Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks has been revered since her heroic actions acted as inspiration for a bus boycott and were crucial in the fight to end segregation. As you may know, Roas Parks passed away in 2005. While her legacy is beyond dispute, the same was not necessarily true for her estate.

Parks left behind 15 surviving nephews and nieces, as well as a longtime friend and caregiver, and an institute which she and her caregiver co-founded. Disagreement between some members of her family and the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development led to estate litigation related to the division of the assets.

The assets in her estate were estimated to be worth approximately $8 million. The various parties to the dispute all signed a seven-page settlement agreement in February of 2007 in an effort to end the dispute.

The details of that agreement, long kept confidential, were revealed in a Jan. 18 court filing with the Michigan Supreme Court, attached to a brief in a case concerning continuing arguments over the estate's administration.

That agreement mandates that 80 percent of the money derived from the sale of Parks' property will go to the institute and to Parks' long-time caregiver, along with various anticipated royalties from licensing the Rosa Parks' image and name. The remaining 20 percent will be divided up between her nephews and nieces.

Under the settlement, the parties are not to criticize each other publicly and could lose their share of the inheritance if they reveal the details of the settlement. A lawyer subsequently filed a complaint contending that the Institute and longtime caregiver had breached the confidentiality requirement, resulting in a court ruling that they had forfeited their shares of the estate, constituting the majority of its assets.

Source: Detroit Free Press, "The secrets are out on deal to settle suit over Rosa Parks estate," David Ashenfelter, Feb. 5, 2012