If you recall, the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, passed away on Christmas Day 2006. And it took over two months before the family would even bury him.
Then, in mid July of ’07, family members starting pointing fingers at missing money, claiming the trustees had mismanaged funds and several million dollars were missing.
The courtroom drama continued into 2008, with Brown’s older children and others questioning whether his marriage in 2001 to Tomi Rae Hynie Brown was even legal and whether his son with her was really legitimate.
But after years of drama, and everyone fighting for his money and estate, a decision has finally been made.
On Tuesday, a South Carolina judge approved a settlement giving nearly half of Brown’s assets to a charitable trust. A quarter was given to his wife and youngest son, and the rest to his six adult kids.
In a statement, Tomi said “I am so relieved and happy that the court has approved this settlement. I want to be able to work with the trustees and other Brown family members to promote James Brown’s legacy. My son James and I are grateful to the judge and hope this nightmare is finally over.”
The exact figures haven’t been made public, but there’s plenty of future income to make from Brown’s movies and the sale of his likeness.
Brown’s daughter added, “It has been a struggle, but God has ble$$ed us and we are thankful. We look forward to working towards the goals of our father by providing education scholarships for impoverished students and his own grandchildren and making his home a museum for the world to come and see.”
[Image via Mavrix Online.]
Original post by Perez Hilton
