DETROIT, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The legal battle has begun over the estate of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, a report said.
Nephew William McCauley filed a petition last Thursday in Wayne County, Mich., probate court asking to be named personal representative of Parks' estate, the Detroit Free Press reported.
On Friday, retired Judge Adam Shakoor asked that he and Parks' friend and caregiver, Elaine Steele, be named co-personal representatives and that the court recognize a will giving them control of Parks' estate.
Nieces and nephews expressed concern about whether Steele took advantage of Parks, who suffered from dementia nearly seven months before she signed the will in March 2003, medical records show.
Parks' estate could be substantial given an April settlement of a suit that originally sought $5 billion for a hip-hop song that used Parks' name without her permission.
Parks, 92, died Oct. 24 in Detroit and a national celebration honored her achievements.
Her refusal to go to the back of a Montgomery, Ala., bus in 1955 started a boycott that ended segregation in public transportation.
