Bernice King and Martin Luther King III are suing their brother, Dexter King, alleging that he took "substantial funds" out of Coretta Scott King's estate and "wrongfully appropriated" money from their father's estate.Attorneys for Bernice King and Martin Luther King III would not say Friday how much money they are accusing Dexter King of taking from their mother's estate. Bernice King is the administrator of that estate. Dexter King, the suit says, controls their father's estate, which is registered as a Georgia corporation. All three children are shareholders in that corporation.
The lawsuit names Dexter King and the corporation as defendants. It alleges that last month, the defendants "converted substantial funds from the estate's financial account at Bank of America for their own use."
Dexter King denies any wrongdoing.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead garbage workers on a protest march. King's wife, Coretta Scott King, also devoted her life to the civil rights movement and is credited with keeping his legacy alive after his death, died in 2006.
Read the entire CNN article concerning the King children's lawsuit here.
plez sez: what a damn shame!
but WHO is qualified to administer the estate of Martin Luther King, Jr.?
to my way of thinking, the memory and legacy of MLK transcends race, he really belongs in the public domain for all americans. it almost needs a government agency (like the smithsonian institute) to maintain his letters, speeches, and memorabilia. then this agency could contribute to the living expenses of the king children (and heirs) for being part of the "lucky sperm" club. it is obvious that the legacy of being Martin Luther King, Jr.'s children is a weighty proposition that none of his children appear to be equipped to handle.
i would hate to hear that in ten years, some chinese corporation has ownership of the rights to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
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i wrote the following comments at a similar post at living-loving-laughing ... i liked what i wrote so much over there, i decided to copy it to plezWorld:
i cannot even imagine how tough it had to be growing up as the child (and living legacy) of one who i consider to be the Greatest American, Martin Luther King, Jr.
imagine the burden in all of your classes with teachers, students, administrators, and parents of students knowing that you are "his" kid? imagine the burden that "his" kids had to encounter when they were in college? how does Martin Luther King, III go on a job interview? imagine the questions they've had to answer all their lives? imagine trying to sustain a relationship with someone who knows who your father was? imagine growing up knowing that your father meant EVERYTHING to entire race of people?
now fast forward 40 years... there must be a point where you grow tired of carrying on "his" legacy. there must be days where you wish someone else was your daddy! there has to be days that you'd like to live your life in relative obscurity... away from people who will pounce on your every action, your every word.
now imagine being a steward of this legacy. then imagine having to share this stewardship with 2 or 3 other people who've been going through the same *ish* that you've been going through all your life... it is an unfair burden for any human being to try to live up to the words & actions of Martin Luther King, Jr.
i agree... the estates of the MLK, Jr. and his wife, Coretta, would be better served in the hands of a blind trust or some disinterested third party whose only job is to maintain the rich legacy of America's One and Only KING! maybe then, "his" children (already in their 40's and 50's) can begin to live their lives and not continue to live in the shadow and burden of their father.
I agree Plez. There seems to be alot of bad blood between Dr. Kings children which is really sad. It needs to be taken out of their hands to be properly managed.
What a damn shame.
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