Judge Takes Control of MLK Memorabilia

Bernice King currently has possession of both items; her brothers, acting as the estate, are suing to get them and asked, in a court filing, for her to turn over the items immediately.

After a hearing that ran more than two hours Wednesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered Bernice King to relinquish the items but not to her brothers, saying “The court will maintain the all keys to the safe deposit box until the conclusion of the litigation. That will maintain a status quo that I believe adequately protects the interests of the parties and the public.”

Attorney William Hill represents the estate, and he wants the case fast-tracked to avoid losing the interest of the potential buyer of the items, whom Hill will not identify.

The estate’s argument? According to Hill, “The estate has a fiduciary obligation to act responsibly with respect to the properties that it has and owns. And Dexter King’s affidavit makes it very clear, that in this economic environment in which we live, that it is a responsible and very prudent business option to the estate, which is the consideration of the sale of the Bible and the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Lawyer Eric Barnum, who represents Bernice King, takes the opposite side of that same coin. “Once you sell the Peace Prize and Dr. King’s Bible, arguably two of the most precious and monetarily valuable items, you’ve pretty much diminished the significant assets of the corporation,” Barnum told WABE. “A director’s responsibility is to protect, enhance, grow the assets of the corporation not to sell those assets off.”

Neither Bernice King nor her brothers were in court Wednesday. The parties could be back in court within the next thirty days.