Timeline approved for Prince’s estate

NEWSMAKERS

Timeline approved for Prince’s estate

CHASKA, Minn.

A Minnesota judge on Monday approved an aggressive timeline for testing claims of heirship to Prince’s estate.

In a one-page order, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide approved a protocol proposed by the trust company overseeing his affairs. It gives existing claimants until Friday to file sworn statements detailing their claims to have a genetic relationship with Prince that would make them heirs, since no will has surfaced.

New claimants will get a week from filing their initial notices to file the three-page questionnaires, which ask for details on parentage, along with supporting documents such as claimants’ birth and parents’ marriage certificates.

The special administrator would let claimants know within three days whether their claimed familial relationship is already established as a matter of law, or if DNA testing is necessary. Those rejected could file objections with the judge.

The claimants so far include Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, several half-siblings, a Colorado prison inmate who says Prince was his father and others.

The next hearing is June 27.

On Monday, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton issued a proclamation declaring today to be “Prince Day” in Minnesota to mark what would have been the star’s 58th birthday.

Prince died April 21 from an accidental overdose of the narcotic painkiller fentanyl.

Neighbor to buy Playboy Mansion

LOS ANGELES

Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion is about to acquire a new owner — the billionaire businessman who lives next door.

Representatives of Playboy Enterprises and Daren Metropoulos confirmed Monday that Metropoulos’ bid to buy Hefner’s Los Angeles man cave is in escrow.

Both sides declined to reveal the price until escrow closes. The home was originally listed for $200 million.

Metropoulos did say terms of the sale allow Playboy Magazine’s 90-year-old founder to live in the mansion for the rest of his life.

After that, Metropoulos plans to merge his property with Hefner’s, creating a 7.3-acre compound featuring the two stately 1920s-era mansions.

Metropoulos bought his current home from Hefner in 2009 for $18 million.

Metropoulos has been an occasional visitor to the mansion since then.

Viacom owner throws up hurdle to Paramount sale

NORWOOD, Mass.

In a move that further undermines Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, the company’s controlling shareholder says it amended Viacom’s bylaws to require unanimous board approval for any full or partial sale of movie studio Paramount Pictures.

The action further consolidates control in the hands of ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter, Shari Redstone. The elder Redstone has said he’s against the sale, which was backed by Dauman.

National Amusements Inc., which controls 80 percent of the voting stock in both Viacom and CBS Corp., announced the change Monday. National Amusements is controlled by the Redstones.

It’s the latest twist in the battle over multibillion-dollar conglomerates and came a day before a trial gets underway in a Massachusetts probate court into whether 93-year-old Sumner Redstone is mentally competent.

Associated Press