Lawsuit By MLK's Estate Seeks His Famous Bible and Nobel Medal From King's Daughter

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that a lawsuit was filed in state court in Georgia last Friday by the estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. (controlled by two of King's children, Martin III and Dexter) against King's daughter Bernice seeking to force Bernice to turn over to the King estate Dr. King's "traveling" Bible and his Nobel Prize medal. The Bible is the one President Barack Obama used for his ceremonial swearing-in on MLK Day in 2013. King's heirs agreed in 1995 to sign over rights to various items they inherited to the King estate.  In a statement, Bernice King says she is refusing to turn the items over because her brothers want to sell them to a private buyer. She explained:

As a minister of the Gospel, the thought of selling my daddy’s Bible troubles my mind, vexes my spirit and weighs on my soul.  The thought of profiting from the sale of the Peace Prize Medal, which my father accepted 50 years ago this year on behalf of the greatest demonstration of peace this nation has ever seen, is spiritually violent, unconscionable, historically negligent, and outright morally reprehensible.

The three siblings have been involved in various lawsuits against one another since 2008.