A Delaware court has ordered singer Faith Evans to ensure a payment of $12,518,336 from Notorious B.I.G. The October 27 ruling by the Delaware Court of Chancery also awards prejudgment interest on the distributions, calculated from the dates the payments were made and compounded quarterly. The case centres on the financial rights attached to Wallace’s ownership interest in the company after her death in February 2025. Evans, who manages the company, had challenged the trust’s entitlement to distributions made before it formally became a member, arguing that it was owed only $48,612.
LLC to a trust established by the late rapper’s mother, Voletta Wallace, following a legal dispute over millions generated by his music business.
The disagreement over the trust’s entitlement to these distributions eventually became the central issue in the $12.5 million legal battle. The Delaware court ultimately sided with the trust, ruling that it was entitled to distributions dating back to February 2025. As a result, the trust was entitled to distributions dating back to February 21, 2025, even though its formal membership began months later.
Voletta’s estate argued that her financial rights had passed to the trust immediately after her death While Evans maintained that the trust could claim only the money distributed after it formally became a member of the company. The court rejected that position, distinguishing between the trust’s formal membership status and its economic rights. It ruled that Wallace’s financial interest in the company transferred to her estate immediately upon her death and subsequently passed to the trust under her will.
Who is Wayne Barrow and how did he enter the dispute?
Wayne Barrow, the late rapper’s former manager, initiated the Delaware lawsuit in July 2025 on behalf of Voletta Wallace’s trust. The judge also noted that Barrow had received Letters Testamentary on April 21, 2025, establishing his authority as the estate’s executor.
In its October 27 decision, the Delaware Court of Chancery determined that the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust was entitled to $12,518,336 in distributions made after Wallace’s death. However, the Delaware court ruled that the pending challenge would not affect the economic rights already transferred to the trust. It also found that Barrow’s actions as executor, supported by his Letters Testamentary, did not need to be suspended pending the outcome of the separate case. The court also awarded prejudgment interest on the amount, calculated from the dates on which the individual distributions were made. The interest is to be charged at Delaware’s statutory rate and compounded quarterly.