Court To Oversee Administration Of Aretha Franklin’s Estate

DETROIT (CelebrityAccess) — An Oakland County Probate judge has placed the administration of Aretha Franklin’s Estate under the supervision of the court.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the move comes amid a lengthy legal battle over the estate of the late Queen of Soul, which has persisted for more than a year after the singer’s death.

The change means that the court will now have a direct role in many major decisions of the Franklin Estate, including the sale property.

Franklin’s niece Sabrina Owens remains the personal representative of the Estate, the Free Press reported.

Franklin’s heirs are debating several handwritten wills purportedly left by Franklin, which were found earlier this year in her home. The judge agreed to allow Erich Speckin, a handwriting expert hired by the singer’s son Kecalf Franklin, to analyze the wills and provide testimony in the matter.

According to the Free Press, court proceedings revealed that more than $350,000 already has been distributed by the estate to Franklin’s four sons, and that $178,000 was allegedly stolen from Franklin via bank fraud in the months leading up to her death in August 2018.