If a will is found buried under the cushions of a couch … with unclear scribbles, shaky intentions, and crossed-out names … and it contradicts a previous will, giving one child more than the others … and the person who wrote it is very sick … is it valid?
According to the jury in the Aretha Franklin estate – it is!
Check out that will below!
Aretha Franklin died from a 5-year battle with a pancreatic tumor in 2018. It was assumed that she didn’t do any estate planning until her niece found two handwritten wills – one dated in 2010 and the other in 2014. The first was in a locked cabinet, and the second was found in a spiral notebook buried in the couch at her Detroit home.
This led to a heated court battle over whether a couch-cushion document could hold legal weight. I would want to know if she was she of sound mind? Was she coerced? If she was serious, why wouldn’t she have filed it in a better place?
In the end, the jury said yes to the second will, but not before the estate was carved down from $80 million to under $6 million — thanks to taxes, fees, and a fight that could’ve been avoided with a little more planning.
August is National Make-A-Will Month.
If you have not done a will, I encourage you to take a few minutes and write one – and don’t forget to sign, date, and file it in a good place.
If you’ve done your estate planning and it’s been a while, it may be a good time to dust off your documents and do a quick review.
Why? Because:
- Life changes.
- Babies are born and relatives pass on.
- People change and so do their names and relationship status.
- Tax and Estate Planning Laws change.
- Do you have the right people named for the tasks as hand? Specifically, do they have the time, the knowledge, and the emotional intelligence?
Are you concerned about how your heirs will unwind your estate? I teach a Family Binder Class– A Survival Kit for Your Heirs. Learn more about how to organize your affairs and get practical tax, financial, and estate planning tips. Please see dates and times below.
Plan well,
Barbara
August 10, 2025
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67565918
Family Binder Classes:
Rancho Bernardo at 10am 8/18 and 12/10
La Mesa at 1pm 8/14 (Sold Out) and12/10
La Mesa at 10am on 8/8
Let us know if you are interested and we will send you an invitation.
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