As a South Carolina judge held one of the administrators of James Brown's estate in contempt of court, the other two trustees abruptly stepped down, sending the singer's affairs into still more tumult.
David Cannon, a former financial adviser to the estate, was found in contempt Tuesday for failing to pay $373,000 that was allegedly misappropriated from Brown in the last years of his life.
In issuing the order, Aiken County Judge Jack Early also said Cannon worked on the "Super Bad" singer's tax returns in blatant disregard of the judge's order. Early dismissed Cannon as a trustee in August and stated he could no longer work on behalf of the estate.
Early is scheduled to decide the administrator's fate on Monday. Cannon faces up to six months in the slammer in addition to a hefty fine.
Shortly after the ruling, Brown's two other trustees—Buddy Dallas, the music legend's longtime friend and counsel, and Alfred Bradley—informed the court they were quitting.
Early said the men could still be called to provide testimony in future hearings and could be held answerable for up to $7 million in missing funds along with Cannon, should evidence warrant.
"I certainly did not violate the trust of James Brown. I did everything I could to promote the name and legend of Mr. Brown," Dallas told the judge.
The two men had grown increasingly exasperated at the squabbling over Brown's estate, which is facing legal challenges. Aside from the entertainer's six named adult children, other self-proclaimed heirs have stepped forward, including other children born out of wedlock and Brown's "omitted spouse," Tomi Ray Hynie.
A team of lawyers representing five of the funk icon's children and six of his grandchildren has been battling the trustees for months over the execution of Brown's wishes. He died on Christmas Day last year of heart failure at age 73.
In August, they managed to get Early to dismiss Cannon from overseeing Brown's assets after bringing to the court's attention several questionable debits from Mr. Dynamite's accounts.
The Brown siblings also sought the ouster of Dallas and Bradley, lodging unspecified accusations that the men mishandled their father's millions and requesting an independent audit of the estate's transactions. The executors held fast however and denied any wrongdoing.
Said Bradley: "I know I didn't do anything wrong but serve the trust, but I feel the trust will go on better with all these lawsuits for five to six years."
Cannon gave $350,000 to the estate in August, but allegations that he had held back a substantial sum of Brown's earnings led the judge to order him to pony up the additional $373,000.
The administrator balked, claiming he didn't have the cash. However, during grilling last Monday in court and scrutiny of his tax records, it was revealed that Cannon had made at least $6 million from 2000 to 2006 and paid a Honduran contractor $866,000 just in the past three months to build a retirement home in that country.
Early gave Cannon five days to pay up. Cannon's failure to abide resulted in Tuesday's ruling. He has been ordered not to leave South Carolina.
For her part, Hynie welcomed the events.
"I am just very happy. I am kind of speechless at the moment. It's been an exhausting week and I am pleased with the outcome," she told WAGT-TV of Augusta, Georgia.
Hynie, a former backup singer for Brown, had particular enmity for Dallas, who claimed her 2001 union with Brown was not legal. Dallas maintained that Hynie never annulled her previous marriage and therefore was technically not Brown's spouse at the time of his death.
Meanwhile, Early granted Hynie's request to visit the home she and Brown shared with her infant son, James Brown Jr. She will be permitted to collect her personal belongings, which the trustees had barred.
Hynie also continued with one of Brown's most beloved traditions—handing out turkeys in his hometown of Augusta. Also on hand for the festivities was Brown's good friend and confidante, Al Sharpton.
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It's a man's world medley (Apollo 1968)
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