Represented by Powell Goldstein partner L. Lin Wood, the King Center on Monday claimed that Bernice and Martin King siphoned support from the center into their own competing foundations. The suit, filed Aug. 18 in Fulton County Superior Court, also accused Martin King of 'commandeering' a $54,970 Lincoln Navigator, which was donated to the center by the Ford Motor Co., for his own use and refusing to either return it to the center or pay for it.

In a prepared statement, Wood said that the center had sought legal remedies after attempts to reach an accord with the two King siblings only after other efforts had proved fruitless.  

'The King Center was unable, after numerous attempts over a long period of time, to convince Martin and Bernice to stop using The King Center for their own personal gain,' said Wood's statement. 'The King Center is a charitable tax-exempt organization, and it had to take action to protect its tax-exempt status and to ensure that no individual profits personally from resources that should be dedicated to the foundation.'

Wood has also filed a counterclaim in the July suit alleging breach of contract, he said.

'All five of the heirs of Dr. King signed a contract assigning to the Estate all rights they had related to Dr. King, including their own personal rights arising from their own relationships with Dr. King,' said Wood. 'The purpose of the contract was to insure that Dr. King's legacy would be managed consistently and cohesively. These two heirs are now ignoring that binding contract and are using property of the Estate to advance their own personal agendas.'