Five of Brown's children say their late father's 2000 will should be invalidated because his former advisers used undue influence to get him to create charitable trusts that the advisers would profit from. Judge Jack Early, who has been overseeing the dispute over Brown's contested fortune, asked the trustees why they never mentioned a 1999 will to court-appointed representatives of Brown's estate. Bradley said he didn't think the earlier will was valid. Buddy Dallas, a longtime friend and Brown adviser, said it never came up. Also Thursday, a lawyer representing the Brown children accused Dallas of trying to transfer assets to the trust after Brown died, citing a document that listed some of Brown's possessions. Dallas disputed that claim. "When you have lost a dear friend, I guess you're not as sharp as you'd like to be," he said. At the end of the hearing, the judge dismissed reporters and the public from the courtroom, saying he wanted to hear suggestions for how to dispose of the estate. He also said administrative matters needed to be taken up.
The next hearing will be Feb. 20.