kardashians sue their ex-step mother

In case you don't keep up with the Kardashians, here's a tip: Don't mess with them.
Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, and Rob Kardashian are suing their former stepmom Ellen Pearson -- whom Robert Kardashian wed two months before he died in 2003 -- over personal possessions belonging to their father.
"The Kardashians and Kris Jenner have filed a suit against Ellen Pearson for taking personal property belonging to them by virtue of Robert Kardashian’s will and by virtue of copyright protection," power attorney Marty Singer tells omg! in a statement. "Today's filing should serve as notice that they will vigorously defend their rights when forced to do so."
In the papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by omg!, Pearson is accused of holding onto her late husband's diary, photo albums and a family holiday photograph. The Kardashians and Jenner say the lawsuit "is necessitated by Defendant Ellen Pearson's despicable and awful scheme to hold in secret and covort, and now exploit" the three private items.
So what's the big deal, exactly?
Well, Pearson supposedly licensed portions of the diaries and photos to Bauer Publishing, owner of In Touch and Life & Style. Based on the items, both tabloids have published a slew of stories about the Kardashians and Jenner. One example: In Touch ran a cover story in January, which read, "A Mother's Dark Secrets Exposed," and claimed that Kris abused her children.
According to the lawsuit filed Thursday in California, in Robert Kardashian's will he left "his personal tangible and intangible property" to his four children. Therefore, the Kardashians believe possessions -- like the diary, photo albums, and holiday photograph -- belong to them.
This, of course, isn't the only legal battle Kim is facing. She will go head to head with ex-husband Kris Humphries on May 6 when their divorce trial begins.