MLK's children sue brother, claim estate assets 'wasted'

Two of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King's children have filed a lawsuit against their brother, seeking to open the books of the family patriarch's estate.

Bernice King, administrator of the estate of Coretta Scott, and Martin Luther King III filed a lawsuit Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court against Dexter King and the estate of Martin Luther King Jr., according to court records.

"We're trying to get an accounting as to the financing and well-being of the estate," said Jock Smith, the personal attorney to Bernice King and Martin Luther King III.

Smith, president of the Cochran Firm based in Alabama, has a request pending to be allowed to practice law in Georgia.

Smith said one of the goals of the lawsuit is to force Dexter King to call a board meeting of his father's estate.

"That has not happened for some time," the attorney said.

Dexter King allegedly has refused to provide information and documentation concerning the operations, actions and financial affairs for the estate of Martin Luther King Jr., to which Bernice and Martin III say they are entitled to, according to court documents.

Court records show that on June 20, Dexter King and the estate "without authorization and without notice" to Bernice King, "converted substantial funds from the estate's financial account."

Records also claim that assets of Martin Luther King Jr.'s estate "are being misapplied or wasted."

The lawsuit asks that Dexter King furnish documents held by employees, lawyers, financial advisers and others acting on behalf of the estate, according to court records. It also seeks board meeting minutes and other records, including e-mails and financial documents concerning the estate.


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