Endgame near for those claiming family ties to Prince
Prince's legal family portrait is coming into focus as the process to establish his estate's heirs moves toward a conclusion.
Nearly two dozen would-be relations — including a purported son and a Wisconsin woman who claimed to have secretly married Prince — have already been ruled out as heirs by Carver County District Court judge Kevin Eide. At least four are appealing that ruling.
Eide held a hearing in Chaska Friday that focused on three other outstanding claimants: the daughter, son and granddaughter of a man related to some of Prince's half-siblings, but who apparently did not share a biological parent.
That man, Duane Nelson, Sr., died in 2011. He was a contemporary of Prince, born the same year. The trust administering Prince's estate says in court filings that Duane Sr. was the son of Vivian Nelson and a man named Joseph Griswold — neither of whom have a blood tie to Prince.
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Court filings say four previous children of Vivian Nelson are related to Prince, as they share the same father, John Nelson. (Prince was born to a woman John Nelson married later, Mattie Shaw.)
But even so, Duane Sr.'s daughter, Brianna Nelson, son Corey Simmons, and Victoria Nelson, the daughter of Duane Sr.'s son, Duane Jr. claim to be the niece, nephew and grandniece of Prince, respectively.
They don't claim a genetic relationship and declined genetic testing. But their attorneys say that that John Nelson was listed as Duane Sr.'s father on his birth certificate and treated him as a son in some key respects.
Attorneys for Prince's estate, some of his family and the would-be heirs argued over whether that would be enough, under Minnesota law, for them to qualify as heirs.
"Once it was stipulated that they had no genetic relationship, it's over, it's done," attorney Thomas Kane, told the judge. He represents Omarr Baker, one of Prince's half-brothers.
But attorneys for Brianna and Victoria Nelson argued that there could be a parental relationship that links them to Prince, beyond that described in probate and parentage law. They pointed to a will of Prince's father, found in the music icon's estate, listing John Nelson's children, and including Duane.
They also pointed to a federal copyright lawsuit that names John and lists Duane as his son, saying John didn't contest the characterization while he was alive.
Eide has said he will rule soon on whether there is a legal basis to explore the arguments — possibly followed by an evidentiary hearing on the claims by Duane's descendants.
At stake are millions of dollars. A half dozen other known heirs are already in court, including Prince's sister, Tyka and five surviving half siblings.
Speculation has valued the estate to be worth as much as $300 million, and has come to include the museum operation established at Paisley Park, Prince's Chanhassen complex where the Minnesota-born international pop star died April 21 of an accidental painkiller overdose.
Warner Brothers records also announced that they are planning to release two Prince projects, including a 40-song compilation that includes unreleased music from Prince's vault, as well as a deluxe reissue of Purple Rain that is also expected to include previously unreleased music.