A will handwritten by soul legend Aretha Franklin that was found after her 2018 death has been ruled a valid document by a jury in Michigan.
The Associated Press reports that the papers that were discovered by Franklin's family under couch cushions and dated 2014 will now override a previous will from 2010 that was also found in her Detroit home. The trial, which began Monday (July 10), ended just one day later after it took only one hour for the jury to deliberate and agree on the decision.
The ruling is a victory for two of her sons, Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, who have fought to have the 2014 will verfied as the true legal document. “I’m very, very happy. I just wanted my mother’s wishes to be adhered to,” Kecalf Franklin said. “We just want to exhale right now. It’s been a long five years for my family, my children.”
The two brothers have argued for years that the location of where the papers were discovered should not make them any less significant. The trial saw the two siblings up against another brother, Ted White II, who argued that the 2010 document should be verified as the legal will because it was under lock and key.
“You can take your will and leave it on the kitchen counter. It’s still your will,” the brothers' lawyer Charles McKelvie stated.
While the case is a victory for the families of Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, some parts of the 2010 version of Aretha Franklin's will could still become fulfilled. This will be decided next week, along with Kecalf Franklin being appointed executor of the state.