Nationwide — Singer Faith Evans, who was once married to late rapper Notorious B.I.G., has lost a legal battle over $12.5 million in unpaid distributions owed to his mother’s trust. A Delaware judge ruled that the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust is entitled to the full amount, plus interest, rejecting Evans’ attempt to withhold most of the money while a separate family dispute continues.
In an October 27 decision, Delaware Court of Chancery Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick ordered Notorious B.I.G., LLC to pay the trust $12,518,336. Evans manages the company, which controls the intellectual property rights to Biggie’s music and other assets. According to Complex, the judge also ruled that interest must be added to the unpaid distributions, dating back to when each payment was originally made.
The dispute followed the death of Voletta Wallace on February 21, 2025. Her will left her estate to her revocable trust, but Evans refused to recognize the trust as a member of the LLC entitled to receive distributions. Wayne Barrow, representing the trust, filed a lawsuit to recover the money. Although the trust did not officially become a member of the company until December 12, 2025, the judge ruled that it was still entitled to distributions dating back to Wallace’s death.
The company was formed in 2007 by Evans and Wallace. Under a later agreement, the two women transferred half of their respective distribution rights to Biggie’s children, T’yanna Wallace and Christopher Jordan Wallace, also known as CJ. That arrangement gave each of the four parties a 25% share of the company’s distributions. The financial dispute gained attention after Primary Wave struck a 2025 deal for a stake in Biggie’s music catalog and related rights, bringing additional proceeds into question.
Evans and the company argued that the trust should receive only $48,612 for now because a separate Pennsylvania case challenged Barrow’s authority as the estate’s sole executor and trustee. They also asked the Delaware court to hold the remaining funds until the family dispute was resolved. However, Judge McCormick rejected both requests. She pointed out that Barrow had received official Letters Testamentary on April 21, 2025, making him the estate’s authorized executor. The judge determined that the Pennsylvania case would not affect the trust’s right to the distributions or invalidate actions Barrow had already taken in good faith.
The court therefore ordered the full $12.5 million to go to the trust, along with prejudgment interest at the statutory rate, compounded quarterly. Rather than calculating interest from the October 27 ruling, the court will count it from the dates the individual distributions were originally due. McCormick gave Barrow 20 days to submit a final order reflecting the decision and the court’s previous rulings.