The estate of The Notorious B.I.G. is suing Faith Evans over claims she withheld proceeds from a nine-figure catalog sale and shut the rapper’s family trust out of key business decisions. AllHipHop reports that the lawsuit, filed in Delaware and unsealed on July 8, accuses Evans of cutting the Christopher Wallace trust out of its rightful share following the death of Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, earlier this year.
According to the complaint, Evans became the sole manager of Biggie’s estate after Voletta’s passing in February. The suit alleges that Evans excluded the trust from both the financial distribution and operational control tied to the reported $100 million deal with Primary Wave. The transaction involved the late rapper’s publishing rights and other intellectual property.
Wayne Barrow, a longtime friend of the Wallace family and manager of the trust, is leading the legal action. He claims Evans has quietly issued payouts to Biggie’s children, Ty’anna and CJ Wallace, and likely to herself, while withholding the trust’s portion.
“Ms. Evans has distributed sale proceeds to Ty’anna, CJ, and presumably to herself,” Barrow wrote in court filings. “She, however, has wrongfully withheld the Trust’s share of the proceeds,” he added, with the specific amount redacted from the record.
Barrow also alleges that Evans has shut him out of all business-related communication since assuming full control of the estate. He notes that Evans had not previously played a management role in the LLC overseeing Biggie’s assets and argues her decisions since taking over have been harmful to the trust’s interests.
“Ms. Evans’s actions are particularly troubling given that, unlike Mr. Barrow, she has never previously been involved in the LLC’s management,” the suit states.
Barrow is now asking the court to compel Evans to release the trust’s share of the catalog sale. He is also seeking her removal as manager of the LLC and requesting to be reinstated in that position. According to the filing, the trust’s proceeds were intended to support the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation.
The legal challenge complicates what was once seen as a landmark business deal preserving Biggie’s legacy. With no public response from Evans so far, the lawsuit raises new questions about how the estate of one of hip-hop’s most influential figures is being handled in the wake of his mother’s death.
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