Following an emergency conference call Wednesday morning, a Carver County district judge ordered that a special administrator be appointed to manage the estate of the late musician Prince.
Judge orders Bremer Trust to handle Prince's estate
The order followed an informal hearing via conference call.
April 27, 2016 at 10:47PM
Bremer Trust, National Association — an affiliate of the bank that provided financial services to Prince while he was alive — will serve as special administrator. The order from District Judge Kevin Eide came a day after Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, filed a motion to have a special administrator appointed to gather and protect the musician's assets.
The document indicated that Prince, who died April 21 at age 57, does not have a will.
According to court documents, the matter "was heard informally via conference call on an emergency basis" because not all interested parties could be notified of the motion. Tyka Nelson and her attorneys were present for the call, as was Prince's half-brother, Omarr Baker. Attorneys and staff from Bremer Trust also participated.
In addition to Tyka Nelson and Baker, Prince's half-siblings John Nelson, Norrine Nelson, Sharon Nelson, Alfred Jackson and Lorna Nelson — who died in 2006 — were listed as heirs in Tuesday's motion.
The special administrator has the authority to manage and supervise Prince's assets and determine the identity of any heirs. The appointment will last up to six months, or until another petition is filed to administer the estate and a personal representative is appointed.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 2 in Carver County District Court.
Meanwhile, the first challenge to Prince's estate was filed in Carver County Wednesday afternoon by Rodney Herachio Dixon, of Murrieta, Calif. Dixon, formerly known as Aeric Alexander Mercury and Rameses America Mercury claims to have legal rights to all of Prince's intellectual property because of what he called a $1 billion "implied agreement" relating to the music in Prince's music catalog, including unpublished works in his vault.
Dixon, who represents himself, said in his filing that his claim originates from two lawsuits filed in California in the mid 1990s.
Staff writer Dan Browning contributed to this report.
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