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Meanwhile,
a South Carolina judge in a ruling made public Tuesday
said the trustees accused of mismanaging Brown's estate
will keep handling his property and trust, but a special
administrator will oversee their work.
The
singer's six adult children were in an Aiken County
court Feb. 9 in an attempt to remove three trustees
who are handling the late singer's estate. They claim
it has been mismanaged.
The
children and Hynie had both asked the court to appoint
a special administrator to oversee the trust.
Such
an administrator "will protect the estate by permitting
all claims to be pursued and investigated with the required
due diligence, and will assist this Court in assessing
the proper administration of the estate," Judge
Doyet Early said in his ruling, dated Monday.
Rosen
said he and his client were pleased with the appointment
of a special administrator.
Brown's
attorney, trustee Buddy Dallas, said he was pleased
and vindicated by the decision.
"We
told the court that we had no objection whatsoever to
a special administrator and the court has now ruled
that there were no improprieties on the part of the
personal representatives," Dallas said.
Brown's
children claimed in court papers last month that trustees
had "mismanaged and otherwise dissipated assets
and income of the trust to the detriment of James Brown"
and that some of Brown's assets were in danger of being
"lost or dissipated or stolen."
The
trust is said to contain most of Brown's primary assets,
including the late singer's music rights and his 60-acre
Beech Island home, and is separate from Brown's will
filed last week. The will called for personal possessions
such as clothes, jewelry, boats and automobiles to be
divided among the children.
Dallas
said the children's petition "delayed the wishes
and legacy of Mr. Brown." But it won't likely be
the last hearing over the singer's estate.
"As
long as there's a lawyer who can earn a fee, this will
go on," Dallas said.
Attorneys
for Brown's children did not immediately returns calls
for comment Tuesday.
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