Prince’s siblings confirmed as heirs Lottery winner’s spendthrift son loses bid for more cash
A Minnesota judge has confirmed Prince’s six siblings to be his rightful heirs, bringing them a big step closer to collecting their shares of the music legend’s multimilliondollar estate.
In a ruling released yesterday, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide formally declared that Prince died without a will and that his heirs are his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings — Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson.
The siblings will still have to wait to inherit their shares of Prince’s estate, which court filings suggest has an estimated value of about US$200 million, though taxes are expected to consume about half of that.
Prince died on April 21, 2016 of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug 50 times more powerful than heroin.
More than 45 people came forward in the wake of his death, claiming to be his wife, children, siblings or other relatives. Some, including a Colorado prison inmate who said he was Prince’s son, were ruled out through DNA testing. Others, such as a woman and a girl who claimed to be Prince’s niece and grandniece respectively, had their claims rejected as a matter of law.
Some of those people filed appeals. Eide said that if appellate courts sent any of the rejected claimants back to him, he would consider them, and until the appeals were resolved, the siblings would not be able to collect anything without his approval.
Under state law, others who feel they have credible claims of heirship have a year from the judge’s order to come forward with their claims.
Eide previously signalled that the six siblings were likely to be named Prince’s heirs, but also had said he wouldn’t make the declaration until appeals had been decided. Lawyers for the siblings didn’t want to wait, though, saying further delays would increase costs to the estate and impede its efficient administration. A man who was given nearly £1.6 million by his father after he won £101m in the Euromillions lottery has had his claim for more money thrown out by a judge.
Michael Dawes, 32, took his father, Dave, and stepmother, Angie, to court after they stopped giving him more money. He claimed the couple had promised to ensure he and his partner, James Beedle, would never have to worry about money again.
A London court heard that Michael Dawes and Beedle had been given more than £1.5m in the two years following the lottery win in 2011, but two years later most of the cash had been spent.
Judge Nigel Gerald dismissed the claim, saying Dave Dawes did not need to keep ‘‘bailing out his profligate son’’. ‘‘There was no basis on which any rational or normal human being could conclude that they could go back for more money whenever they wanted,’’ he said.
Michael Dawes was given £1m by his father and stepmother soon after their win, but the judge said nearly all of it had been spent within a month. About £550,000 was spent on a house in Portsmouth, where he lived, but he also gave nearly £250,000 to friends and his partner’s family, and quit a well-paid IT job.
At one point, Dawes and Beedle were spending up to £30,000 a month, including £1000 a week on groceries. The judge compared their lifestyle to ‘‘some sort of Walter Mitty existence’’.
Dave Dawes was unaware that his son had given away so much of the money, and was baffled when he claimed to have run out of most of it by April 2012. But he wanted to help him, the judge said, and kept money to his bank transferring account.
‘‘Michael took this as a demonstration that his father would cough up whenever asked, and this therefore buttressed his strange conclusion that his dad would financially support him for the rest of his life.’’
By March 2013, Dave and Angie Dawes agreed to pay off some of Michael and his partner’s debts, but said no more funds would be forthcoming.
Michael Dawes has not spoken to his father and stepmother since a falling-out at her birthday party, when he demanded £5m more and verbally abused her. He has also accused them of being arrogant and ungenerous of spirit.
The couple’s lawyer, Richard Wilson QC, said they had given away some £30m to relatives and close friends, as well as setting up a charity.