FILE - In this May 19, 2013 file photo, Prince performs at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Minnesota judge overseeing Prince's estate holds a hearing Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, on whether to declare his siblings as his heirs, and who should manage the rock superstar's estate going forward. No will has surfaced since Prince died of an accidental painkiller overdose in April 2016. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
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CHASKA, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota judge overseeing Prince's estate will wait for appeals to be exhausted before making a final determination on who will inherit a fortune that could be worth around $200 million, he said at a hearing Thursday.
But Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide also made it clear the late superstar's six confirmed siblings are the likely heirs. Prince left no known will when he died in April of a painkiller overdose. The judge already has rejected claims from several other people to be Prince's child, sibling or wife.
"The court cannot make a determination of who the heirs are until these appeals are exhausted," Eide said. That process typically takes several months or more.
Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, and his five half-siblings also want Comerica Bank and Trust to take over running the estate from temporary special administrator Bremer Trust. Attorneys for the two institutions said they expect a handover at the end of the month.
Eide also heard testimony but did not immediately rule on whether he should appoint an individual as a "co-personal representative," or co-executor, to act in part as a go-between Prince's siblings and Comerica. Both candidates were Prince insiders.
Prince's four older half-siblings, Sharon, Norrine and John Nelson, and Alfred Jackson, want entertainment lawyer L. Londell McMillan, who served the musician for 13 years as his attorney, adviser and friend. He helped extricate Prince from his contract with Warner Bros. in the days when Prince was writing "slave" on his cheek and dropped his name in favor of an unpronounceable symbol. McMillian also has represented Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, and is currently overseeing Prince's entertainment assets.
Tyka Nelson and his younger half brother, Omarr Baker, want Van Jones, a former Bay Area civil rights lawyer and White House official who promoted green and tech jobs for inner-city youth. Jones, who also is a CNN commentator, told the court how he ran Prince's philanthropic endeavors for nine years, saying he has a talent for building teams and that overcoming distrust among the siblings would take hard work.
Noting those frictions, Eide said he'll name a co-personal representative only if he thinks that person will help resolve the case as soon as possible.
"The court is not looking for someone who is going to seek headlines for themselves," he said.
Court filings suggest the estate is worth around $200 million. The estate faces a Jan. 21 tax filing deadline. Federal and state estate taxes are expected to gobble up about half the value, although the estate can pay over time.
Prince's half-sister Sharon Nelson, left, center, arrives at the Carver County Justice Center for a hearing on her brother's estate Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, in Chaska, Minn. All the siblings want the judge to declare the trust company Comerica as a "personal representative," or executor, of the estate. But they're divided on whether to name anyone as co-executor. Four of the six siblings back longtime Prince lawyer L. Londell McMillan. But Tyka Nelson and Omar Baker object. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
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Van Jones, left, a CNN commentator and family friend who once worked as an environmental adviser to the Obama administration, arrives at the Carver County Justice Center for a hearing on Prince's estate, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, in Chaska, Minn. All the musician's siblings want the judge to declare the trust company Comerica as a "personal representative," or executor, of the estate. But they're divided on whether to name anyone as co-executor. Four of the six siblings back longtime Prince lawyer L. Londell McMillan. But Tyka Nelson and Omar Baker object. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
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Prince's half-sister Norrine Nelson, center, arrives at the Carver County Justice Center for a hearing on her brother's estate Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, in Chaska, Minn. All the siblings want the judge to declare the trust company Comerica as a "personal representative," or executor, of the estate. But they're divided on whether to name anyone as co-executor. Four of the six siblings back longtime Prince lawyer L. Londell McMillan. But Tyka Nelson and Omar Baker object. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
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Prince's sister Tyka Nelson, right, arrives at the Carver County Justice Center for a hearing on her brother's estate Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, in Chaska, Minn. All the siblings want the judge to declare the trust company Comerica as a "personal representative," or executor, of the estate. But they're divided on whether to name anyone as co-executor. Four of the six siblings back longtime Prince lawyer L. Londell McMillan. But Tyka Nelson and Omar Baker object. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
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Prince's sister Tyka Nelson arrives at the Carver County Justice Center for a hearing on her brother's estate Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, in Chaska, Minn. All the siblings want the judge to declare the trust company Comerica as a "personal representative," or executor, of the estate. But they're divided on whether to name anyone as co-executor. Four of the six siblings back longtime Prince lawyer L. Londell McMillan. But Tyka Nelson and Omar Baker object. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
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Prince's half-brother Omarr Baker arrives at the Carver County Justice Center for a hearing on his brother's estate Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, in Chaska, Minn. All the siblings want the judge to declare the trust company Comerica as a "personal representative," or executor, of the estate. But they're divided on whether to name anyone as co-executor. Four of the six siblings back longtime Prince lawyer L. Londell McMillan. But Tyka Nelson and Omar Baker object. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)
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