Jury seated in trial over Aretha Franklin’s handwritten wills

In this Dec. 4, 2008 file photo, Aretha Franklin performs during the 85th annual Christmas tree lighting at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. (AP)

PONTIAC, Mich. — A Michigan judge narrowed the issues Monday in a dispute over Aretha Franklin’s estate, saying the only task for jurors is to decide whether a 2014 document handwritten by the Queen of Soul and found in couch cushions can be accepted as a valid will.

The stipulation was made by attorneys for Franklin’s sons before a jury was seated in Oakland County Probate Court.