MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A legal wrinkle in Prince’s estate case shows you might not have to be a blood relative to inherit some of the late rock superstar’s sizable fortune.
No will has surfaced since Prince accidentally overdosed on painkillers in April, so his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings are likely to be declared rightful heirs within the next few months.
But the judge also has to decide whether a purported niece and grandniece – plus a purported nephew who came forward this week – should count as heirs even though they may not be blood relatives. That’s because in Minnesota, there are circumstances in which someone can be considered a parent based on having a familial relationship with a child, such as informally raising a non-biological child as their own.
“The statutes don’t give clear guidance – they really don’t,” said Susan Link, a Minnesota estate law expert who’s following the case closely but isn’t involved in it.
The judge will have to sort out a complex interplay between probate and parentage laws that appears to be unique to Minnesota, as well as the complicated family history of Prince and his relatives.