On Aug. 28, 2013, Dexter King, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to mark the 50th anniversary of their father’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
At the same time, in a scene right out of Shakespeare, or “The Godfather,” the brothers were filing a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court calling for Bernice King to be placed on administrative leave as CEO of the King Center and for several items in her possession to be turned over to the estate.
Considering the timing, it was viewed by many as one of the nastiest chapters in the siblings’ publicly strained relationship. Yet it was all but forgotten in the wake of a 2014 lawsuit over the ownership and possible sale of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and traveling Bible — a legal drama that’s still being played out.
Thursday, however, the earlier case reclaimed the limelight. The King estate dismissed its 2013 lawsuit against the King Center and opened the door to future talks and settlements.
“It has become apparent that my brother, Martin King III, chairman of the King estate, has had a change of heart in recent days as it relates to the lawsuit filed in 2013,” Dexter King said in a statement Thursday. “And therefore I instructed the estate’s attorneys to withdraw the lawsuit.”
Bernice King, in a statement issued late Thursday night, said the withdrawal of the lawsuit validates the position she has held all along.
“Throughout this unfortunate and unnecessary litigation, the King Center’s board has steadfastly maintained that it neither authorized nor ratified a purported licensing agreement that would give the estate the power to strip the King Center of its name and its use of Dr. King’s name, image and likeness in the advancement of the King Center’s mission,” Bernice King said. “The King Center has also maintained that the estate’s complaint and the underlying allegations were completely unfounded. The estate’s dismissal of this lawsuit – albeit without prejudice – is a vindication of the King Center’s position.”
William Hill, an attorney for the King estate, said lawyers for King III and Bernice King met in court this week to talk about resolving the case, although details were not revealed. Hill also said the King siblings, who constitute the estate’s board, were scheduled to meet Thursday evening.
“Now, finally there can be a conversation between the siblings to try to resolve the further disputes,” Hill said. “All of the disputes.”
Meaning the Kings might reach a settlement in the Bible and Nobel Peace Prize case, which is scheduled for trial in February in Fulton County Superior Court. In that case, the brothers contend a 1995 agreement gives the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc. ownership of all their father’s property, including the Bible and peace prize.
In 2014, the brothers voted 2-1 in favor of selling the two items. Bernice King, the youngest of Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr.’s three surviving children, voted against the sale, calling the items “sacred.”
In a rare court appearance on Jan. 13, Dexter King wouldn’t say whether the estate would sell the items if granted ownership.
And he made clear on Thursday that settlement of the 2013 lawsuit has no legal bearing on the Nobel Prize case.
“No decisions have been made regarding the King estate’s suit against Bernice King as it relates to ownership of Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize and his traveling Bible,” Dexter King said in a statement.
But he added that he hopes the family can resolve the issue before there’s a public trial.
“Luckily that trial is not set to begin until the end of February. But it is my hope that those issues will be resolved long before then.”
The 2013 lawsuit was filed by King III and Dexter King on behalf of the estate against their sister, the King Center’s CEO, “after the results of an internal audit of the King Center showed that hundreds of items that once belonged to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — now property of the King estate — were being housed in unsafe, unsecure conditions, and in jeopardy of fire and water damage.”
The suit also described the relationship between the estate and the King Center as “strained, resulting in a total breakdown in communication and transparency.”
The estate, in essence, sued the King Center for the safe return of the property and for violating the terms of a 2007 licensing agreement that allowed it to house and display King memorabilia. The three siblings are the directors of both the King Center and the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc.
“The dismissal is an important first step in rebuilding a long-lasting relationship between the two corporations,” Bernice King said. “Going forward, the King Center is hopeful that the parties will work together, hand in hand, in a manner consistent with the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the vision of Coretta Scott King to build the King Center as the official living memorial to her husband and his leadership legacy of nonviolent social change.”
Alveda King, a cousin and King Center board member who was named in the 2013 lawsuit, said she is grateful that at least one chapter in the ongoing legal battle seems to have closed.
“I am glad to hear that this case has been dismissed,” Alveda King said. “I accept that decision prayerfully. As to all of us involved, I ask that the public will continue to pray for us.”
A full trial to determine the ownership of the Bible and the peace prize was originally scheduled for Feb. 16, but will likely be pushed back to later in the month.
“The important thing to note is that while the public focuses on discord, this is a Herculean effort to create a moment in time in which thoughtful conversation can be had,” Hill said. “Dexter is trying to pull his brother and sister together so they can talk.”
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