A judge has ruled that Faith Evans must immediately distribute nearly $14 million in profits from The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate to the trust set up by his late mother, Voletta Wallace.
The Tuesday (Oct. 27) decision ends a court dispute between Evans and Wayne Barrow, who managed Biggie (Christopher Wallace) and was named Voletta’s legal trustee upon her death in February 2025. Barrow is still involved in a separate lawsuit with Biggie’s son, CJ Wallace, who’s challenging the terms of his grandmother’s will.
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Barrow initiated litigation last July against Evans, Biggie’s widow and the sole manager of his valuable intellectual property portfolio after Voletta’s death. Barrow said the trust was entitled to a 25% share of estate earnings, including profits from a landmark Primary Wave catalog deal. The R&B singer countered that Barrow did not have the right legal documentation that entitled him to this money.
A judge in Delaware’s Chancery Court sided with Barrow in August, ruling that the trust ultimately did ink the correct paperwork to take over Voletta’s share of estate earnings in December 2025. In Thursday’s follow-up ruling, however, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick said Barrow’s financial stake kicked in earlier than that.
“All economic rights associated with Ms. Wallace’s member interest in the LLC transferred to her estate upon her death on February 21, 2025,” wrote the judge. “The Trust, as the ultimate beneficiary, is entitled to distributions accrued as of the date of Ms. Wallace’s death.”
Voletta’s share of estate profits running from February to December 2025 totals $12.5 million. Up until now, that money has been set aside and is sitting within the estate. Chancellor McCormick ordered Evans to immediately distribute the full amount, plus interest, to Barrow, who will then donate it to the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, per the terms of Voletta’s will.
Barrow’s attorney Jay Freiberg told Billboard that the distributions with interest will total nearly $14 million. “We are pleased with the latest order from the Chancellor,” said Freiberg. “It continues the Chancellor’s decisions recognizing Faith Evans’ misbehavior regarding Notorious Big LLC after the death of Mama Wallace.”
“Hopefully she will [pay] and, equally important, stop fighting the inevitable result properly planned by Mama Wallace —that the trust is a co-equal member of the LLC with Ms. Evans, and entitled to all that comes with this status,” added Freiberg.
Evans’ attorney declined to comment on the ruling Thursday (Oct. 29).
Separately, Biggie’s son CJ is suing Barrow in Pennsylvania to change Voletta’s will. A previous version of his grandmother’s estate plan named CJ and Barrow co-trustees, but the will was changed a few weeks before her death to give Barrow sole control.
CJ is now alleging that Barrow manipulated Voletta into rewriting the will on her deathbed. Barrow denies this and says CJ’s lawsuit is being engineered by Evans, which Evans’ lawyers deny. The case remains ongoing.
