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2026-08-16 10:54 UTC → 2026-09-04 22:42 UTC ·
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In Following the July 2026, Tenisha 2025 accidental drowning of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner renewed her in Costa Rica, a legal challenge against Pamela battle has emerged over his estate. His widow, Tenisha Warner, the successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust, by filing filed a civil suit in DeKalb County, Georgia. Georgia, seeking $1,276,042.46. The complaint reiterates claims under claim is based on a 2022 premarital agreement that agreement, alleging the trustee owes more than $1.2 million for failure to secure a promised $1 million life-insurance life insurance policy, annual tax-free anniversary payments of $16,000, a Roth IRA contribution, and an alleged unpaid monthly salary of $5,000 for her role as chief of staff. The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court in Decatur, lists the total claim at $1,276,042.46 and seeks interest, attorney’s fees, and a court order to halt any trust distributions while the case proceeds. Tenisha stated she attempted to resolve these matters privately for a year following Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s accidental drowning in Costa Rica in July 2025, but filed suit because she “had no choice” to protect herself staff, and their nine-year-old daughter. Separately, other promised financial provisions. Tenisha has also sued Warner’s former business manager and financial adviser for professional negligence in failing to secure the insurance policy and update the estate plan, which reportedly had not been signed prior to his death. Reports indicate Tenisha has faced significant financial strain, managing legal expenses and home rebuilding costs following unexpected flooding. While the 1996 Warner Family Trust allocated 70% of assets to Warner’s mother, all related lawsuits regarding the estate plan and the fulfillment of the premarital agreement remain pending. insurance. In August 2026, a tentative settlement was reached in announced by the dispute. successor trustee, Pamela Warner announced that an agreement has been made with Warner, involving representatives for Malcolm-Jamal’s nine-year-old daughter, which is daughter. This agreement was intended to provide grant the child with the majority of the remaining trust and estate. The Pamela Warner denied allegations of withholding support, stating that Malcolm-Jamal had made separate provisions for his wife and daughter totaling millions of dollars outside the primary trust. By September 2026, the dispute escalated as Pamela Warner claimed that Tenisha Warner had declined a settlement offer valued at approximately $4 million. According to Pamela, this proposed resolution included a $2 million life insurance policy, a $2.4 million retirement plan for Tenisha, and a separate Georgia trust for Malcolm-Jamal’s daughter, MacKenzie. Pamela Warner is currently awaiting seeking court approval. approval for a settlement with MacKenzie’s court-appointed guardian to resolve the estate matters.