Jury Decides 2014 Document Found In Aretha Franklin’s Couch Is A Valid Will

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A jury in Michigan says a document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her death is a valid will.

It’s a critical turn in a dispute that has turned the music superstar’s sons against each other.

The verdict is a victory for Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin.

Their lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014 should override a 2010 will that was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at Aretha Franklin’s home in suburban Detroit.

The Queen of Soul died in 2018 at age 76.

Franklin’s estate has been paying bills, settling millions in tax debts and generating income.

But the will dispute has been unfinished business.