When an individual passes away without a will or fails to do any estate planning, they forfeit much of the control over how the court might allocate their assets. This can lead to fighting amongst family and loved ones. These arguments can become even more heated when those things belonged to a high-profile individual who left behind an illustrious legacy and many valuable assets.

Thus is the case for the family of legendary civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. King died without a will and his family long fought over his estate. His family members formed a corporation to manage his estate, but for a while, all they ever did was fight over who controlled it. They eventually reached an agreement.

Now, King's heirs are suing a Mississippi man for possessing a number of valuable documents that formerly belonged to MLK. These documents include speech transcripts, statements and newsletters and even a handwritten letter from fellow civil rights icon Rosa Parks. The man received these items from his mother and father, who were close with MLK. The man's mother was MLK's personal secretary and claims that King gave them to her as a gift. The man's mother issued a sworn statement that King gave the documents to her and never expected them back.

The King Estate Corporation is arguing that those documents should not be considered a gift because the woman was working for King. Holding on to important documents such as these were simply part of the job. Deciphering whether these documents were a gift or not is the central issue of the case.

The man and his family are asking a judge to dismiss the case, because they do not have money to defend themselves in court. Lawyers for MLK's estate say that would be premature because little has been determined in the case.

Forbes "MLK Heirs Challenge Gifts To His 86-Year-Old Former Secretary," Danielle and Andy Mayoras, Dec. 12, 2011