A foundation created by Ray Charles is suing seven of the deceased singer’s children, accusing the Charles children of violating a deal with their father not to claim any rights to his estate. The Ray Charles Foundation is accusing the adult children of sending copyright termination notices to music publishers claiming they owned the songs, but the foundation asserts it owns the songs. The battle, occurring in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, centers on 51 songs written or co-written by Charles. The songs include “I Got a Woman,” the hit song that brought him to national prominence in 1954, “A Fool For You,” “Mary Ann,” and “What’d I Say,” songs that made him popular early in his career.
A $500,000 trust was created by Charles for each of his 12 children two years before his death in 2004, in exchange for agreements from them that they “relinquished and waived any further claims to their father’s estate,” the lawsuit said. “The foundation depends upon the income received from the said intellectual property and contract rights to continue the wishes of Ray Charles.” The Ray Charles Foundation supports research and education programs for the hearing impaired, as well as youth education programs. Without the royalties from Charles’ music, the programs would not be funded. The foundation is requesting $500,000 in damages from each of the seven children and an arrangement preventing them from claiming any rights to the music.
