The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected two people claiming to be heirs to Prince's estate.
Minnesota Supreme Court rejects two Prince heirs
Chief Justice Lorie Gildea issued an order Tuesday denying the petitions of Darcell Gresham Johnston and Venita Jackson Leverette.
November 30, 2017 at 1:58AM
Chief Justice Lorie Gildea issued an order Tuesday denying the petitions of Darcell Gresham Johnston and Venita Jackson Leverette. Gildea didn't give a reason for the denial. Johnston and Leverette are the first two claimants to be rejected by the Supreme Court. In September, the pair and three others were denied claims by the state Court of Appeals.
They all claimed to be half-siblings. Johnston argued that he was related to Prince through Loyal James Gresham Jr., who he claimed was Prince's real father. Leverette made a similar argument, but claimed that another man, Alfred Jackson, was Prince's father.
Prince was found dead April 21, 2016, at his Paisley Park estate of an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl. No will has been found, so Minnesota probate law determines his heirs.
Since Prince died, numerous people have filed claims to the estate.
The Supreme Court ruling reaffirms the list of people who stand to inherit Prince's estate, which has been estimated between $100 million and $300 million before taxes. They are Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, and his half-siblings, John Nelson, Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson.
The heirs have been going through a contentious court process to determine how much each will receive.
Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.
