Relatives of Mabel Amos File Lawsuit Over Handling of Charitable Scholarship Trust

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Relatives of former Alabama Secretary of State Mabel Amos have filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court over the handling of a charitable trust established by her will to help students attend college in Alabama.

Allegations in the Lawsuit

The suit alleges a scheme involving Regions Bank and its representative on the Mabel Amos Charitable Trust, John Bell, along with Alabama Ethics Commission Executive Director Tom Albritton and his former law partner Rick Clifton. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Albritton and Clifton have served as two of the trust’s three board members since its inception following Amos’ death in 1999. Amos’ will was prepared by the Albritton family law firm.

Scholarship Awards

Scholarships to Albritton’s daughter were listed by name one year and in later years were identified by a notation reading “Scholarship for Board Member Daughter.” Overall, Albritton’s son and daughter received at least $120,000 in scholarship money from the trust for their education at the University of Texas.

The lawsuit alleges that other board members also received scholarship money for their children. That claim has not been independently verified.

One of Albritton’s former law partners, Covington County Circuit Judge Ben Bowden, has a child who was awarded scholarships to Southern Methodist University totaling $45,000 between 2014 and 2017.

Albritton’s Response

Albritton has denied wrongdoing, saying he was not involved in self-dealing because he abstained from voting on the scholarships for his children.

Bank Fees

The lawsuit also questions why Regions was allowed to substantially increase its fees, which totaled $1.2 million between 2002 and 2020.

The matter is a civil case.