28 Jul Media Pushing For Camera’s In Court Room In Prince Estate Case

The artist who wanted privacy while alive may not be getting any in his court case to decided his estate. The media is pushing to have audiovisual access to Prince‘s estate hearings inside the court room when it goes to trial.

Thursday morning there were over a dozen lawyers, four reporters, along with one person claiming to be an heir to the late music icon. The heir in question? Brianna Nelson.

Nelson is the daughter of the late Duane Joseph Nelson, Sr., who she claims was Prince’s half-brother. The other siblings are saying that it is not true that she is a relative. If proven true, however, Brianna Nelson and her 11-year-old niece, Victoria Nelson, would stand to inherit.

As for the media request, “It’s our position that everything that happens in this court and everything that’s filed in this case should be public,” said Leita Walker, lawyer representing the media outlets.

Bremer Trust, who is the special administrator overseeing the estate, stated that there are privacy concerns that should prevent media access in some cases. The potential heirs have “sensitive personal histories” that they may want to keep private, said attorney Doug Peterson.

There are also ongoing business deals that Bremer would like to keep private as it works to maximize the estate’s value and collect enough for a looming, multi-million-dollar tax bill.

Also entertainment attorney Ken Abdo, who’s representing three of Prince’s half-siblings, noted that business transactions would be private if the heirs didn’t need to be consulted on them. Keeping transactions private now avoids opportunities for “celebrity business voyeurism,” he said.

As it stands now, District Court Judge Kevin Eide advised it will be a while before he decides to have cameras in the courtroom but stated he will try to do so “In a thoughtful manner”.

Personally, I hope that there are no cameras in the courtroom due to how private Prince was. The lawyers pushing for cameras are saying his right to privacy is gone. “That ship sailed when he passed away.” Ouch. Just like school on Sunday, no class.-DocFB

Diagnosis: Don’t take a picture sweety…

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