Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s universal message was one of peace and harmony. But it appears King’s own children somehow missed that message, when a family squabble over finances escalated into a full-fledged lawsuit between siblings.
Bernice King and Martin Luther King III took their brother Dexter to court, accusing him of converting “substantial funds from the King estate’s financial account” for his own use. But Dexter King, who is the corporation’s president, chief executive, and estate administrator, denied those accusations. And in a countersuit, Dexter King asked a judge to force Bernice King to turn over their mother’s personal papers, including love letters that were once central to a $1.4 million book deal. The lawsuits revealed a very sad and public separation of an iconic American family that has always professed unity.
Judge Ural D. Glanville, was scheduled to preside over the trial in Fulton County Superior Court, however, an out of court settlement was reached between the siblings yesterday at the 11th hour. Judge Glanville had expressed serious concern about governance of the King estate, but acknowledged that Dexter King is the majority shareholder and wields significant power in the corporation because he holds 80 percent of its shares. So he alone can constitute a quorum for transacting business, which could have complicated the court’s involvement. But the ideal scenario was reached when the King children were able to work out their differences in private, without a public and potentially nasty jury trial. They have mutually agreed to each find three possible temporary custodians to manage the estate for at least one year, giving the three children time to heal their relationship as siblings and develop procedures for managing the MLK Jr. estate. “It was a very long day but also a very triumphant day in that we, as a family, I think, have amicably resolved our differences,” Dexter King said. “Families love each other. Families have disagreements,” Bernice King said. “It doesn’t mean as we go forward we will always agree because that would be a misnomer to say that.”
A sad state of affairs indeed.But, as noted, an out of court settlement does seem to have been worked out between the sibs. I guess we shall see…