Estate of Denial:  “In documents filed in Federal Court on Friday, Aiken attorney and former James Brown trustee Robert Buchanan alleged that Brown’s companion Tommie Rae Hynie joined Brown’s son Terry and grandson Forlando in a conspiracy to destroy James Brown’s estate plan.

The allegations were filed in a counterclaim related to a five-year-old lawsuit, originally brought by Brown’s grandson Forlando against Buchanan and Newberry attorney Adele Pope.

Buchanan and Pope served as co-trustees of the Brown will and trust from November 2007 to May 2009. Only six weeks after they were court appointed, in Jan. of 2008, Forlando filed suit against them, asserting that Buchanan and Pope would not follow James Brown’s noble plan to dedicate his entire music empire to education. In the suit, Forlando asked for the return of original trustees David Cannon, Albert Dallas and Al Bradley.

Bradley died in 2010. Dallas lost an appeal to the S.C. Supreme Court. Cannon entered an Alford plea in Oct. 2011 to indictments that alleged he took $12 million from James Brown between 1999 and 2007, and that he forged a document in 2008 to cover up his takings.

Forlando’s claim that Buchanan and Pope would not defend Brown’s estate plan proved inaccurate. In 2009 Buchanan and Pope “vigorously” defended the estate plan with their opposition to and appeal of a settlement deal that Tommie Rae, Terry and others made with former Attorney General (AG) Henry McMaster. The McMaster deal takes away more than half of Brown’ $100 million music empire and gives it to some of Brown’s disinherited, claimed relatives. McMaster also gave Brown’s son Terry—Forlando’s father—a right to buy the music empire at fair market value.”