Abstract
In 1987, civil rights activist and widow of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, sued Boston University for approximately 83,000 letters and other documents deposited by her late husband at the University from 1964 to 1965. Dr. King, a Boston University alumnus, chose to house his documents at Boston University over other institutions based on the belief that the documents would be safest there. He stipulated with the University that he was simply giving over custody of the letters, and not ownership thereof; however, he further stipulated that in the event of his death, all documents he had deposited with Boston University would become the University’s absolute property. In King v. Trustees of Boston University, Mrs. King argued that the documents belonged to her husband’s estate. She was ultimately unsuccessful in court, as a jury found that while no contract existed, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King had made an enforceable charitable pledge. Mrs. King appealed to the state supreme court, which affirmed the ruling of the trial court. The court also found that the benefit that King received in having the University care for his documents was sufficient “reliance or consideration” to enforce his gratuitous pledge. ...
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2023
Recommended Citation
Marissa Jackson Sow, Redemption, 57 U. Rich. L. Rev. Online 39 (2023).
