BRIAN MCCOLLUM
Detroit lawyer Reginald Turner to temporarily manage Aretha Franklin estate
Prominent Detroit attorney Reginald Turner will oversee Aretha Franklin's estate matters for now, a judge decided Tuesday.
Turner was named temporary personal representative of the Franklin estate by Judge Jennifer Callaghan during a hearing in Oakland County Probate Court.
He will replace Franklin's niece, Sabrina Owens, who had served as the estate's executor since the singer's death in August 2018. She filed a resignation letter in January, citing frustration with family tensions that intensified after the discovery of three handwritten wills last spring.
The validity of those documents will be decided by a jury in September. Callaghan did not specify a timeline for Turner's temporary role.
Tuesday's three-hour hearing in Pontiac was short on the drama and fireworks that have marked some previous Franklin proceedings, but it ultimately was one of the most significant court dates yet as estate matters continue to get hammered out 18 months after the star's death.
The appointment of Turner is a victory for the Queen of Soul's youngest son, Kecalf Franklin, who emerged as Owens' main adversary during the estate battle. Turner, of the firm Clark Hill, was nominated for the personal representative role by Kecalf Franklin's lawyer, Charlene Glover-Hogan.
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He was the judge's choice over Troy probate attorney Andrew Mayoras, who had been endorsed by lawyers for sons Ted White and Clarence Franklin. Mayoras is co-author of the 2009 estate-planning guide "Trials & Heirs: Famous Fortune Fights!" and he hosted the 2019 TV series "Fortune Fights" on the Reelz Channel.
"I was presented with two really great candidates," the judge said Tuesday before naming her selection.
Judge Callaghan also made clear she was not interested in handing the role to any of Franklin's sons, "based on the objections to and by the heirs, essentially to each other."
Son Ted White — a professional musician who goes by Teddy Richards — had sought the interim personal representative job, citing his extensive music industry background. White is an administrative assistant with Fourteenth Hour Music, longtime publisher of Franklin hits such as "Think" and "Baby I Love You."
"He's been working with these titles practically his whole life," attorney Kurt Olson argued Tuesday to the judge as White watched. He referenced Fourteenth Hour's $200,000 rights deal for the use of "Think" in a 2019 Levi's ad.
Owens will work with Turner for 90 days as she closes out her role with the estate. During her time as personal representative, she oversaw an array of Aretha activities, including the singer's funeral, assorted tribute projects, song licensing and ongoing negotiations on a pair of film projects.
She also green-lighted the 2019 release of the long-delayed gospel film "Amazing Grace."
Turner, who has deep Detroit roots and sits on a variety of corporate and community boards, is the American Bar Association's president-elect nominee and is scheduled to assume the president role in August 2021. He spearheaded the Detroit Institute of Arts' successful 2012 millage campaign, and has sat on both the Michigan and Detroit boards of education.
He said in court Tuesday that he was an acquaintance of Aretha Franklin.
"We weren't close friends, but we did have occasion to talk," Turner said, adding that she was his guest in 1994 at the Wolverine Bar Association's Barristers' Ball.
Turner does not have firsthand experience in estate law, but during questioning Tuesday he cited the array of probate attorneys at his fingertips via his firm.
Owens' resignation as personal representative also means the departure of David Bennett, who was Franklin's lawyer for more than three decades and served as the estate's lead attorney.
Glover-Hogan had petitioned for Bennett to be ousted from estate affairs, contending he was not providing clear information to Franklin's heirs about assets and contract negotiations — claims vehemently denied by Bennett. Regardless, the motion was withdrawn Tuesday in light of his pending departure.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.