Acclaimed quilter files suit over proceeds

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- An elderly woman whose handmade quilts have been acclaimed by the art world and honored on US postage stamps has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was cheated financially by her promoters and corporate clients.

Annie Mae Young, a producer of the Gee's Bend quilts, accuses William Arnett, an Atlanta art scholar who brought the quilts to a wide audience, of falsely representing the proceeds from enterprises associated with the quilts, according to the lawsuit.

Kathy Ireland Worldwide, Shaw Living, and Visa also are named as defendants, as are two of Arnett's sons and Tinwood Ventures of Atlanta.

A response filed by lawyers for the Arnetts and Tinwood denies the allegations and says the lawsuit , filed last week, was meant to harass and extort money from the defendants.

The quilts have been displayed in prestigious museums and were chosen for the US Postal Service's American Treasures stamp series. Their designs also have been produced on rugs, Visa gift cards, and a line of bedsheets by supermodel Kathy Ireland.

The suit may be expanded to include other quilters in the remote Gee's Bend community, about 60 miles southwest of Montgomery, said Young's lawyer, Bill Dawson.