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Artist News Legal
Brown estate saga may close today
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 30 January 2009
A judge in the US is expected to finally close the long running James Brown estate case today by approving the latest proposed settlement for how the late great soul legend’s assets should be distributed to his many children and grand children, his sort of widow, and various charitable initiatives.
As previously reported, the case has dragged on for over two years since Brown’s death in December 2006 because of various claims to his estate by alleged illegitimate children, the dispute over the legitimacy of his marriage to widow Tomi Rae Hynie, questions over the paternity of her son, allegations of misconduct by one of the singer’s estate’s trustees, the removal of two other trustees for not spotting their colleague’s misconduct and the appeal of those trustees against their removal. I seem to remember the replacement trustees were then themselves replaced.
Anyway, it’s been a very long saga, but if all goes to plan a judge will today approve a proposal to put half Brown’s wealth into a charitable trust to educate his grandchildren and needy students in Georgia and South Carolina, and to distribute the other half between Hynie and some of Brown’s adult children. We’ll let you know next week if that’s approved.
