From the Desk of Lauran L. Stevenson
The Song That Never Ends: Legal Battles in Prince’s Estate
Last week the court convened to consider four motions. The most important motion, from a procedural standpoint, was the motion to formally declare Prince’s sister and five verified half-siblings as his rightful heirs. A formal declaration of heirs would mean that any other credible claims must be presented within a year of this declaration. Interestingly, the formally excluded heirs have appealed the ruling that declared the excluded as ineligible heirs. This appeal is pending and will take a few months to resolve.
In another motion, Biranna Nelson, a niece of Prince, claimed that she had a consulting agreement with the estate to provide memorabilia and personal stories to the Paisley Park museum. She contends that she was supposed to get $25,000 upfront and a $25,000 payment for undetermined amount of years. The estate’s representative argues that this unsigned contract lacks court approval.
The other two motions are centered around L. Londell McMillan, an entertainment lawyer who has been consulting with the estate. The substance of these motions seeks for McMillan to provide documents and correspondence about recent music deals. One of the reasons being allegations that McMillan mishandled the Prince tribute concert in October.