AIKEN - Fighting over James Brown's estate isn't cheap.

But just how much all the courtroom battles are costing isn't clear, or how much of the entertainer's money will be left to help educate the needy children he specified.

The Rev. Larry Fryer thinks all the legal squabbling that has taken place since Mr. Brown died is plundering those school funds, but that's assuming two things: there's money still left, and whether two trusts he created for educational needs even exist.

Attorneys representing several of the singer's children and his disputed fourth wife, Tomi Rae Hynie Brown, don't think they do.

Though the issue of whether the trusts are legally valid - they would be funded by his music rights - has not dominated court proceedings, it's sure to be a key part of arguments.

The Rev. Fryer, Mr. Brown's former pastor, has filed a "motion to intervene" on behalf of those needy children, asking that the courts preserve the James Brown "I Feel Good" Trust.

The "I Feel Good" trust and the James Brown Family Education Trust, which is to pay for his grandchildren's school expenses, both kicked in when he died.

"It could boil down to everyone losing," the Rev. Fryer said.

The Rev. Fryer said he's not sure how successful his motion will be, but is concerned that the singer's "life and legacy is lost."

Mr. Brown earned his wealth through hard work, the reverend said, and "all of that is just grinding into nothing because of all these battles."

Concerns that the bulk of the music legend's estate would go to attorney's fees might not be unfounded. The courtroom disputes have been frequent and contentious since Mr. Brown died Christmas Day at age 73.

So far, there are nearly two dozen attorneys involved in the legal issues surrounding Mr. Brown's estate, including two lawyers appointed by the court to help settle the music legend's affairs.

How much special administrators Adele Pope and Robert Buchanan will be paid is unknown. Neither has submitted a bill yet, and there are no court papers documenting how much they are to be compensated.

Neither returned messages seeking comment. Neither did Judge Jack Early, who appointed them.

Even as attorneys argue over paternity questions and whether the men he entrusted to carry out his last wishes should be removed, another major question has been asked during the court proceedings: Where did the singer's money go?

At the most recent hearing held Aug. 10, it was revealed that the special administrators have found that both the trusts and estate might have a "zero balance."

Atlanta attorney Louis Levenson, who is representing several children named in Mr. Brown's will, said that when he died, the entertainer was receiving $100,000 a month in an "allowance."

Robert Rosen, who is representing Mrs. Brown in her fight to get half the estate as the singer's "omitted spouse," said he knows the estate fights are expensive. But even without the attorney fees, there might be other unpaid bills, he said.

"The real question is, can the estate pay the people it's supposed to?" he said. "We don't know the answers to this."

Mr. Rosen said he and his firm are working for Mrs. Brown on a contingency basis, meaning if she loses in court and is denied inheritance from the estate, they don't get paid.

But if she does win, he said, they'd be paid from her share of the estate. He charges about $300 per hour for probate court work, he said.

Whether some of the other legal fees should be paid with the singer's money, he said, "that's a matter for the court."

All the legal squabbling has led to a rift in the Brown family, with one of the grandchildren - whose upcoming law school tuition would be paid for from the trust - accusing his aunts and uncles of trying to break the trusts to get the entertainer's money.

Mr. Brown's will split up household furnishings and other personal belongings among his children.

Forlando Brown, who is currently enrolled at the University of West Georgia, said he, his brother and his father, Terry Brown, have been ostracized by the rest of the family for refusing to turn against the embattled trustees.

Reach Sandi Martin at (803) 648-1395, ext. 111, or sandi.martin@augustachronicle.com