The Justice determined this Tuesday that the document written by hand by the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin in 2014, found on her sofa after her death, is the valid will of her inheritance.
The legal dispute over the millionaire inheritance of the American singer (1942-2018) came to trial on Monday in Oakland County (Michigan) and the deliberation was announced on Tuesday.
"I'm very happy. It's been a very long five years and now we can have a breather. It's a very good thing," the "At Last" singer's youngest son, Kecalf Franklin, told Fox.
Franklin died of pancreatic cancer in August 2018 and it was believed at the time that the artist had not prepared a will. Months later, in May 2019, two sets of handwritten documents were found in the singer's house located in the city of Detroit.
One of the writings, hidden under the cushions of a sofa, was dated 2014 and the other, which was inside a closet, had been written in 2010.
Three of the four children of the "Queen of Soul" had been battling for years over the validity of both handwritten wills.
Lawyers for Kecalf and Edward Franklin had argued that the 2014-dated papers should overturn the 2010 will, the version of which was supported by his son Ted White II.
The 2010 will placed White as the administrator of her estate and required her two other children to obtain a certificate or diploma in business before agreeing to the estate.
However, the 2014 text eliminated the requirement for that training and placed Kecalf as administrator of the fortune and heir to the mansion on the outskirts of Detroit.
His other son, the eldest, Clarence Franklin, did not participate in the trial because he suffers from mental illness, but both wills stated that the estate must be able to support him financially.
The inheritance includes luxury garments, jewelry, real estate and copyrights and is estimated to be valued at around 18 million dollars (16.4 million euros at today's exchange rate).
However, the final amount will be reduced by an agreement with the United States Treasury to resolve the non-payment of more than 8 million dollars in taxes, through a percentage of Franklin's music royalties.
