets aside various assets for family members, including four sons and grandchildren, but is difficult to read.
"We all think of your standard will where you go into an attorney's office and get two witnesses to sign it," said Charyn Hain, an estate lawyer.
"Michigan allows for wills that aren't completely compliant."
