Summary: Prince’s family wants investigative data about the musician’s death in 2016.
Legendary singer Prince died in 2016 of an accidental overdose. Now, his surviving relatives are trying to determine whether or not to file a wrongful death lawsuit, but they said local authorities are not cooperating with them, according to The Wrap.
On Tuesday, Prince’s trustees, his living siblings, filed legal papers in Minnesota, and they said that they are investigating their brother’s death. However, they said that authorities are not giving them the information that they need.
Prince’s siblings said that Carver County, Minnesota refuses to give them the data. The County said that the requested information is confidential and that the release of it may impede the ongoing investigation into the “1999” singer’s death.
“First, because the law enforcement data collected by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office remains under active investigation, the data is classified by law as confidential data. This confidential law enforcement data remains confidential until the Carver County Attorney makes the decision to charge or decline any criminal charge,” Carver County stated to the Chanhassen Villager.
The trustees said that they “will not disclose the data to anyone, absent a court order,” and they are asking the courts to demand the county release the information to them.
“[We] respectfully ask this Court to order the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, Medical Examiner’s Office and the County Attorney to produce all investigative data in their possessions related to the death of Mr. Nelson,” the trustee’s legal documents stated.
Prince, real name Prince Rogers Nelson, died on April 21, 2016 at his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota. After an autopsy report, it was discovered that he had died from an overdose of fentanyl, a narcotic and sedative known for a heroin-like effect. Authorities are still looking into how the musician obtained the drug, which is available by prescription.
In Prince’s family’s legal filings, they did not specify who the wrongful death lawsuit would be against.
Last year, Carver County reported that they were handling almost a dozen cases concerning Prince’s estate. The multi-million dollar entertainer did not leave a will, and after his death, potential heirs emerged, claiming that they had a claim to his fortune.
Kyle Christopherson, a communication specialist for the Minnesota Judicial Branch, told The Chaska Herald, that thousands of Prince-related legal paperwork have been filed in the courthouse.
Carver County Judge Kevin Eide presides over all Prince-related cases. The Chaska Herald said that local media, as well as national outlets such as TMZ, have made requests to record or document Prince-related court hearings.
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