QUICK TAKES - May 27, 2009

More than two years into a protracted battle over how to parcel out James Brown’s wealth, a South Carolina judge on Tuesday approved a settlement that gives nearly half the singer’s assets to a charitable trust, about a quarter to his wife and young son, and the rest to Brown’s adult children.

The settlement was a contrast to Brown’s will and trust, which were called into question soon after the Godfather of Soul died of heart failure on Christmas 2006. His surviving spouse challenged the will when she was left out, and Brown’s children claimed the estate was mismanaged by trustees.

The settlement establishes that Tomi Rae Hynie Brown, a former backup singer to Brown, is the surviving spouse and her son, James Brown II, is his child. Brown’s attorneys had claimed she was not Brown’s widow because she was still married to another man when she and Brown said their vows in 2001.

The exact value of Brown’s assets has not been made public.