Updated: 11:56 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014 | Posted: 9:53 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014

Family dispute over MLK’s Bible, Nobel in Fulton Court

•  55 434 147 1270

Related

Statement from Bernice King: My brothers want to sell my father’s Nobel Peace Prize medal and his Bible

View Larger 

AP

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. displays his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize medal in Oslo, Norway, December 10, 1964. The 35-year-old Dr. King was honored for promoting the principle of non-violence in the civil rights movement. (AP Photo)

View Larger 

AP

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights leader, receives the Nobel Peace Prize from the hands of Gunnar Jahn, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, in Oslo, Norway, December 10, 1964. The 35-year-old Reverend King, the youngest man ever to receive the prize, is the 12th American and the third Black to be given the honor.

View Larger 

Ponsford, LTD

Gordon Ponsford, a conservator and owner of Ponsford Limited, repairs the Martin Luther King Bible that will be used by President Obama during his swearing in for his second term.

View Larger 

Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Barack Obama used both Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln bibles at his swearing in for the second term on January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC.

By Ernie Suggs

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bernice King, in a stinging rebuke against her brothers, is accusing them of trying to physically sell their father’s Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the family Bible used by president Barack Obama when he was sworn in for the second time as president.
On Friday, brothers Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King filed a complaint in the Fulton County Superior Court on behalf of the King Estate for emergency injunctive relief, claiming their sister has hidden the items.
The suit seeks to have the items turned over to Martin King III, who is the chairman of the estate’s board.
In a statement issued Tuesday morning, Bernice King said that last month, her brothers informed her that they wanted to sell the items, which she opposes.
“While I love my brothers dearly, this latest decision by them is extremely troubling. Not only am I appalled and utterly ashamed, I am frankly disappointed that they would even entertain the thought of selling these precious items. It reveals a desperation beyond comprehension,” Bernice King said. “Our Father MUST be turning in his grave.”
Please return to ajc.com for updates.