Elmore Leonard died in 2013.
(Wikipedia photo)
Christine Leonard, ex-wife of the late novelist Elmore Leonard, filed suit in Oakland County Circuit Court this week, claiming she was cheated out of her share of Leonard's estate when his son sold the writer's archive to the University of South Carolina, The Detroit News reports.
Christine Leonard claims the couple's divorce settlement, reached when they split in December 2012, grants her 21.25 percent of the sale of her ex-husband's “literary works, manuscripts, drafts and other intellectual property," but that Peter Leonard, the author's son, carried out the sale of 150 banker's boxes of papers for $1.15 million in 2014.
The agreement also states any and all transfers of income-producing assets, such as the archives, require her prior written consent, according to the lawsuit.
“I can’t talk about this yet,” Christine Leonard told The Detroit News recently when asked for comment on the lawsuit.
But in her complaint, Christine Leonard said she not only never consented to the sale, she was never informed of it. She alleges in August 2013, the same month as Elmore Leonard’s death, Peter Leonard “secretly arranged” to have his father’s archives transferred from Elmore and Elmore Leonard Inc.’s name to that of the Elmore Leonard Jr. Trust.
Leonard, who was 87 when he died, lived in Metro Detroit for most of his life, wrote and set many of his 45 novels in and around the area. He work was also widely adapted by Hollywood producers, and included two screen versions of "3:10 to Yuma," based on a short story; "Get Shorty," "Out of Sight" and most recently, the TV series "Justified."
