Faith Evans and the company overseeing The Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy suffered a $12.5 million courtroom defeat in a dispute over money owed to his late mother, Voletta Wallace.
A Delaware judge ruled Oct. 27 that Wallace’s trust must receive $12,518,336 in unpaid distributions, plus interest, rejecting an attempt to delay the payout, per AllHipHop.
The legal fight centers on Notorious B.I.G., LLC, which Evans and Wallace formed in 2007 to manage the rapper’s intellectual property. Following Wallace’s death in February 2025, her estate passed to a trust represented by Wayne Barrow.
But Evans and the company resisted paying the disputed funds, citing a separate legal challenge from her son, Christopher Jordan Wallace, who questioned Barrow’s authority to oversee the estate. They proposed limiting the payment to $48,612 while the matter was resolved.
Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick disagreed.
“They are due to the Trust,” she wrote, rejecting the suggestion that the court hold the money.
The judge also ordered interest to accrue from the dates of the original distributions. The ruling follows Primary Wave’s 2025 deal involving a stake in Biggie’s music catalog and related rights.
Evans, Wallace and Biggie’s children, T’yanna and Christopher, were each entitled to 25% of company distributions under their agreement.
Barrow now has 20 days to submit a proposed final order reflecting the decision.
