Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:52:42 +0000
MLK's children file lawsuit against their brother
Bernice King, Martin Luther King III in dispute with Dexter King
The Atlanta Journal-Constitutio n
Published on: 07/11/08
In a move that could affect the millions of dollars worth of Martin Luther King Jr. royalties and assets that flow through them, Bernice and Martin King III have filed a lawsuit against their brother.
Bernice and Martin King III claim that Dexter Scott King has mishandled funds and hidden documents from them pertaining to King Inc., the family's parent corporation that oversees the intellectual property rights of Martin Luther King Jr.
RELATED LINKS: • Read the lawsuit (PDF) | Dexter King statement
• Video: Martin Luther King's last moments
• Photos: Portraits of those who knew MLK
They also claim in the suit that he has wrongfully taken money out of the estate of their mother, Coretta Scott King, for personal use.
Dexter King, who lives in Malibu, could not be reached for comment Friday. He has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit.
Funds that come into King Inc., include books and promotional sales of King items. The biggest asset is the $32 million that the city of Atlanta â€" led by Mayor Shirley Franklin - plunked down to purchase the Atlanta native King's papers in 2006.
Jock Smith, an attorney representing Bernice and Martin III, said the siblings have been denied "information and documentation concerning the operations, actions and financial affairs," of King Inc., and according to court documents, Dexter King has "misapplied or wasted," the corporation' s funds, using the money for his personal benefit.
"He owes Martin and Bernice an accounting of what has happened with all of the money" Smith said. "We're trying to get an accounting as to the financing and well-being of the estate. The way to do that is to get records, books and accounting."
Dexter King is the president of King, Inc. Bernice and Martin III are shareholders.
Smith said there have been financial distributions from the corporation, but: "Whether those distributions were what they should have been is the question."
Smith said one of the goals of the lawsuit is to force Dexter King to call a board meeting of his father's estate.
"The lawsuit alleged that there has been no meeting for several years," said Smith. "There needs to be a board meeting called so there can be an accounting to all stockholders. Not only about the money, but the actual corporation itself to make sure that everyone has been treated fairly."
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court and also claims that Dexter King has taken "substantial funds" from the estate of their late mother, which is controlled by Bernice King.
Neither King sibling would speak to the AJC and referred all of their comments to Smith.
This isn't the first time that the siblings have been on opposite sides of a public airing of family business.
Shortly after the death of family matriarch Coretta Scott King in January 2006, Dexter King began talk of selling the King Center to the federal government.
That move was publicly denounced by Martin III and Bernice, who wanted to keep the organization their mother founded in 1968 to honor their father in family hands.
After the death of their eldest sister, Yolanda, talk of the sale quieted, but business relations still remained strained.
Smith said Bernice and Martin III went through "much heartfelt thought and prayer," before deciding to file suit against their brother, because they knew the decision would draw attention.
Before the story was picked up Friday by the Associated Press, it was the lead story on The Smoking Gun and TMZ.com, a gossip site that devotes much of its attention to the exploits of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. The headline: "Martin Luther King's Bad Dream."
