*A Minneapolis judge has ordered Prince’s divorce file opened next month over the objections of his ex-wife Manuela Testolini.
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Wednesday’s order says the records from Prince’s 2006 divorce will be made public on Jan. 13. The judge denied Testolini’s request to stay his order pending appeal.
As previously reported, the newspaper requested that records from the couple’s divorce be released publicly. Testolini’s attorneys objected, saying the records are tied to a private settlement. She argued that unsealing the documents would make her susceptible to harassment.
Hennepin County Family Court Judge Thomas Fraser issued an order in August unsealing the divorce records, but the release was delayed because of objections from Testolini; Prince’s half brother, Omarr Baker; and Bremer Trust, the company overseeing Prince’s estate.
Prince died on April 21 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl.
His marriage to Testolini was his second. According to the Star Tribune, she asked that if the judge unsealed any documents, that he redact financial information and the names of spiritual counselors involved in the case, among other things. Baker and Bremer Trust supported her move to seal the financial data or anything that might impact Prince’s reputation and the value of the estate.
Fraser agreed to redact a few details that the newspaper said it wasn’t requesting at this time. But Fraser wrote in his order that the file doesn’t contain much other information warranting redaction. Most of the proceedings were conducted out of court, he noted, and what did take place in court was apparently mild.
According to the Star Tribune, court records in Minnesota are typically public, including celebrity divorces.
“While most parties to a divorce would prefer that the details be kept private, the divorce process is a public one, requiring public courts and resources to manage the proceeding and either determine or approve the result,” Judge Fraser wrote. “The public has an interest in monitoring courts and their enforcement of divorce decrees.”
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