Nearly six years after the tragic death of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, his family is locked in a public legal dispute with his widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, over the distribution of his multi-million dollar estate.
Chadwick’s older brothers, Derrick Boseman and Kevin Boseman, have filed a court petition in Los Angeles on behalf of their elderly parents, Leroy Boseman and Carolyn Boseman. The filing asks the court to suspend and remove Taylor as the administrator of the estate, alleging she has failed to properly allocate assets following a 2022 court order.
Under the previous 2022 ruling, Taylor was awarded 50 percent of the estate, whilst Chadwick’s parents were allocated 25 percent each. However, Derrick and Kevin claim that nearly four years on, the estate remains undistributed.
"Nearly four years later, [Taylor] has still not distributed the estate," the court documents read. "Instead, [Taylor] continues to exert unilateral control over [Chadwick’s] estate, denying [Chadwick’s] family long overdue closure."
The petition further alleges that Taylor has failed to account for additional assets, including SAG-AFTRA residual payments, real property, intellectual property rights and an undisclosed bank account. The family claims these image rights are managed via Chadwick Boseman, Inc., a company completely controlled by Taylor, which has blocked opportunities for Leroy and Carolyn.
In a statement explaining their decision, Kevin and Derrick stated, "This action was filed on behalf of, and with the authority of, our parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman, who assigned their respective interests in the estate to Boseman Family LLC."
They added, "Our petition seeks enforcement of the Court's Order and the relief requested in the filing. On behalf of our parents, we are committed to ensuring that transparency, accountability and respect guide the resolution of these matters."
Chadwick died without a will in August 2020 at the age of 43 following a private battle with colon cancer. His initial estate was valued at over $3.8 million, including cash, stock and an IRA account.
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