Faith Evans judgment orders singer to pay $12.5 million to Biggie’s mother’s trust

The Delaware Court of Chancery delivered a faith evans judgment on Tuesday, Oct. 27, ordering the singer to pay $12,518,336 plus interest to the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust, the estate of the late Notorious B.I.G.’s mother. Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick rejected Evans’s request to cap the award at just $48,612, confirming the full amount owed to the trust that controls the late rapper’s intellectual property. The decision follows a protracted legal clash that began when Evans and her son, Christopher “CJ” Wallace, challenged the authority of Wayne Barrow, the former manager of Biggie, to administer the trust and its distributions.

The ruling stems from a dispute over payouts made by Notorious B.I.G., LLC, the company that holds the late artist’s name, image and likeness. The court found that the trust became a member of the LLC on Dec. 12, 2025, after Barrow signed a written consent granting it membership rights. Because of that membership, the trust is entitled to all distributions made since Voletta Wallace’s death, not merely the modest sum Evans’s lawyers argued was payable. McCormick also ordered prejudgment interest on each distribution, calculated from the date each payment was made and compounded quarterly at the statutory rate.

Wayne Barrow, who holds Letters Testamentary issued on April 21, 2025, acted as the sole executor of Voletta Wallace’s estate. In her opinion, the judge emphasized that Pennsylvania law protects “any act of administration performed by a personal representative in good faith” from being overturned by later probate actions. Accordingly, she concluded that the pending Pennsylvania litigation filed by CJ would not affect Barrow’s actions or the trust’s entitlement to the awarded funds. “The outcome of the Pennsylvania action, therefore, will not affect the actions taken by Mr. Barrow related to the Trust… I therefore find no need for the accrued distributions to be deposited with the Register in Chancery. They are due to the Trust,” McCormick wrote.

Barrow now has 20 days to file a final form of order that reflects the judgment and the court’s earlier rulings. While the Delaware decision secures the trust’s right to the distributions, the separate suit in Pennsylvania remains unresolved. CJ alleges that Barrow manipulated his grandmother, Voletta Wallace, into granting him sole executorship of the trust shortly before her death in February 2025. A previous estate plan listed both CJ and Barrow as co‑trustees, but the will was allegedly altered weeks before Wallace’s passing to give Barrow exclusive control. Barrow denies any wrongdoing and claims CJ’s lawsuit is being driven by Evans, a charge Evans’s attorneys also reject.

The legal battle has its roots in Evans’s refusal to release proceeds earned by Notorious B.I.G., LLC, including a partnership with music rights firm Primary Wave announced in March 2025. That partnership gave the company the right to monetize Biggie’s brand across various media, generating revenue that Evans says should be shared with the trust. Barrow, representing the trust, argued that the payments were due to the estate and therefore owed in full. The judge’s decision affirms Barrow’s position and places the financial burden squarely on Evans.

Beyond the courtroom, the dispute touches on a personal history that began when Evans married Christopher Wallace on Aug. 4, 1994, just eight days after meeting at a Bad Boy Records photoshoot. Their marriage produced a son, Christopher Jr., known as CJ, who has grown up amid the legacy of his father’s music and the complex estate that followed. The tragic death of The Notorious B.I.G. in a 1997 drive‑by shooting left a valuable catalog of songs, recordings and branding that continues to generate income, making the control of that estate a high‑stakes matter for all parties involved.

For Evans, the judgment represents a significant financial setback. The $12.5 million figure, plus accrued interest, is likely to affect her personal finances and any future projects she may wish to undertake. Legal analysts note that the ruling also sends a clear signal to other artists and heirs about the enforceability of trust agreements tied to music royalties and intellectual property. The decision show the importance of clear estate planning, especially when valuable cultural assets are at stake.

As the Delaware court’s order takes effect, Barrow is expected to move quickly to collect the awarded sum from Evans and to finalize the trust’s distribution schedule. Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania case will proceed, with CJ seeking to overturn Barrow’s executorship and possibly reshape the control of the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust. Observers will be watching how the two parallel lawsuits unfold, as the outcomes will determine who ultimately benefits from the enduring legacy of one of hip‑hop’s most iconic figures.

The next procedural step will be Barrow’s filing of the final order within the 20‑day window, after which the trust can begin to receive the ordered payments. Until the Pennsylvania litigation concludes, the final shape of the estate’s governance remains uncertain, leaving both the trust and Evans awaiting further court actions.