Faith Evans has been ordered to pay more than $12.5 million to the trust of her late mother-in-law, Voletta Wallace, following a lengthy legal dispute over the business interests and royalties connected to the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.
The ruling was issued Tuesday by Delaware judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick, who ordered Evans to turn over $12,518,336 in withheld catalogue proceeds owed to the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust.
The dispute revolves around Notorious B.I.G. LLC, a company Evans and Voletta Wallace established in 2007 to manage the professional assets of the late hip-hop star, whose real name was Christopher Wallace.
Biggie was murdered in 1997, but his music catalogue and commercial legacy have continued generating revenue decades after his death.
Why Faith Evans Was Ordered to Pay Millions
The legal battle began when Wayne Barrow, Biggie’s former manager and estate executor, sued Evans over the handling of the company’s distributions.
Barrow accused the singer of failing to recognise the trust’s membership in Notorious B.I.G. LLC and withholding payments that should have gone to Wallace’s estate.
Following Voletta Wallace’s death in 2025, her estate was placed under the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust.
Evans reportedly sought to limit the amount payable to just $48,612, arguing that the trust was not formally recognised as a member of the company for several months after Wallace’s death.
However, Judge McCormick rejected that argument, ruling that the trust was entitled to distributions dating back to the day Wallace died.
“The Trust is entitled to distributions made as of the date of Ms. Wallace’s death,” McCormick wrote in her decision.
The judge also ordered prejudgment interest, compounded quarterly, to be added to the amount owed.
Biggie’s Family Dispute Adds Another Layer
The financial dispute comes amid separate tensions involving members of the late rapper’s family.
Christopher Jordan Wallace, the son of Faith Evans and Notorious B.I.G., recently challenged his grandmother’s will.
He alleged that the document was changed just 15 days before her death, removing him as a beneficiary. Evans had previously cited the family disagreements as part of the reasons for delaying payments to the trust.
Despite those disputes, the court maintained that the company’s agreement required the outstanding distributions to be paid to the estate’s legal successor.
The $12.5 million judgment represents a substantial sum connected to the ongoing commercial earnings of Biggie’s music catalogue and brand interests.
Will Faith Evans Appeal the Ruling?
It remains unclear whether Evans will challenge the decision.
Her attorneys have not publicly commented on whether they intend to appeal the multimillion-dollar judgment.
The ruling is a significant development in the ongoing administration of Notorious B.I.G.’s posthumous business interests, nearly three decades after his death.
