Judge orders Faith Evans to pay Biggie mother's trust $12.5M
Faith Evans has lost a Delaware court fight over Notorious B.I.G. LLC distributions, with a judge awarding Voletta Wallace's trust $12,518,336 plus interest—nearly $14 million total. The Oct. 27 ruling requires immediate payout of money tied to Biggie's late mother's 25% stake in the company Evans manages.
Key Takeaways
- A Delaware chancellor ordered Faith Evans to send $12,518,336 in accrued LLC distributions to Voletta Wallace's trust, plus prejudgment interest.
- Interest pushes the payout close to $14 million, according to the trust's attorney speaking to Billboard.
- The court rejected delaying payment while Biggie's son, CJ Wallace, challenges the will in Pennsylvania.
- Evans and Wallace each assigned half their distribution rights to Biggie's children, leaving four 25% stakeholders.
What Did the Delaware Judge Decide About Faith Evans?
On Oct. 27, 2026, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust is entitled to distributions totaling $12,518,336 from Notorious B.I.G., LLC—the company that holds rights to the late rapper's intellectual property and that Faith Evans manages.
Wallace died on Feb. 21, 2025. Her will left her estate to the trust. Wayne Barrow, appearing for the trust, sued Evans after she refused to recognize the trust as an LLC member. An August ruling found the trust formally became a member on Dec. 12, 2025, but McCormick's follow-up made clear economic rights ran from Wallace's death.
"All economic rights associated with Ms. Wallace's member interest in the LLC transferred to her estate upon her death on February 21, 2025," the judge wrote, as reported by Billboard. "The Trust, as the ultimate beneficiary, is entitled to distributions accrued as of the date of Ms. Wallace's death."
Why Was Nearly $14 Million at Stake?
Evans and Wallace formed the LLC in 2007. Under a later agreement, each assigned half of her distribution rights to Biggie's children, so Wallace, Evans, T'yanna Wallace, and Christopher Jordan Wallace each held rights to 25% of payouts. The disputed sum covers Wallace's share of profits from February through December 2025, including proceeds tied to Primary Wave's 2025 stake in Biggie's music and related rights.
Evans and the company had argued the trust's payout should be limited to $48,612, or that funds should sit with the court, while a separate Pennsylvania fight over Barrow's authority continues. McCormick rejected both ideas, finding Pennsylvania's outcome would not erase the trust's entitlement as of Wallace's death.
Prejudgment interest accrues from each distribution date at the statutory rate, compounded quarterly. Barrow's attorney, Jay Freiberg, told Billboard the distributions with interest will total nearly $14 million. Per Wallace's will, Barrow is to direct the money to the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation. Wealth tied to catalog deals and estate IP often intersects with luxury assets and dream-home portfolios families manage across generations.
What Happens Next for the Estate Dispute?
McCormick gave Barrow 20 days to submit a final form of order reflecting this decision and earlier rulings. Evans' attorney declined to comment on the Oct. 29 reporting of the judgment.
Separately, Biggie's son CJ Wallace is suing Barrow in Pennsylvania, alleging Barrow manipulated a late will change that made Barrow sole trustee; a prior plan had named CJ and Barrow co-trustees. Barrow denies the claim and says Evans engineered CJ's suit—Evans' lawyers deny that. That case remains ongoing and did not block the Delaware payout order.
According to AllHipHop's exclusive coverage of the ruling, the chancellor found no need to deposit accrued distributions with the Register in Chancery: they are due to the trust.