Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and His Legacy
On January 15th, 2024, we will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy. For his efforts in the Civil Rights Movement, King received the Nobel Peace Prize of 1964. In his acceptance speech, Dr. King accepted the Peace Prize as a trustee:
I accept this prize on behalf of all men who love peace and brotherhood. I say I come as a trustee, for in the depths of my heart I am aware that this prize is much more than an honor to me personally. . . . I accept this award in the spirit of a curator of some precious heirloom which he holds in trust for its true owner—all those to whom beauty is truth and truth, beauty—and in whose eyes the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.
It is ironic that he viewed himself as a trustee, but failed to appoint one for his Estate. Following his death in 1968, the Probate Court of Fulton County, Georgia found Dr. King had died intestate, or without a will or Trust. At the time of his death, his net worth was less than $6,000.
Dr. King’s own children would fight multiple public and contentious legal battles over his Estate. The most publicized battle was over Dr. King’s Peace Prize medal, as well as his travel Bible, the Bible used in President Barack Obama’s 2013 inauguration. King’s Estate was controlled by his son, Martin Luther King III and his younger brother, Dexter Scott King. They asked a judge to order their sister Bernice to turn over their father’s Nobel medal and traveling bible, which Bernice held in a safe deposit box. The brothers want to sell them to a private buyer claiming the estate needed money to continue to front the expense to enforce the rights of King’s words and image. Bernice said at the time that the idea of selling their father’s most cherished items was unthinkable. Bernice argued in court that King gifted the Nobel Medal to his wife, meaning that it is a part of the Coretta Scott King estate, which she is the administrator of. Ultimately, in 2016, Bernice lost the battle and was ordered to turn over the Dr. King’s Peace Prize medal, as well as his travel Bible to her brother Martin Luther King III, as chairman of the estate’s board. The significance of this dispute was emphasized by the fact that former President Jimmy Carter served as mediator in the case.
Could anything have been done to prevent such feuding? Had Dr. King had a comprehensive estate plan, it would have prevented much of his family’s feud.
Regardless of the size of the estate, through estate planning, you can appoint the person you want to manage the savings you’ve worked so hard for lifetime, establish a decision-making process for later years, and adopt dispute resolution mechanisms. Let Lubnau Law’s experienced estate planning attorneys help you create a plan that leaves a legacy of peace. Give us a call at (307) 682- 1313.