Over eight years following the death of Prince, the legal disputes surrounding the music legend’s estate persist.
As per Rolling Stone, a judge in Delaware recently denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit involving Prince’s heirs, indicating that the legal battle over the control of half of his estate will continue.
Back in January, a lawsuit was filed by one-time Prince attorney L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer Jr., who together represented three of Prince’s six sibling heirs, contesting the control of an LLC formed in 2022 to handle the 50% stake it owned in Prince’s estate.
Las week, the Delaware judge — where the McMillan and Spicer lawsuit was filed — refused the heirs’ efforts to dismiss the lawsuit. Prince died in April 2016 without a will, and his estate was divided up equally among his six siblings and half-siblings, two of whom have since died.
The lawsuit centres around allegations that Sharon Nelson, Prince’s half-sister, tried to unilaterally amend the management structure of the Prince Legacy LLC, which was established following an IRS valuation of the estate at $156 million. This valuation was expected to conclude the prolonged legal disputes, however the recent developments suggest otherwise. McMillan expressed frustration over the ongoing legal issues, stating in 2022, “It has been a long six years.”
The lawsuit claims that Sharon regretted the terms and tried to seize hold of the LLC by amending the agreement to remove McMillan and Spicer as its managers. In last week’s decision, the judge also sided with the plaintiffs on that allegation, saying Sharon did not have the authority to amend the LLC without authorisation.
The defendants in the lawsuit include Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson (half-sister), Breanna Nelson (niece), and Allen Nelson (nephew). The complaint details attempts by Sharon Nelson to assert control over Paisley Park, Prince’s former residence and now museum. She allegedly tried to replace the museum staff and manage the property herself, an effort the lawsuit claims was unsuccessful.
This legal action does not involve the portion of the estate controlled by Primary Wave, a music management group that purchased stakes from three of the heirs shortly after Prince’s death in April 2016.
