The process of determining what members of Aretha Franklin’s family will inherit, and who will inherit those things, just got a whole lot more complex.

It was originally believed that the late singer did not leave a last will and testament when she died last year in Detroit. But this week, three handwritten documents that it appears Franklin wrote were submitted to Oakland County probate court in Michigan. If it can be determined that the handwriting is indeed hers when attorneys for her estate go before a judge on June 12th, it could give her family and attorneys a better sense of how she wanted her worldly possessions and wealth distributed among her family. But how do you handle a situation where you have multiple wills that may contain conflicting instructions from the deceased?

Today on AirTalk, Larry chats with an estate planning and wills expert about how California law handles and resolves these kinds of situations, and we’ll take calls from AirTalk listeners who want to share their will and estate planning horror stories. Have you ever had a situation where a family member died and there were conflicting instructions in a will or wills as far as carrying it out? How did you resolve it? Join the conversation at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Jan Copley, principal at Pasadena Law Group, which specializes in estate planning, trust administration and probate cases