Tomi Rae

Is she James Brown's widowor nott? Who knows?

 

Tomi Rae Hynie is takin' it to the man. Or to the man's estate, at least. 

James Brown's longtime partner sued Thursday for half of the late singer's estate, maintaining that she was married to Brown at the time of his death and that she's entitled to a portion of his assets despite the fact that the Godfather of Soul didn't provide for her in his will. 

"I have a long hard battle to fight for my husband's rights, for my rights and for my son's rights that have been completely violated during this time," Hynie told the Associated Press. "I am his wife. It's my home." 

Brown's attorneys have maintained that his marriage to Hynie—they swapped vows in 2001—was never legal because she was married to someone else at the time, a union that was eventually annulled. Hynie and Brown never made things official after the annulment, however, the lawyers say.

The thing is though, this fight over the money. It would be vastly cheaper to cut a deal than to have the lawyers swallowing the whole estate.