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James Brown's Kids: Papa Done Leave a Mess

Thu., Jan. 25, 2007 4:10 PM PST by Julie Keller

So much for resting in peace.

First it was his former companion, now it's James Brown's six adult children who aren't feeling good about the state of affairs regarding his estate.

Deanna J. Brown Thomas, Yamma N. Brown Lumar, Vanisha Brown, Daryl J. Brown, Larry Brown and Terry Brown filed an emergency petition Wednesday in a Columbia, South Carolina, court claiming the trustees of Brown's expansive estate are shirking their duties.

Per court documents, the Browns say that the three trustees—the singer's longtime legal advisor Albert "Buddy" Dallas, along with David Cannon and Alford Bradley—"have mismanaged and otherwise dissipated assets and income of the trust to the detriment of James Brown," according to court documents.

Said trustees are refuting the claims of mismanagement, claiming everything in the trust is being handled "appropriately and properly."

The 33-page filing came a day after the children tried to block the three trustees and others from entering the Godfather of Soul's mansion in Beech Island, South Carolina. Sheriff's deputies were called to the scene by the Browns but left without making any arrests, since the trustees are still legally in charge of managing of the singer's assets.

Still, the children say a security officer on the property saw the trustees videotaping and photographing areas of the home. The guard also claims to have witnessed "some members of the group remove a document of some sort from a secret location in the home," per court documents.

For his part, Dallas has denied any malfeasance, instead questioning the motives of the children. "These are the same children who sued their own father," the attorney said. (Deanna Thomas and Yamma Lumar sued Brown in 2002, seeking songwriting credit and royalties for the 1976 hit "Get Up Offa That Thing"; the case was settled and the terms were not disclosed.)

Brown's will, dated in the year 2000, was entered in probate on Jan. 18. He ordered that his "personal and household effects," including clothes, jewelry, boats and automobiles, be divided equally among the six children.

However, the bulk of his estate, including his music rights and his posh 60-acre Beech Island spread, was put in an irrevocable trust.

This latest posthumous showdown is separate from the looming legal onslaught from Tomi Rae Hynie, the singer's longtime companion and the mother of his seventh child, James Brown Jr. Hynie—who was locked out of the Beech Island mansion by Dallas shortly after Brown died on Christmas Day—and Brown coupled after his will was signed. Her lawyer has said she is planning to sue for half the estate for herself and a portion of the remaining assets for her five-year-old son.

Meanwhile, the status of Brown's final resting spot is also in dispute. The gold casket containing Brown's remains had been in a climate-controlled room at the Beech Island home since his funeral. Last week, the casket was taken to an undisclosed location while the family figures out where he should be interred.

Debra Opri, another attorney for Brown's family, told E! Online last month that a special mausoleum would be constructed for Brown at the Beech Island home, which in turn would be transformed into a Graceland-like museum and tourist destination.

In any event, a probate judge will try to make sense of the trustee mess during a Feb. 1 hearing.