More than a dozen people who claimed to be distant relatives of Prince were shown the door based on the fact that several siblings and half-siblings of Prince have been identified, and their claims would supersede those of more distant relations.
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Meanwhile it’s also reported by the Minneapolis’ Star Tribune newspaper that the case had been thrown out against five people claiming to be Prince’s father.
According to Judge Eide, the relationship to Prince of four of the six – Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, and half-siblings John Nelson, Norrine Nelson and Sharon Nelson – is not in dispute but ordered them to undergo the testing regardless to further strengthen their inheritance claims.
Mr Selmer opined that his client would be banned from undergoing testing while a man serving an eight-year prison sentence in Colorado was given a DNA test. Ken Abdo, the attorney for the three half siblings declined to comment.
He is also pushing to keep the estate’s business dealings under wraps, asking Judge Eide in a filing this week to broadly seal business documents related to its efforts to monetise Prince’s estate. The late guitarist has no known surviving children or parents who would be first and second in line as heirs under Minnesota law.
When Prince died of a prescription drug overdose on April 21, he apparently left behind no will and so his estate will be distributed according to Minnesota probate and parentage law.
A judge in Minnesota dismissed the claims for the estate, which is reportedly worth at least £227 million.
Judgment is still out on two possible heirs: Brianna L. Nelson, 31, and an 11-year-old girl listed as V.N. The two are the daughter and granddaughter of Duane Nelson Sr., who died in 2011 and who always claimed to be a half-brother to Prince through his father, John Lewis Nelson.
The judge dismissed claims of heirship from a total of 29 other people purported to have some degree of kinship with Prince, including a professed secret wife who said the Central Intelligence Agency had classified their marriage records as top secret. Numerous 29 people underwent DNA testing to prove their relationship to Prince.
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