Charles Estate Sues Son

The estate of Ray Charles is reportedly suing the singer’s eldest son, Ray Charles Robinson, Jr., for copyright infringement for using his late dad’s photo, song titles and lyrics for the book, “You Don’t Know Me: Reflections Of My Father, Ray Charles,” published in June, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Nov. 17, claims the Ray Charles Foundation, which has owned the copyrights and intellectual property rights since Charles’ death in 2004, didn’t give Robinson permission to use the copyrighted material.

It reportedly seeks $150,000 per violation. Also included in the lawsuit are Crown Publishing, its parent company, Random House, and Robinson’s co-writer Mary Jane Ross, the paper said.