MLK'S KIDS DISCUSS REASONS FOR SUING DEXTER: MLK III says 'duty obligates us' to keep dad's legacy alive.

*Two of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s children have released a statement explaining their reasons for suing brother Dexter King for allegedly taking money from the estate of their deceased mother.

"We love our brother, yet we cannot ignore our responsibility to ensure that the corporation we are all shareholders and directors of is properly managed," read a statement by attorney, Jock Smith, who represents siblings Bernice and Martin III.

Their July 10 lawsuit against Dexter King, president and CEO of King Inc., claims he improperly took money from the estate of their late mother, Coretta Scott King, and mishandled the funds of King Inc., the estate of Martin Luther King Jr.

Bernice & Martin Luther King III

Dexter King, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is denying the allegations and has produced bank statements and other documents that he says show that he and his siblings have benefited equally from their parents' estates. He said the lawsuit stems from a disagreement with his siblings three years ago over the sale of the King Center in Atlanta. The three have basically been "estranged" since then, he said.

"At the end of the day, I love my siblings and my family, but they have chosen the low road, to use personal vindictiveness ... to [address issues] that I am certain can be resolved otherwise," Dexter King said, according to the newspaper.

In their statement, Bernice and Martin III claim it is Dexter who has taken the low road.

"It is unfortunate that our brother continues to use the media to attack our character and expose personal business transactions," Martin III and Bernice said. "In spite of these efforts, we will remain on the high road and approach this difficult matter with dignity and respect."