American singer Faith Evans has lost a major legal battle regarding the estate of her late husband, hip-hop icon The Notorious B.I.G., after a court ordered her to pay $12.5 million.
Singer Faith Evans Ordered To Pay $12.5m To Notorious B.I.G.’s Mother’s Estate
Wallace in 1997
A Delaware Court of Chancery judge ruled in favor of the estate of Voletta Wallace, the late mother of the rapper, ordering the multi-million dollar payout over disputed trust funds and intellectual property revenues.
Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick rejected requests from Evans’ legal team to reduce the judgment to $48,612, confirming the full $12,518,336 award to the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust.
The trust is currently managed by Wayne Barrow, the late rapper’s former manager, who was appointed executor prior to Voletta Wallace’s passing in February 2025.
The ruling comes amid an ongoing dispute involving CJ Wallace, the son of Evans and The Notorious B.I.G., who has challenged Barrow’s control of his grandmother’s estate in separate court proceedings.
Despite requests from Evans and CJ to place the contested funds under state control while administrative challenges continue, the judge ruled that the trust remains legally entitled to the distributions.
