Are we really still writing about the distribution of James Brown's estate? Yes, yes we are.
As much previously reported, the tying up of the late soul legend's finances and affairs have proved difficult because of various people claiming to be Brown's illegitimate children, the issue of his sort-of widow, Tomi Rae Hynie, not being mentioned in his will, and the fact their marriage wasn't entirely legitimate, and the fact various of Brown's family members have found fault with the trustees of the singer's estate.
As also previously reported, the original three trustees all stood down after one of them, David Cannon, was accused of misappropriating funds. Buddy Dallas and Alfred Bradley also resigned after being accused of incompetence for not stopping Cannon from acting inappropriately, though they subsequently argued they had been incorrectly advised by the judge overseeing the estate case regarding the need to resign, and that they should be reinstated as trustees.
By that time the court had appointed its own trustees - Adele Pope and Robert Buchanan - who had been originally hired as special administrators to work on the case. Now the lawyer representing some of Brown's adult children, Louis Levensen, is calling on them to be fired, arguing that they have taken far too long to find a settlement, and that that's because they lack the expertise to manage a complex estate like this.
There are reports that a settlement has been proposed that would see 25% go to the aforementioned Rae Hynie and the couple's son, 25% to Brown's other adult children, and 50% to a trust to pay for the education of his grandchildren and needy students in Georgia and South Carolina. It's not clear if all interested parties back that settlement, though they do reportedly back Levensen's proposal to sack Pope and Buchanan.
Brown, in case you've forgotten, died on Christmas Day 2006.