American R&B singer Faith Evans has suffered a major legal setback in a dispute over money connected to the estate of her late husband, legendary rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
A judge in Delaware has ruled that the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust, established by Biggie’s late mother, is entitled to $12,518,336 in distributions from Notorious B.I.G., LLC, plus interest. The decision, delivered on October 27, 2026, rejected an attempt by Evans and the company to limit the amount payable to $48,612.
The ruling was issued by Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery in a legal battle involving Evans, the company that manages rights connected to Biggie’s intellectual property, and Wayne Barrow, the late rapper’s former manager, who is representing the trust.
However, the decision does not end a separate legal dispute in Pennsylvania over Barrow’s authority to manage Voletta Wallace’s estate.
Here are seven key facts about the case and what the ruling means.
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1. Faith Evans Loses the Fight Over $12.5 Million
The Delaware court determined that the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust is entitled to $12,518,336 in distributions connected to Voletta Wallace’s interest in Notorious B.I.G., LLC.
The money relates to distributions made after Wallace died in February 2025. Evans and the company had argued that the trust should receive only $48,612 because it did not formally become a member of the company until December 2025.
The judge rejected that argument, finding that the economic rights associated with Wallace’s interest had passed to her estate when she died.
As a result, the trust was entitled to the earlier distributions as well.
The court’s decision also requires prejudgment interest, calculated from the dates the relevant payments were made and compounded quarterly at the statutory rate.
2. The Judge Rejected an Attempt to Limit the Payment
The dispute centred partly on the distinction between becoming a formal member of a limited liability company and inheriting the economic rights associated with an existing member’s interest.
According to the ruling, the trust became a member of Notorious B.I.G., LLC, on December 12, 2025, after the required written consent was executed.
However, the judge found that the economic rights associated with Voletta Wallace’s interest had transferred to her estate following her death on February 21, 2025.
The trust was therefore entitled to distributions dating from Wallace’s death, even though its formal membership came later.
The judge also rejected a proposal to deposit the disputed funds with the court while the separate Pennsylvania proceedings continued.
3. Wayne Barrow Is Representing Voletta Wallace’s Trust
Wayne Barrow, who previously managed The Notorious B.I.G., brought the Delaware action on behalf of the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust.
Wallace’s will left her estate to the trust, and Barrow holds Letters Testamentary issued on April 21, 2025, appointing him executor of her estate.
His authority, however, has become the subject of a separate legal challenge brought by Christopher Jordan Wallace, known as CJ, the son of Evans and Biggie.
That challenge has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding changes to Wallace’s estate arrangements before her death.
The Delaware court ruled that the pending Pennsylvania proceedings did not prevent the trust from receiving the distributions covered by its decision.
4. Biggie’s Son CJ Is Challenging Barrow’s Authority
Christopher Jordan Wallace has challenged Barrow’s control of his grandmother’s estate and trust in Pennsylvania.
CJ alleges that Barrow manipulated Voletta Wallace into changing her estate arrangements shortly before her death, giving Barrow sole control instead of retaining an earlier arrangement that reportedly included CJ as a co-trustee.
Barrow has denied wrongdoing and has alleged that Evans is behind the challenge. Evans’ lawyers have denied that allegation.
These are competing claims in an ongoing legal dispute, not findings established by the Delaware ruling.
The Pennsylvania proceedings remain separate from the Delaware case, which focused on the trust’s entitlement to distributions from Notorious B.I.G., LLC.
5. The Dispute Involves Biggie’s Intellectual Property
Notorious B.I.G., LLC, holds rights connected to the late rapper’s intellectual property. Evans manages the company, which she and Voletta Wallace formed in 2007.
The company’s business is central to the dispute because distributions from its activities are tied to the ownership interests of those entitled to receive them.
The legal battle also follows a partnership involving Primary Wave, announced in March 2025, connected to Biggie’s name, image and likeness.
The court case concerns the money owed to Wallace’s trust, rather than a new criminal allegation against Evans.
6. Interest Will Be Added to the Amount Owed
The judgment goes beyond the principal sum of $12,518,336.
Chancellor McCormick ruled that prejudgment interest must be calculated from the dates the distributions were made, with interest compounded quarterly at the statutory rate.
That means the final amount payable will include interest accrued over the relevant period.
The judge instructed Barrow to submit a final form of order reflecting the decision and earlier rulings within 20 days.
The ruling establishes the trust’s entitlement to the distributions, while the separate Pennsylvania challenge continues.
7. Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. Had a High-Profile Marriage
Evans and Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, married on August 4, 1994, after meeting at a Bad Boy Records photoshoot.
Biggie became one of hip-hop’s most influential artists, known for songs including “Juicy,” “Big Poppa” and “Hypnotize.”
He was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997, at the age of 24. His death left behind a musical legacy that continues to generate commercial interest and legal questions involving his estate.
Evans and Biggie’s son, CJ, is now involved in the dispute over the administration of his grandmother’s estate.
What Happens Next?
The Delaware ruling represents a significant development in the battle over money associated with The Notorious B.I.G.’s intellectual property. It establishes that the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust is entitled to $12,518,336 in distributions, plus prejudgment interest.
However, the separate Pennsylvania case challenging Barrow’s authority remains unresolved. Its outcome could affect the wider family dispute over the administration of Wallace’s estate, even though the Delaware judge concluded that the pending proceedings did not prevent payment of the distributions at issue.
For now, the financial ruling is a major setback for Evans and the company in the Delaware proceedings, while the broader dispute over control of Biggie’s family estate continues.
- Official court decision: Delaware Court of Chancery ruling, October 27, 2026
- News report: AllHipHop report on the $12.5 million judgment
- Additional coverage: Complex report on Faith Evans and Biggie’s estate dispute
