The ongoing legal proceedings regarding the estate of late music legend Prince has seen a handful of unfortunate circumstances, including a lien issued by a lawyer for the amount of $1 million for unpaid legal fees he said is owed to him by Prince’s late brother Alfred Jackson. That situation actually led to a reported number being put on the value of the whole estate, which now is set at $200 million.

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The Blast is reporting to have obtained documents from the legal battle relating to Alfred’s portion of the fortune that was left to him after Prince died back on April 21, 2016. Jackson was one of six heirs set to divide Prince’s massive fortune that he made for himself over the span of his trail-blazing career. Unfortunately, Alfred himself died at his home in Missouri on August 28, 2019 before the ongoing estate proceedings were officially settled, and now it looks like things just got even more confusing. 

Here’s what The Blast is saying on how things are being handled now:

“After Prince’s death on April 21, 2016, it was determined that Alred [sic] had 1/6 expectancy interest in the entire Prince Estate, which has a potential gross value of $200,000,000,” the documents reveal.

At the time of Alfred’s death, his brother Shawn Jackson filed documents in Missouri challenging a will that was filed on behalf of Alfred’s business advisors.

In the purported will, Alfred’s share of the Prince fortune, approximately $33 Million, would go to his business advisor and his team who helped set up the sale of his stake in the estate to a corporation. As we reported, Prince’s sister also sold her stake of the fortune.

Alfred’s brother, Shawn, is challenging the will and a battle is now raging in Missouri over who will be the administrator of Alfred’s estate.”

It appears that Shawn’s rebuttal is influenced by the fact that Alfred wasn’t in the proper mental state to make decisions of that magnitude at the time, especially being that he reportedly suffered from Parkinson’s disease and took “psychiatric drugs” like Haloperidol for the illness. 

We’re praying that for sake of Prince’s legacy and rightfully-earned fortune, all of this can be settled in the least problematic way possible. We believe The Purple One would’ve wanted it that way. Take a look back on this classic record by Prince, who happens to be Google’s most-searched guitar solo king:

Prince was recently honored by the Recording Academy with his very own tribute show featuring performances by Usher, Alicia Keys, John Legend, and more. Since the untimely passing of The Purple One, his estate has quietly released some of his recordings including the likes of songs like “Why The Butterflies” and “Don’t Let Him Fool Ya.” Despite some bumps in the road, Prince’s Estate has been handled exceptionally well. Unfortunately, now, one lawyer has hit the estate with a lien claiming that Prince’s late brother, Alfred Jackson, owes him close to $1 million in unpaid legal fees. 

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According to court documents obtained by The Blast, an attorney by the name of Justin Bruntjen worked with Prince’s half-brother, Alfred Jackson, pertaining to various legal matters and has officially filed a notice of attorney lien with the Prince Estate. In Aug. 2019, Jackson sadly passed away from natural causes without paying his legal fees. 

Alfred Jackson was one of six siblings with a share within the Prince Estate which has caused attorney Justin Bruntjen to place a claim on the estate in hopes to receive his compensation. The court documents claim that Bruntjen worked with Jackson from April 2016 to Nov. 2018 as it states:

“As of this date, the unpaid legal services and costs total $903,640.25 exclusive of any costs of collection. This amount does not include any fees and costs that Justin Bruntjen was awarded by the Court for work that benefitted the Estate as a whole.” The lien continues, “…in the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson, including any right to receive payments, property, proceeds, money or value of any kind, for agreed compensation for such services as were rendered by Justin Bruntjen respecting Alfred Jackson’s interest in the Estate.”

This isn’t the first time that Prince’s heirs have found themselves in legal disputes with lawyers. Prince’s sister, Tyka was ordered to pay $850,000 to various legal counselors who helped her with the estate. She later sold a portion of her interest in the estate to a third party which caused more conflict between attorneys and the estate. 

Hopefully, the debt can be settled amicably and Prince will be able to continue to rest in peace. Check out the audio clip of Prince’s first manager, Owen Husney, discovering the supremely gifted musician in the Instagram post provided below. 

After Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016, it was revealed that he was struggling with an opioid addiction. Following his death, his family tried to determine who could be responsible for allowing his addiction to worsen and reach a fatal endpoint. In April 2018, Prince’s heirs filed a wrongful death lawsuit that implicated a bunch of defendants. According to Page Six, over the past few months, all of the defendants have quietly been dismissed.

Dr. Michael Schulenberg, who treated Prince in the weeks before his death, was let off the hook in November, as was Schulenberg’s former employer. Both sides agreed to the dismissals. Authorities said Schulenberg admitted to prescribing oxycodone to Prince’s bodyguard in the days before Prince died, knowing the drug would go to Prince. While Schulenberg had to pay a $30,000 federal civil violation fine for prescribing the drug illegally, he is not being held directly responsible for Prince’s death. The lawsuit also targeted Walgreens for filling Prince’s prescriptions, but the pharmacy chain was dismissed in August by agreement.

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There were blatant signs that Prince’s opioid addiction was getting out of hand before his death. For one, he overdosed on a plane a week before. The Illinois hospital where the iconic singer was treated after this incident, Trinity Medical Center, was also listed in the lawsuit for quickly discharging him without attempting to combat his addiction. The hospital was permanently dismissed in August by agreement.

A medical negligence claim was also made against Howard Kornfeld, a California addiction specialist who was contacted by Prince’s associates before he died. Kornfield was dismissed in September, as the judge found no evidence that Kornfeld ever communicated with Prince.
Lastly, Prince’s bodyguard, Kirk Johnson, was deposed during the lititgation, but nothing came about from this, as transcripts show that he refused to answer most questions.

While the wrongful death case may be dropped, Prince’s family still has issues to settle. The late artist did not leave a will and the process of determining the value of his estate has not been completed yet. It’s estimated to be worth $200 million, so more disputes may arise when deciding how to split it.