Representatives of Aretha Franklin’s estate is left in a stump as they question what to do with the three handwritten wills found in her Detroit home. The wills were discovered by Franklin’s niece Sabrina Owens and filed in court on Monday May 20th, according to The Associated Press. When the diva of soul died last August it was reported that she didn’t have a will; now all three handwritten documents has been submitted as part of the probate process to see if any of them will have legal standing . While they waiter the documents to be processed, Franklin’s son, Kecalf Franklin, has requested that the court pause on selling the descendants home as the new documents appoints him as the personal representative.
Not only can handwritten wills be hard to decipher, handwritten or holographic wills often pose issues to its validity. Some states will accept them as valid (including Michigan ) as long as the document can be authenticated by additional proofs. Currently, Owens still serves as the personal representative of the state and listed to the courts several pending negotiations on its behalf including a movie bio pic. All of Franklins assets are currently undergoing a process of appraisal. The Associated Press reports that the IRS is auditing many years of Franklin’s tax returns and in December filed a claim for over $6 million in taxes . A hearing has been set for June 12th, 2019.
By: Shivona Hurde
