Prince and his estate are at the center of a new lawsuit, which sees his heirs fighting among themselves and potentially putting the estate in jeopardy.
Billboard reports this new lawsuit filed in a Delaware court comes a year after issues with Prince’s estate had finally been settled. The new lawsuit was filed by L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer. These two people are longtime friends of Prince and managers of Prince Legacy, one of two holding companies that run the icon’s $156 million estate.
McMillan and Spicer filed the lawsuit against four of Prince’s family members: His half-sisters, Sharon Nelson and Norrine Nelson, niece Breanna Nelson, and nephew Allen Nelson. McMillan and Spicer allege these family members have been trying to squeeze them out of the business of Prince’s estate.
Billboard quotes McMillan and Spicer’s legal filing stating, “The Individual defendants lack any business and management experience, have no experience in the music and entertainment industries, and have no experience negotiating and managing high-level deals in the entertainment industry.”
Noting the history of infighting among Prince’s family members, the lawsuit also states, “Based on the amount and complexity of the work that Prince Legacy is involved with, they are simply not capable of stepping in and managing its business.”
The previous Prince estate lawsuit was resolved in 2022 and lasted for over six years. Billboard reported at that time, ” … The agreement paves the way for disbursement of Prince’s assets, including $6 million in cash and many times that in music rights and other intangibles. They’ll be split between three heirs and their families, their advisers, and Primary Wave — which owns roughly half of the estate.
Prince died suddenly in April 2016 at age 57. He did not have a will, which is the reason for these many legal issues.