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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 16 april 2018
As Prince heirs stew, bankers and lawyers cash in on estate

By STEVE KARNOWSKI or down since then.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As That's because the various
the second anniversary of attorneys, accountants
Prince's death approach- and industry experts at that
es, his heirs have yet to point had not yet finished
collect a dollar of his esti- appraisals and deals for the
mated $200 million estate. use of his music, videos and
But bankers, lawyers and assets including his Paisley
consultants have earned Park studio. Attorneys for
millions from it. the heirs did not return calls
The long saga to settle the for this story or declined to
estate provides a caution- comment.
ary tale about dying with- FRICTIONS AND FACTIONS
out a will, as Prince did The six heirs have been bit-
when he died of an acci- terly split. Sharon Nelson,
dental opioid overdose at Norrine Nelson and John
his suburban Minneapolis R. Nelson form one faction
studio on April 21, 2016, that has battled Comerica
and the heirs can't quit and other heirs on several
squabbling. Here's a look at fronts, including Comeri-
where things stand: ca's decision to move the
NO DOUGH YET contents of Prince's vault
Even though it's been near- of recordings from Paisley
ly two years since Prince Park to Los Angeles.
died, the executor of the But the six showed rare
estate, Comerica Bank unity last week when Tyka
and Trust, can't split the Nelson, Omarr Baker and In this Feb. 4, 2007, file photo, Prince performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI
money among Prince's six Alfred Jackson joined the football game in Miami.
surviving siblings until the other three in strenuously Associated Press
Internal Revenue Service objecting to an unspeci-
and executor agree on the fied "entertainment trans- father and Prince's father, that at the end of the Es- trol, writing that the estate
estate's value when Prince action" in the works that the late jazz musician John tate's administration there "is not an unlimited re-
died. they say would be "an em- L. Nelson. She also tweeted will be little, if anything left source!"
It's not clear when that barrassment to Prince's leg- fresh criticism of Comeri- to pass on to the Heirs," at- A SETTLEMENT?
might happen. The IRS and acy." The volume of heav- ca last week, asking why torneys for Sharon, Norrine The agenda for Wednes-
state of Minnesota are en- ily redacted and sealed Prince fans haven't been and John wrote in that fil- day's hearing also includes
titled to collect about half, court filings and counter- offered any new music. ing. a Comerica motion to ap-
though the estate can filings suggests it's big, but WHO IS GETTING PAID SO The $5.9 million doesn't in- prove some sort of settle-
stretch out the payments the public portions don't FAR? clude a pending request ment. Nearly all details
over time. say whether it's a new mu- A small army of lawyers for nearly $2.9 million in fees have been redacted, but
THE ESTATE'S VALUE sic rights deal to replace and the taxman. Public fil- and expenses for Comerica one dispute that appears
Court filings several months a failed agreement with ings don't say how much and its lawyers. Nor does it ripe for a settlement is the
after Prince's death sug- Universal Music Group or the estate has already paid include fees for the heirs' estate's lawsuit against Jay
gested that it was worth something else. A hearing is the IRS and state of Minne- lawyers and other attor- Z's Roc Nation and the Tidal
around $200 million before scheduled for Wednesday. sota, but Comerica and neys, or fees for the estate's streaming service over al-
taxes. The actual value re- Most of the siblings have its lawyers have already main music adviser, Spotify leged copyright violations.
mains one of the biggest kept low public profiles. collected at least $5.9 mil- executive Troy Carter. Whatever the settlement is
secrets in the case, hidden Sharon Nelson has been lion in fees and expenses, Carver County District about, Sharon, Norrine and
in sealed and redacted the most outspoken. She according to a filing last Judge Kevin Eide has ad- John oppose it. They say
documents. The actual val- recently released an album month. monished everyone to the estate could win more
uation could have gone up of music composed by her "There is legitimate concern keep spending under con- in litigation.q

ASHER and ALEXIE series, while "The Absolutely Books on the new list were The association tallied 356 ally pulled from shelves,
Continued from Page 29 True Diary of a Part-Time In- a mix of older works such challenges, up from 323 although he cited some
The prize was announced dian" has been widely read as Lee's novel (violence, ra- last year, but in line with examples. After seven stu-
in early February, just be- and taught since coming cial language) and Khaled numbers over the past de- dents from a Colorado
fore allegations surfaced out a decade ago. In previ- Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" cade. community killed them-
that he had harassed nu- ous years, Maya Angelou's ("May lead to terrorism") The ALA, which believes selves, a school district of-
merous women. "I Know Why the Caged and more recent books, that reported cases are just ficial in 2017 ordered librar-
The ALA list is part of the as- Bird Sings" and J.K. Rowl- including Cory Silverberg's a fraction of actual chal- ians to temporarily stop
sociation's State of Amer- ing's "Harry Potter" series "Sex is a Funny Word" and lenges, bases its list on news circulating "Thirteen Rea-
ica's Libraries report and have been among notable "I Am Jazz," by Jessica reports and on accounts sons Why."
marks the beginning of Na- challenged works. Herthel and Jazz Jennings submitted from libraries. A An Arizona school district
tional Library Week, which Asher and Alexie have ("Gender identity"). Three challenge is defined as a pulled "The Kite Runner,"
runs through April 14. Books been on the list before; "The works were cited for "LGBT "formal, written complaint and offered no explana-
drawing attention, whether Absolutely True Diary of a content": the gay-themed filed with a library or school tion. A superintendent in
because of sales or a film Part-Time Indian" topped penguin story "And Tango requesting that materials Katy, Texas, pulled "The
adaptation, often become the list for 2014, while Alex- Makes Three," by Peter Par- be removed because of Hate U Give" after a man
more likely to receive chal- ie's book and "Thirteen Rea- nell and Justin Richardson; content or appropriate- attending a school board
lenges. In 2017, "Thirteen sons Why" finished second Alex Gino's "George"; and ness." meeting complained of
Reasons Why" was adapt- and third, respectively, for Raina Telgemeier's "Dra- LaRue did not have a the book's language and
ed into a popular Netflix 2012. ma." number for books actu- depiction of drug use.q