A Detroit judge earlier this week awarded three of Aretha Franklin's sons ownership of the late singer's real estate properties after they found a handwritten will stuck between couch cushions.
The decision Monday came four months after a jury in July declared the will valid despite scribbles and hard-to-read passages. The will, which dates to 2014, was signed by Franklin with a smiley face inside the letter "A."
The 2014 will overrode a separate handwritten will from 2010 that was previously found in Franklin's Detroit home in 2019, according to BBC News.
What Properties Were Included in the Will?
Based on the 2014 will, Kecalf Franklin, the late singer's youngest son, will receive Aretha's suburban Detroit home, which a lawyer described as the "crown jewel" among all her properties. In 2018, the home was valued at $1.1 million.
Ted White II, who favored the 2010 will, will receive a different house in Detroit. However, the property was sold by his mother's estate for $300,000 before the dueling wills were found. He is now requesting the sale proceeds.
Edward Franklin, Aretha's third son, will also receive a real estate property under the 2014 will.
Before Aretha died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, she owned four homes. It is unclear who will get the fourth property as it was not clearly stated in the will. The Associated Press said it expects that property, which is worth over $1 million, to be sold and the proceeds split between the singer's four sons.
How Were the Wills Discovered?
When Aretha died of pancreatic cancer in August 2018 at the age of 76, it was widely believed that she did not leave a will to distribute ownership of her real estate properties, cash, gold records, furs, and music copyright.
Nine months after Aretha's death, her niece Sabrina Owens-who was serving as the estate's executor at the time-discovered the two wills. The 2010 will was found inside a locked desk drawer. The 2014 will was found in a spiral notebook between the living room sofa cushions.
While the recent decision has put a rest to the dispute over how to handle Aretha's real estate properties, there is still an ongoing conflict over what to do with her music assets. The judge is expected to make a decision during a status conference set for January.
