Aretha Franklin’s ex-lawyer says the Queen did not pay what she owed
A Detroit attorney who once represented the iconic singer, said he is owed tens of thousands and is now taking her estate to court to get it
Even though she has been gone for more than two months, Aretha Franklin’s legacy will live on. Unfortunately, so will all of her leftover debts and legal issues.
The latest comes from Gregory Reed, her former attorney, who is suing the singer’s estate for money that he claims he has been owed since 2012.
READ MORE: Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter shares touching home video of the Queen of Soul
According to TMZ, Reed’s firm provided a number of services to Franklin, who passed away in August, including being a part of negotiations on her final contract with Atlantic Records. Reed claims the last payment they received from her was in August 2012 for around $10,000.
Reed is seeking almost $54,000 to cover legal bills dating back to 2012.
“David J. Bennett, Esq., the attorney for The Aretha Franklin Estate is aware that Mr. Gregory Reed recently filed a claim and Mr. Bennett is looking into the matter,” a rep for the estate said in a statement, according to Page Six.
Normally, suing a person’s estate typically arises under two scenarios: when the deceased has debts, and when the deceased’s negligence caused injury or death to another party.
READ MORE: Aretha Franklin: ‘Think’ exhibit celebrates the life and legacy of the Queen of Soul
There is often a statute of limitations and state laws also dictate how much time creditors have to file a claim against a dead person’s estate.
A claim notifies the estate’s executor or personal representative and if they don’t file a claim, they might not be able to file a lawsuit later. Complicating matters is that shortly after her death, it was revealed that the iconic singer hadn’t left a will when she passed away.
That leaves her four sons — Clarence, Edward, Ted, and Kecalf — to sort out her estate and figure out how much, if anything, they are entitled to along with dealing with potential suits against her estate.
Aretha owned her estate as well as a number of properties in Detroit and maintained ownership of most of the songs she wrote — except her most popular ones like “Respect,” which is owned by the estate of its original artist, Otis Redding.
READ MORE: Aretha Franklin eyed as subject of season 3 of National Geographic Channel series
