JAMES BROWN - BROWN'S 'WIFE' DEMANDS INHERITANCE

BROWN'S 'WIFE' DEMANDS INHERITANCE

A woman who claims to have married late singer JAMES BROWN more than 50 years ago is fighting for a slice of his estate. Velma Warren Brown, 73, filed a sworn statement in Aiken County court, South Carolina on Wednesday (07Nov07) claiming she was never served with divorce papers and didn't sign an agreement severing her marriage to Brown. Her attorney, David Bell, says, "There was never a formal separation or a divorce. They kind of went their separate ways, but he always kept in touch with her." However, a Brown family lawyer discounts the woman's claim, insisting she had remarried. Louis Levenson says, "If Ms Brown believed that she was not divorced, she's admitting to having herself committed bigamy." Brown died on Christmas Day last year (06) aged 73.