Judge will determine Prince heirs, put legal battles to rest

CARVER COUNTY, Minn. (KMSP) - For more than a year, Prince’s estate has been debated in court. If his siblings get their wish, there could soon be a deadline for anyone else to make a claim, putting the legal wrangling to rest.

In a two-and-a-half-hour hearing in Carver County Court on Wednesday, that was topic number one.

”I think the heirs have waited long enough,” argued the attorney for one of Prince’s half-brothers. “It’s time to make a determination and let the clock start running.”

Prince died in April 2016 at his home inside Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota, of an accidental overdose of Fentanyl.

Tyka Nelson is Prince’s one full sister, while Norrine Nelson, Sharon Nelson, John Nelson, Omarr Jackson and Alfred Baker are all half siblings from both parents in other marriages.

“No person has credibly challenged the fact that any of the six non-excluded heirs are anything but that,” said Joseph Cappiolli, the attorney for Comerica Trust, which manages the estate. 

If the judge in the case does legally declare them the heirs, it begins a one-year countdown for anyone else to make a claim, which includes any type of legal documents, which so far don’t appear to exist.

“It will start a one-year clock for anyone to come forward with a will,” argued Cappiolli. “And if they don’t, that ends the matter.”

DNA tests have ruled out several claims from people purporting to be Prince’s children. Another request for genetic testing came in April from a man in Alabama who said his mom had a 30-year-affair with Prince.

A ruling is expected in a week or two.