Thursday, March 28, 2024

Judge Tosses Claim to Prince Estate from Family of Man Singer Called ‘Brother’

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 29:  Musician Prince performs at the Conga Room L.A. Live on March 29, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 29: Musician Prince performs at the Conga Room L.A. Live on March 29, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

*Another person has been ruled out of being Prince’s legal heir.

A Minnesota state judge rejected two claims filed by the family of a man whom Prince had often referred to as his brother, saying an unofficial, non-genetic family relationship would not allow them to inherit a portion of the late singer’s estimated $300 million estate, reports Billboard.

Carver County District Judge Kevin W. Eide said that even if Prince’s father, John L. Nelson, had treated Duane R. Nelson Sr. as his son, Minnesota law limited inheritance to descendants who are related biologically or through adoption.

“There is no case law in Minnesota or, to the court’s knowledge, anywhere in the United States that establishes for intestacy purposes where there was no genetic relationship but the parties to the relationship held themselves out to be father and son,” Judge Eide wrote.

Prince died of an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl on April 21. Because a will was not found, and he was not survived by his parents, a spouse or children, his estate will be divided between his siblings and half-siblings.

The court has already found that six people are Prince’s presumptive heirs: Prince’s full sister Tyka Nelson and five half-siblings: Noreen, Sharon, and John Nelson, Alfred Jackson and Omarr Baker.

Judge Eide has dismissed numerous claims from folks claiming to be Prince’s siblings and children, but he held a special hearing on Friday to determine the legal basis for claims from the descendants of Duane Nelson.

Duane Nelson Sr., who many believed to be Prince’s brother during his lifetime, died in 2011. Brianna Nelson is his daughter, and Victoria Nelson, a minor, is the daughter of his son, the late Duane Nelson Jr., who died in 2006.

Brianna and Victoria Nelson filed claims shortly after Prince’s death, claiming that Duane Nelson may not be the biological son of Prince’s father, John L. Nelson, but the fact that John always treated Duane as a son created a family relationship.

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING