Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:36:23 PM CST


estate

estate news stories

8 Stories

 MLK's Kids Fight Over Letters 

Judge orders Bernice to bring unpublished papers to court

(Newser) - Legal battles among Martin Luther King Jr's children drag on, this time over who gets mom and dad's unpublished correspondence. Yesterday, a judge ordered youngest daughter Bernice, the administrator of Coretta Scott King's estate, to bring to court letters and photos that sit at the heart of a disputed $1.4 million book deal signed by her brother, Dexter, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. More »

MLK Children: Lawsuit Defends Dad's Legacy

Accusations fly as estranged siblings
take dispute public

(Newser) - Martin Luther King's children are blaming each other for the uncharacteristically public standoff that led two of them to sue the third over management of their father's estate, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The deaths of the family peacekeepers, mother Coretta and sister Yolanda, helped expose the rift. "Strong parents have strong children, and strong children have strong opinions, and that usually leads to conflicts that they have difficulty reconciling," says ex-Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, a longtime family friend. More »

More about:  lawsuit Atlanta Martin Luther King Jr. inheritance estate Martin Luther King III

 Medical Bracelet
 With Soul Sells for $32K 

James Brown's goods sell for $850K at controversial auction

(Newser) - The personal belongings of James Brown sold for $850,000 at a bittersweet Christie's auction yesterday, E! Online reports. Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer provided the day's surprise by shelling out $32,500 for the medical bracelet Brown was wearing before he died on Christmas Day in 2006; the estimate had been $200 to $300. A full-length, black satin cape drew $47,500, and a jumpsuit studded with the acronym GFOS  $25,000. More »

More about:  auction singer Christie's estate soul James Brown

 MLK Children Fight Over Estate 

Family dispute over civil rights hero's estate goes public

(Newser) - Two of Martin Luther King Jr.'s three surviving children are taking their brother to court, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Bernice and Martin King III say Dexter, president of the corporation that oversees the civil rights hero's intellectual property rights, has mishandled company funds and wrongfully taken money from their parents' estates for his own use. More »

More about:  lawsuit Atlanta Martin Luther King Jr. inheritance estate Martin Luther King III

Ray Charles'
12 Kids Seek More Control Over Estate

Star's children battling with longtime manager

(Newser) - The children of legendary singer Ray Charles—all 12 of them—want more control over their father's estate. A confusing meeting with their ailing dad before he died has entangled the kids in legal battles over Charles' estate, currently run by the musician's longtime manager Joe Adams, the Los Angeles Times reports. More »

More about:  celebrity estate Ray Charles

Papa’s Got a Brand New … Jumpsuit?

James Brown's estate selling everything in August auction

(Newser) - Estate sales are always a mixed bag, but the James Brown auction at Christie’s in August will be something special, TMZ.com reports. Sure, fans will be able to snag coveted items like a Grammy or keyboard, but the Godfather’s socks, underwear and canceled checks? Say it loud: His estate is broke. More »

More about:  auction memorabilia Christie's music sales estate James Brown

Heath May Have Fathered Secret Love Child

17-year-old Ledger had affair with older woman before baby girl's birth

(Newser) - A 17-year-old Heath Ledger may have fathered a child during an affair with an older woman, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reports. The woman was living in Sydney with another man while seeing the young actor. “There is a very real possibility that Heath was the father” of the baby girl, said Ledger’s uncle. The girl, who would be about 11 years old now, was raised as the daughter of her mother’s live-in boyfriend. More »

More about:  affair Heath Ledger inheritance love child Matilda Rose Ledger estate

The House of Mirthlessness

Drowning in debt,
Edith Wharton's
Mass. estate faces foreclosure

(Newser) - Edith Wharton's masterpieces include The House of Mirth , but the story of her own house is much less joyous. Her estate in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, currently a museum called the Mount that chronicles her life and career, is drowning under some $9 million in debt. Now, writes the Berkshire Eagle , a bank has warned it will foreclose on the property and sell it to the highest bidder. More »

More about:  foreclosure literature philanthropy museums estate Edith Wharton Berkshires

8 Stories

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »