Aretha Franklin’s sons are vying for control of the Queen of Soul’s estate. According to the Associated Press, lawyers for Theodore White II wants a judge to name him co-executor of the estate along with Franklin’s nice, Sabrina Owens.
Meanwhile, Franklin’s other son, Kecalf Franklin, filed for a temporary restraining order in hopes of stopping Owens from making further decision on the estate’s behalf until a judge can decide who should be the estate’s executor. Per TMZ, Kecalf claims Owens has been spending uncontrollably and selling off the late music legend’s proper, and personal items. The site reported that Kecalf believes Owens received money from the estate and transferred a car in her name.
Franklin who was mother to four sons, died from pancreatic cancer last August. The 76-year-old music legend was originally believed to have passed without a will but in May, Owens reportedly discovered three handwritten wills in the singer’s home. Two of the documents were drafted in 2010 and another was written in 2014. David Bennett, Franklin’s longtime attorney, filed the documents in a Michigan probate court so that a judge can determine if the documents are legal. Although two of Franklin’s son objected to the wills, Owens released a statement asserting that she would like to “remain neutral” in the matter and wishes that “all parties involved make wise choices on behalf of their mother, her rich legacy, the family and the Aretha Franklin estate.” In a separate court filing, Kecalf maintains that his late mother named him executor in the 2014 will, and he has the support of his brother, Edward Franklin. White and Owens names were apparently crossed out of the will, but White doesn’t believe that it was his mother’s doing.
The situation is now in the hands of a judge who will decide next month if the documents should be examined by a handwriting expert.