Faith Evans has suffered a major legal setback in a dispute over money generated by the music and intellectual property of her late husband, rapper The Notorious B.I.G.. On October 27, 2026, the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that the trust of his late mother, Voletta Wallace, is entitled to $12,518,336 in company distributions, plus interest.
The decision by Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick rejected an argument from Evans and Notorious B.I.G., LLC that the trust should receive only $48,612 while a separate legal challenge in Pennsylvania proceeds. The ruling concerns distributions connected to Voletta’s ownership interest in the company, which manages rights associated with Biggie’s legacy.
According to the court’s decision, the trust’s entitlement to the money dates back to Voletta’s death in February 2025, even though it formally became a company member later that year. The judgment awards interest at the statutory rate, compounded quarterly.
Why Faith Evans and Voletta Wallace’s Trust Are in Court
Evans and Voletta established Notorious B.I.G., LLC in 2007 to manage the rapper’s intellectual property. Under the company’s distribution arrangement, each woman held a 50% interest, with portions of their respective distribution rights assigned to Biggie’s children, Christopher “C.J.” Wallace and T’yanna Wallace. The arrangement left each of the four with a 25% economic share.
After Voletta died on February 21, 2025, her interest passed to her estate and ultimately to the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust. Biggie’s former manager Wayne Barrow, appointed executor and trustee, sought to have the trust recognized as entitled to the company’s distributions.
Evans disputed the trust’s position in the company, and Barrow filed suit in July 2025. The court ruled in Barrow’s favor in August before issuing its October decision specifying the amount owed.
The $12.5 Million Dispute and the Pennsylvania Challenge
The amount covers three distributions of $4 million each, another payment of $469,724, and $48,612 in distributions made after the trust formally joined the company. Evans and the LLC argued that only the final $48,612 should be paid immediately, offering to deposit the disputed balance with the court while the separate Pennsylvania case continued.
Judge McCormick rejected that proposal. The court distinguished between becoming a formal member of the LLC and inheriting the economic rights associated with Voletta’s ownership interest. It found that those financial rights transferred to her estate upon her death and were subsequently held by the trust.
A separate case filed by C.J. Wallace in Pennsylvania challenges Barrow’s appointment, alleging that he improperly influenced Voletta shortly before her death. That case remains pending, and the Delaware ruling did not resolve those allegations.
Biggie’s Music Legacy Remains at the Center
The dispute concerns a valuable catalog that has continued generating income decades after Biggie’s death in 1997. His music, including tracks such as “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” and “Hypnotize,” remains central to his commercial legacy.
In March 2025, Primary Wave’s partnership involving Biggie’s publishing, recordings, and certain name, image, and likeness rights brought renewed attention to the value of those assets. The Wall Street Journal reported that the transaction valued his life’s work at more than $200 million.
Following the earlier court victory, Barrow’s attorney Jay W. Freiberg told Rolling Stone that Voletta wanted Barrow to steward her son’s legacy after her death. The latest decision establishes the trust’s entitlement to the specified distributions, but does not confirm that the money has already been collected.
