The death of Prince’s brother, Alfred Jackson, along with his disputed will, are raising new questions in the infinitely complicated efforts to fix the estate of the legendary musician, including whether a Californian man with a reputation for being attracted to celebrities will end in a sixth of Prince’s wealth.

Jackson, one of six brother heirs of a fortune worth at least $ 100 million, sold 90% of his Prince property rights to Primary Wave, a well-funded and growing entertainment company investing in music publication and recording. Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, has also entered into an agreement with Primary Wave, earning a profit in advance as real estate proceedings continue.

As a result, almost a third of Prince’s assets could end up under the control of parts not related to him, further complicating the difficult task of arranging Prince’s assets.

Within hours of signing up with Primary Wave in August, Jackson, 66, died of heart disease at his home on the outskirts of Kansas City, Mo. Unlike Prince, he had signed a will. He had no wife or children and, in another way, instead of leaving the property to his brothers, he bequeathed his property to a friend, Raffles Van Exel.

Van Exel considers himself an entertainment consultant, but he is famous for dating Whitney Houston, particularly in his last days, and Michael Jackson’s family. He was also a creative force behind O.J. The well-known draft of the book “If I were” by Simpson, show the documents of the federal court.

Alfred Jackson’s situation “seems oddly and surprisingly coincident,” said L. Londell McMillan, business consultant and entertainment attorney for Sharon, Norrine and John Nelson, three other Prince heirs.

“My heart breaks [Alfred] made a deal that didn’t even spend a whole day having fun, “said McMillan, who has worked with Prince for several years.” And now a third party is claiming the rights. It’s something I find worrying. “

The Primary deal with Jackson has been questioned by his own family, at least by his siblings who are not related to Prince. Their biggest goal: to challenge Jackson’s will.

Prince’s death from an fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016 – without a will – created one of the largest and most complicated court cases in Minnesota history. The value of the rock star’s assets is still being drawn to a close in the county court of Carver, pending an IRS determination that is expected this summer.

“Prince has a [estimated] $ 100 million to $ 300 million owned, but it’s not dollars in a bank account but in [potential] royalties on his music, and this is much more difficult to assess, “said Dennis Patrick, a Minneapolis lawyer who wrote about Prince’s property in the Mitchell Hamline Law Review.

Millions of lawyers

Prince’s heirs cannot get their money until his property is established. In the meantime, the property has distributed tens of millions of dollars to lawyers, consultants and others.

A recent court order document detailing the expenses for the year ending January 31, 2019, shows that Comerica, the Dallas-based bank that manages the property, received $ 1.5 million in fees. Troy Carter, Los Angeles-based entertainment consultant to Comerica and former manager of Lady Gaga, received $ 2 million. And Fredrikson & Byron, the Minneapolis law firm that works for Comerica, grossed $ 3.8 million.

In the same year, Prince’s property paid $ 343,000 in attorney fees. But the heirs are covered only for the legal services that the court deems useful for the property itself. Prince’s brothers personally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney fees.

Several lawyers have put their interests on the estate under control. Court documents indicate that Tyka Nelson had more than $ 800,000 in privileges, while Alfred Jackson had at least $ 900,000 unpaid legal bills when he died.

As the proceeding continued, Primary Wave offered Prince’s heirs – all but one over 58 – the opportunity to raise money by selling their real estate rights. Jackson, for example, wanted to “enjoy life now, rather than wait … and be too old, sick or dead to enjoy” his legacy, his real estate administrator, Leonardo Starke, said in a sworn statement.

The Primary Wave made unsuccessful openings to at least three brothers – Sharon, Norrine and John Nelson, according to a recent court case.

In it, the trio claims to be concerned that the primary wave will use its deep pockets to their detriment. The company’s involvement would only lead to greater delays and tensions, the brothers write in a letter directly in court. With the case draining their “limited resources”, they said they can’t afford lawyers in this matter and represent themselves.

The Primary Wave of New York declined to comment on their claims.

Primary Wave was founded 14 years ago by Lawrence Mestel, a former executive of the Arista and Island record label. The privately owned Primary Wave began by purchasing half of Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana catalog, the deceased rock star. Nowadays, Primary Wave owns thousands of copyrights of songs by both live and dead artists. He has interests in the estates of the late classical pianist Glenn Gould and Houston, which cover controversial hologram tours for both artists.

The terms of the Primary Wave agreements with Tyka Nelson and Alfred Jackson were not disclosed, but the company has asserted its rights in Prince’s case. In a December court, Primary Wave says it “fits in the shoes” of the two heirs. “There is no legal basis for distinguishing between the interest of Primary Wave and the interest of any heir.”

A history of illness

The Primary Wave deal with Jackson was contested by his family.

Jackson had moved from Minnesota to Missouri, where he has a family after Prince’s death, and his will was filed with the Kansas City trial court. On August 29, Jackson succumbed to cardiovascular disease, according to his death certificate.

His family in Missouri stated in court that Jackson had a long history of physical and mental health problems, including Parkinson’s disease, and took antipsychotic medicine used to treat mental disorders. The court records show two involuntary commitments in Minnesota, in 1989 and 1991, and a diagnosis of “chronic paranoid schizophrenia”.

Last summer, Jackson’s medical condition “was such [he] he had experienced a mental failure that deprived him [him] of intelligent action beyond the most basic decisions “, according to a document filed in the contestation of the will of Jackson by Shawn Jackson, one of his brothers not related to Prince.

Prior to Prince’s death, Jackson was “unable to live independently” and resided in a facility in Waite Park, Minn., For people who need help with “daily life activities,” said the Shawn Jackson’s attorney in a document filed this week at Prince real estate proceedings in Carver County.

McMillan, who has worked as a sales manager for Jackson for some time since Prince’s death, said he was “a very sweet and kind man. Very easy to get along and easy to enjoy.” He was certainly sick and needed of care and assistance in practically everything he did during his last years of life. Anyone who has met Alfred and had a conversation for more than five minutes would know clearly. “

But Starke, a Miami attorney who represented Jackson in the primary wave contract, said in a sworn statement that Jackson “consciously made decisions” during the primary wave negotiations. The day before Jackson’s death, Starke said he visited him and that Jackson “seemed to be healthy and in a good mood”.

“Interfering”

Shawn Jackson is trying to get Starke suspended as Alfred’s real estate administrator, claiming that the lawyer is in conflict. A succession judge said Friday that Starke has conflicts, but has not issued a written order, lawyers said. Starke did not answer calls for comment. It is unclear how Van Exel and Alfred Jackson became friends. But Shawn Jackson claims in court that “Raffles has a history of looking for celebrities and their family when they are at a low point and then fits into their lives, ultimately for his financial gain or the financial gain of those he is associated with. with.”

Starke has known Van Exel since the mid-2000s, court documents indicate.

They met during the Miami talks on O.J. Simpson’s book “If I Did It”, according to a deposition by the Starke bankruptcy court, which represented a company owned by Simpson’s children.

McMillan said he met Van Exel once – at a Prince Tribute concert in October 2016 that the lawyer helped produce at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center – but had no business dealings with Van Exel. But he has questions about him.

“Put his name on YouTube,” said McMillan of Van Exel. “It somehow finds a way to connect to vulnerable people.”

Van Exel, who lives in West Hollywood, California, and considers himself an entertainment consultant, was not met for comment.

Van Exel’s role on Alfred Jackson’s estate will likely be a “twist” to Prince’s main successor case in Minnesota, attorneys familiar with Prince’s property said. “It doesn’t stop people in Minnesota from doing what they have to do otherwise,” said Patrick.

However, “it might give [Comerica] a lawsuit to pause and understand what’s going on here. … The brother [Alfred] it is still a beneficiary. They will have to answer the question: when the money is paid out, where will it go? “

McMillan, longtime entertainment attorney who represented Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, in the arrangement of her estate, is surprised that it takes so long to resolve Prince’s affairs.

“Prince has written many songs and some of them could be applied to what is happening with the estate and the people around it,” said McMillan. “The song I most associate with this is” Emancipation “. I hope soon that its heritage will be emancipated.”