James Brown estate sues Morgan Stanley over missing millions

The spectre of the late soul singer James Brown, the Godfather of soul and all-round sex machine, has risen up and is haunting the American investment bank Morgan Stanley.

The bank is being sued by the executors of Brown's estate in a South Carolina court for failing to properly manage his account - the lawsuit accuses MS of helping to allow one of Brown's managers to siphon $12m from his bank account in the 10 years leading up to the performer's death in 2006.

A spokesman for Brown's estate says: "What we know is that about $10m was put into that account and that it has now gone. Brown had a lot more money. In 1999 he raised $26m from a bond issue and some of that went into the Morgan Stanley account. He made between $5m and $6m touring Europe in 1996 as well. By the time he died he had very little; there was not a whole lot of money left."

Morgan Stanley, of course, claim the accusations are baseless. Brown's estate has been at the centre of legal controversy since his death, with allegations of embezzlement by some of his managers, wives, partners and offspring, as well as a fight over the veracity of the will.