Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Widow Sues Mother Over $1.2 Million Trust Dispute

One year after actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner died in a drowning accident in Costa Rica on July 20, 2025, his widow Tenisha Warner filed a civil lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court in Decatur, Georgia. The suit targets Warner’s mother, Pamela Warner, who serves as successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust, and seeks more than $1.2 million in alleged unpaid benefits, interest, and attorney’s fees.

The complaint alleges that a prenuptial agreement required Warner to purchase a $1 million term life insurance policy naming his wife as beneficiary, to make annual $16,000 anniversary payments, to fund a Roth IRA for her, and to pay her a $5,000‑per‑month salary for acting as his chief of staff. Tenisha Warner says these obligations were never fulfilled, leaving her financially strained while raising their nine‑year‑old daughter alone. The lawsuit lists the total amount claimed as $1,276,042.46, plus prejudgment and post‑judgment interest.