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.”

Estate of Denial:  “A legal showdown over the estate of civil rights icon Rosa Parks came and went this morning without a decision by Wayne County Probate Judge Freddie Burton Jr. about whether to disqualify himself from continuing to preside over the Parks’ estate fight.

Burton told lawyers in a five-minute hearing that he would issue a decision on the disqualification motion in 30-45 days without hearing legal arguments from lawyers in the case. Then, he ended the hearing, leaving lawyers to argue their positions with newspaper reporters.

‘It’s outrageous that Judge Burton needs 30-45 days to decide a completely unopposed motion for disqualification,' said attorney Steven G. Cohen, of Farmington Hills, who sued Burton last week on the grounds that he conspired with probate lawyers John Chase Jr. and Melvin Jefferson Jr., allowing them to bankrupt Parks’ estate with unnecessary and excessive attorney fees. ‘He obviously can’t serve as a presiding judge in a case where he is the defendant.'”

ABA Journal:  “Nurses, doctors, a hospital, a lawyer and an accountant for reclusive heiress Huguette Clark coerced or influenced her out of more than $44 million in gifts, the executor of her estate said in a court filing Tuesday.

The executor, who doesn't deny that Clark authorized nearly all of those gifts, is asking the court to order all of the money to be repaid, msnbc.com's Open Channel blog reports.

The petition is an attempt to return to the estate millions of dollars that the executor claims was bled away from the heiress by fraud or undue influence. Two other petitions were expected to be filed by the executor Wednesday, one accusing her lawyer and one accusing her accountant of malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty.”

Estate of Denial:  “Pepsico has no claim to “original, historically significant documents” about the invention of its signature soft drink, two brothers claim in Federal Court, claiming their father deserves the credit.

“By this action, the heirs seek to eliminate any doubt that original, historically significant documents belonging to their deceased father, Richard John Ritchie (‘Ritchie’), who is historically acknowledged as the person who developed the original, commercially successful formula for Pepsi-Cola on or about 1931 (the ‘Ritchie Invention’), are their personal property, as his lawful heirs, which they may freely share with historians, collectors, journalists, and television and film producers, and ultimately, members of the interested public, to tell their father’s extraordinary life story without interference or the threat of litigation from Mr. Ritchie’s former employer, Pepsi,” the complaint begins.”

Estate of Denial:  “Proceeds from the sequel to Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather” published this week will be put in escrow while Paramount Pictures and the late novelist’s estate pursue litigation over the publishing rights.

“An interim agreement allows publication of the novel to go forward, pending resolution of this matter,” Richard Kendall, a lawyer for Los Angeles-based Paramount, said at a hearing today in Manhattan federal court.

Paramount, a unit of New York-based Viacom Inc., sued Anthony Puzo, Mario’s son and the executor of his estate, in February to prevent the publication of a third sequel to “The Godfather,” claiming that it wasn’t authorized.”

AZCentral:  The battle over Rosa Parks' estate has gone on for years.  Now, an attorney, Stephen G. Cohen, is accusing two attorneys and a judge of conspiring to drain the estate's cash.  The lawyers and the judge were involved in a long running civil rights dispute related to the estate.  Cohen alleges that the judge and attorneys racked up over $507,000 in unnecessary legal fees, leaving the estate $88,000 in debt.

When Rosa Parks died in 2005, she left most of her estate to the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute which Cohen represents.  Parks' relatives challenged her will after her death.

Estate of Denial:  “On Friday night former James Brown trustee, Adele Pope of Newberry, was served with a subpoena related to the diaries of Brown’s former companion, Tommie Rae Hynie.

Pope is being asked to turn over all written communications related to the Hynie diaries, including any communications with this reporter, any “blogger, website or media outlet.”

The Observer has requested a copy of the diaries from Attorney General (AG) Alan Wilson under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), but the request was refused in March.

In a telephone interview in November, 2011, a longtime friend of music icon James Brown characterized the Hynie diaries as ‘explosive.'”

Estate of Denial:  “EMI Music could lose its grip on one of the most famous pieces of film music ever created — “The Pink Panther Theme,” written by the late Henry Mancini for the 1963 film.

Late last month, Mancini’s publishing company, Northridge Music Inc., controlled by the composer’s heirs, filed a claim at the American Arbitration Association that seeks more than $1.35 million in unpaid “net profits” on music for The Pink Panther film. The heirs are also seeking punitive damages and want EMI’s administration rights terminated due to alleged malfeasance and breach of fiduciary duty.”

Probate Lawyer Blog:  “The New York Times recently featured a fascinating article called The Battle for a Comic-Book Empire That Archie Built. It detailed the ongoing legal battle over the two dueling CEO’s of Archie Comic Publications.

On one side is Jonathan Goldwater, the son of John L. Goldwater who was one of three founders of the company and the visionary behind the Archie character, created in 1941. Goldwater became a co-CEO and controller of one-half interest in the company after his half-brother, Richard Goldwater, died in 2007.

Nancy Silberkleit is the widow of the son of another founder, Louis Silberkleit. She was a schoolteacher who became co-CEO when her husband, Michael Silberkleit, died in 2008. By that time, a long-time employee and editor-in-chief, Victor Gorelick, was running the company as a temporary, stop-gap measure.

Goldwater and Silberkleit tried to work together to manage the company, agreeing in 2009 to run Archie Comics by sharing CEO duties. Silberkleit was to oversee scholastic and theatrical ventures, placing Goldwater in charge of everything else. They were supposed to consult with each other on major decisions.”