The Franklin Family Feud returned to a suburban Detroit court room on Tuesday.
During the half-hour hearing, Aretha‘s youngest son Kecalf accused his cousin, the estate’s executor Sabrina Owens, as well as its attorney David Bennett, of mismanaging assets and charging excessive fees, which are approaching $400,000.
Another son, Edward Franklin, agreed with Kecalf’s assertion.
But the lawyer for Franklin’s oldest son Clarence was opposed — claiming that Bennett’s removal would be harmful.
Bennett also told court that he has received a former offer from MGM on the bio-pic Respect, and is close to firming a deal with NatGeo on a separate mini-series project.
There will be another hearing early in March, while a September trial will determine the validity of three handwritten wills Aretha left behind. (Detroit Free Press)
Hot Takes:
- This could be happening to any family that didn’t do proper estate planning.
- $400,000 for an attorney to oversee an estate — even that of a celebrity — seems excessive.
- Wait! The movie and mini-series have been cast and began production before contracts were signed by the Franklin family.
- This story isn’t going away anytime soon.