Battle Erupts Over Don Barden's Estate

 Two members of  Don Barden's family  have made allegations about the late Detroit businessman's estate, including a charge that there is potentially phony trust agreement.

Farmington Hills attorney Steven Cohen,  who represents two of Barden's siblings, made the charges in court papers last month. He represents Helen Robinson and Douglas Barden, who are challenging the validity of the document.

Cohen said the Dykema Gossett law firm and Detroit probate lawyer John Chase Jr. insinuated themselves into Barden's estate, tried to manipulate probate proceedings to rake in excessive fees and asked a judge to seal the court file to keep the siblings in the dark.

Barden and his late wife, Bella Marshall, was one of Detroit's best-known power couples: He was an entrepreneur who parlayed an Inkster cable TV franchise into a multimillion-dollar casino empire. Marshall  made her mark as a top financial aide as she rose through Detroit and Wayne County governments.