A Delaware judge has instructed R&B vocalist Faith Evans to hand over upwards of $12.5 million to the estate of her deceased mother-in-law, Voletta Wallace, following a dispute concerning the revenue generated by the Notorious B.I.G. catalog. The ruling resolves a dispute centered on Notorious B.I.G. LLC.
The Case Numbers and Figures at a Glance
- $12,518,336: The total amount of withheld catalog proceeds Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick ordered Faith Evans to turnover to the trust.
- $48,612: The payout limit Faith Evans attempted to secure in a filed motion, which the judge rejected.
- December 12, 2025: The date the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust officially executed the required instrument to become a formal member of Notorious B.I.G. LLC.
The Delaware Court Ruling on Notorious B.I.G. LLC
The litigation kicked off when the hip-hop icon’s past manager and estate administrator, Wayne Barrow, sued Evans for failing to recognize the trust’s membership in the LLC and withholding distributions. In 2007, Evans and the veteran artist formed the LLC alongside the late icon—born Christopher Wallace, who was killed in 1997—to handle his commercial interests. At 72 years old, Voletta Wallace passed away in 2025, bequeathing her property and assets to the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust.
Notorious B.I.G. Estate Lawsuit Ends With Faith Evans Sending $14M to Voletta Wallace’s Trusthttps://t.co/iGWtmFdZ6Q
Seeking to cap the payout at a mere $48,612, Evans submitted a motion on the grounds that the trust lacked official company membership for several months following Wallace’s passing. Disregarding that figure, Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick determined that the trust retained rights to every payout accrued ever since Wallace passed away. The Trust is entitled to distributions made as of the date of Ms. Wallace’s death,
McCormick wrote in the decision filed on Tuesday.
Prejudgment Interest and Family Disputes Over the Estate
To compensate for the delayed remittance, the judge additionally mandated that prejudgment interest be integrated into the aggregate sum with quarterly compounding. 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, alleging the document was modified only 15 days before her death to remove him as a beneficiary.
These domestic disputes had previously been cited by Evans as justification for postponing disbursements to the trust. Even amid the internal family friction, the judiciary insisted that the terms of the corporate agreement mandated the transfer of payouts to the estate’s rightful heir. Back when they established the business in 2007, Evans and Wallace mutually decided to allocate half of their respective shares to the artist’s offspring, T’yanna Wallace and Christopher Jordan Wallace.
Catalog Earnings and Unresolved Legal Next Steps
Accounting for a substantial share of ongoing revenue generated by the Notorious B.I.G. brand initiatives and song catalog, the $12.5 million penalty is notably large. Attorneys for Evans have not yet commented on whether they plan to appeal the multimillion-dollar judgment.
| Dispute Metric | Reported Figure |
|---|---|
| Withheld Catalog Proceeds Ordered | $12,518,336 |
| Evans’ Proposed Payout Limit | $48,612 |
| Voletta Wallace’s Age at Death (2025) | 72 years old |
The ruling marks a major milestone in the effort to manage the posthumous career of one of hip-hop’s most influential figures.
