Faith Evans ordered to pay $12,518,336 to Voletta Wallace trust

A Delaware judge has ordered R&B singer Faith Evans to pay $12,518,336 to the trust of her late mother-in-law, concluding a protracted legal battle over the catalog proceeds and legacy of the Notorious B.I.G.

Judge Orders Evans to Pay Withheld Funds

The ruling, issued on Tuesday by Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery, orders Evans to hand over millions in withheld funds tied to Notorious B.I.G. LLC. Evans and Voletta Wallace originally founded the company in 2007 to manage the professional assets of the legendary rapper, Christopher Wallace, who was murdered in 1997. At 72 years old, Voletta Wallace passed away in 2025 and directed that her property be transferred to the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust.

Wayne Barrow, who served as the late rapper’s manager and is the executor of his estate, initiated the litigation by taking Evans to court for withholding distributions and refusing to acknowledge the trust as a member of the LLC. Evans sought to restrict the disbursement to a mere $48,612, contending that the trust had not attained official membership status in the enterprise during the initial months following Wallace’s passing.

McCormick rejected that figure entirely. The court ruled that the trust was entitled to all distributions owed since the date of Wallace’s passing. The Trust is entitled to distributions made as of the date of Ms. Wallace’s death, McCormick wrote in the decision.

Court Adds Compounded Interest to Judgment

The court ordered that prejudgment interest be added to the total amount and compounded quarterly to account for the delay in payment. This interest is calculated from the specific dates the payments were made. The $12.5 million judgment represents a significant portion of ongoing earnings from the Notorious B.I.G.’s musical catalog and brand ventures, including a partnership with Primary Wave announced in March 2025 that covers the rapper’s name, image, and likeness.

McCormick determined that the trust officially became a member of Notorious B.I.G. LLC on December 12, 2025, when Barrow executed a written consent establishing its membership rights. Barrow holds Letters Testamentary issued on April 21, 2025.

Family Rifts Lead to Separate Legal Challenges

The legal battle has exposed deep rifts within the family. Christopher Jordan Wallace, the son of Evans and the late rapper, recently challenged his grandmother’s will in Pennsylvania. He alleged that the document was modified only 15 days before her death to remove him as a beneficiary.

Evans had previously used these family disputes as a reason to delay payments to the trust.

McCormick rejected the approach of having the state take control of the disputed funds during the administration questions.

Attorneys for Faith Evans have not yet commented on whether they plan to appeal the multimillion-dollar judgment. McCormick gave Barrow 20 days to submit a final form of order reflecting the judgment, while the separate Pennsylvania challenge to Barrow’s appointment remains a pending legal matter.