Tarnishing Golden Memories of Flo-Jo

A year after friends and relatives laid to rest Olympic track star Florence Griffith Joyner--eulogized for her devotion to family as much as her athletic prowess--an ugly rift between the sprinter’s husband and his in-laws has escalated into a bitter court battle.

The family feud went public this week when Griffith Joyner’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her son-in-law, Al Joyner, charging that he played a role in her daughter’s sudden death last September.

The accusation follows a year of legal wrangling between the two since last fall’s somber memorials and tributes. Earlier this year, Joyner filed suit against his 69-year-old mother-in-law in an effort to evict her from the Rancho Santa Margarita condominium that he owns but where she has lived for eight years. Florence Griffith promptly countersued, arguing that her daughter had wanted her to live in the home.

The bad feelings don’t end there. A growing rivalry has developed between two charities set up in Griffith Joyner’s name, each run by a different side of the family.

The dispute has dismayed other family members and friends, leaving them worried that the bitter feud will tarnish the image of the stylish Olympic gold medal winner revered by millions worldwide.

Those who knew Griffith Joyner said that such an open battle would have embarrassed and hurt the track star, who despite her flamboyant dress and trademark talon-like fingernails was painfully shy and guarded her privacy.

“It’s a sad thing,” said Weldon Pitts, Florence Griffith Joyner’s older brother. “Right now, knowing my sister, she’s been tossing and turning since her death. She isn’t resting in peace with all this going on.”

The athlete’s sudden death last September at the age of 38 shocked fans. A coroner’s report found no evidence of foul play and concluded that Griffith Joyner suffocated after suffering an epileptic seizure while asleep.

“We looked at all the aspects of the case, including the possibility of foul play,” said Chief Deputy Coroner Jacque Berndt.

Joyner could not be reached for comment on Friday. But his agent, David Brownstein, dismissed the suit as meritless and ultimately tragic.

“There’s family here at war. If it weren’t such a sad, sad situation [the lawsuit] would be comical,” Brownstein said. “There is nothing here but a frivolous claim, as the autopsy report proves.”

Brownstein said he had traded phone messages with Joyner on Friday, and said he believed his client would speak about the allegations later.

The lawsuit charges that Joyner failed to “exercise reasonable care to avoid foreseeable risk of harm” to his wife and that “harmful or offensive touching” caused her death. The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court on Sept. 21, fails to specify how Joyner allegedly contributed to his wife’s death.

Florence Griffith declined to talk about the lawsuit Friday, referring calls about the allegations to her attorney, who did not return repeated calls for comment.

But Griffith acknowledged that the suit comes just as relations with her son-in-law are reaching their lowest point.

One bone of contention is the foundation Joyner created soon after the funeral to help young athletes and named in honor of his wife: the Flo-Jo Memorial Community Empowerment Foundation.

The new charity undermined the fund-raising efforts of another foundation set up in Griffith Joyner’s name five years earlier, her mother said. That organization, the Florence Griffith Joyner Youth Foundation, is run by one of the late athlete’s sisters in San Diego. The two charities were now competing for funds, Griffith said.

In March, Joyner attempted to evict Griffith from the home he owned, and she countersued. In court papers, she accused Joyner of breaking a promise that he and her daughter had made when she moved in.

“Momma, this is your house now,” her daughter told her, according to court papers filed by Griffith. “You don’t ever have to worry about anything, you’ll be taken care of for the rest of your life.”

Joyner argues in court documents that he never promised Griffith permanent housing. He said in court papers that the eviction was part of a financial restructuring aimed at providing a financial future for him and Griffith Joyner’s young daughter, Mary Ruth.

Joyner said in court papers that his finances are sound.

But earlier this year, an Arkansas court ordered Joyner to pay more than $40,000 to a Jonesboro, Ark., bank that won a default judgment against Joyner for failing to repay a loan. In May, a funeral home that handled Griffith Joyner’s mortuary and funeral services filed a lawsuit claiming Joyner owed more than $12,000. The suit is pending.

Times staff writers Richard Marosi and Matthew Ebnet contributed to this report.