A US judge overseeing the estate of singer Aretha Franklin has awarded real estate to the late star’s sons, citing a handwritten will from 2014 that was found between couch cushions.
The decision came four months after a Detroit-area jury said the document was a valid will under Michigan law, despite scribbles and many hard-to-read passages.
Franklin had signed it and put a smiley face in the letter “A.”
The papers will override a handwritten will from 2010 that was found at Franklin’s suburban Detroit home around the same time in 2019, the judge said.
![Attorney Charles McKelvie delivers closing arguments on the second day of a jury trial over Aretha Franklin's wills at Oakland County Probate Court](https://news.stv.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/8da855515fab268733b62f4a91f7b921-1701197717.jpg)
One of her sons, Kecalf Franklin, will get that property, which was valued at $1.1m (£866,000) in 2018, but is now worth more.
A lawyer described it as the “crown jewel” before trial last July.
Another son, Ted White II, who had favoured the 2010 will, was given a house in Detroit, though it was sold by the estate for $300,000 (£236,000) before the duelling wills had emerged.
“Teddy is requesting the sale proceeds,” Charles McKelvie, a lawyer for Kecalf Franklin, said on Tuesday.
Judge Jennifer Callaghan awarded a third son, Edward Franklin, another property under the 2014 will.
Aretha Franklin had four homes when she died of pancreatic cancer in 2018.
![Judge Jennifer Callaghan listens as attorney Charles McKelvie, left, delivers closing arguments during a jury trial over Aretha Franklin's wills at Oakland County Probate Court](https://news.stv.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/60cdfaa7928196e8b319653feab33110-1701197711.jpg)
The discovery of the two handwritten wills months after her death led to a dispute between the sons over what their mother wanted to do with her real estate and other assets.
One of the properties, worth more than £1m (£788,000), is likely to be sold and the proceeds shared by four sons.
The judge said the 2014 will did not clearly state who should get it.
“This was a significant step forward. We’ve narrowed the remaining issues,” Mr McKelvie said of the estate saga.
There is still a dispute over how to handle Aretha Franklin’s music assets, though the will appears to indicate that the sons would share any income.
A status conference with the judge is set for January.
Franklin was a global star for decades, known especially for hits in the late 1960s such as Think, I Say A Little Prayer and Respect.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
![WhatsApp channel QR Code](https://news.stv.tv/wp-content/themes/stvnews/static/images/whatsapp-qr.png)