King Siblings Reach Settlement

In an interesting case that reflects how families can let perceived slights and disagreements build into public brawls.

The three surviving children of the late Martin Luther King Jr. and the late Correta Scott King have agreed to allow the court to appoint a third-party custodian to manage King Inc, the corporation that controls the use of their father’s papers, intellectual property and materials.

Dexter King, who serves as president of the company, told reporters that he would maintain that position but would allow the custodian to manage the “family business”.

His siblings, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III filed suit last year alleging that they had been shut out of decisions made about the company. They accused Dexter of mishandling the affairs of the company and their late mother’s estate after her death in 2006.

The settlement comes just as the case could have gone to a jury trial that could have been lengthy and possibly embarrassing for the family.

A full story on the settlement can be read in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.