Paul Kingston

Heirs of dead man seeking inheritance from polygamous group

By Pamela Manson
The Salt Lake Tribune

“Heirs of a man who spent years working in a cooperative managed by the polygamous Kingston clan are asking a judge to order the group to turn over $1.2 million and two residences to them.
In a lawsuit filed last week in 3rd District Court, they claim the money and property belong in the estate of Deward John Peterson, who died in 1996 without a will.
According to nine of his heirs, Peterson – a member of the Davis County Cooperative Society and the religious order that holds plural marriage as a central tenet – transferred daily proceeds from a door-to-door fruit selling enterprise into an account run by cooperative and church leader Paul Kingston. In addition, he allegedly bought residential real estate in Woods Cross and Murray.
The descendants filed suit in 2003 asking to be identified as heirs. A judge determined that 21 people were heirs and on March 5 awarded an equal portion of Peterson’s estate to each one.
The latest suit, filed Friday, asks that a trustee be appointed to take charge of the money and property that allegedly belongs in the estate and to distribute the assets. In addition, it seeks unspecified monetary damages from the cooperative, its businesses and Paul Kingston.”