Judge orders unsealing of Prince's divorce records

Prince's 2006 divorce from Manuela Testolini will soon be open for public inspection, after a Hennepin County District Judge issued an order Wednesday unsealing nearly the entire file.

Following a motion by the Star Tribune, Judge Thomas S. Fraser issued an order in August unsealing the divorce records.

Objections from Testolini, Prince's half-brother Omarr Baker and Bremer Trust, the special administrator overseeing Prince's estate, delayed the documents' release.

Prince died April 21 of an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl, leaving no will.

According to the order, the divorce records will be made public Jan. 13. Fraser denied Testolini's request to stay his order pending appeal.

Testolini argued that unsealing the records would make her susceptible to harassment.

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.

Court records in Minnesota are typically public — and celebrity divorces are no exception.

An attorney for the Star Tribune said that common law and the First Amendment supported its request to unseal the documents.

"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," Fraser wrote.

"The public has an interest in monitoring courts and their enforcement of divorce decrees."

Emma Nelson • 612-673-4509