Nearly six years after Chadwick Boseman’s death, a new legal dispute surrounding the late actor’s estate has emerged, with members of his family asking a Los Angeles court to remove his widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, from her role as administrator.
According to court documents obtained by People, Chadwick’s brothers, Kevin and Derrick Boseman, have filed a petition alleging that Ledward has failed to properly administer and distribute portions of the Black Panther star’s estate since his passing in August 2020. The filing requests that the court appoint a new independent administrator to oversee the remaining assets.
It’s important to note that these are allegations contained in court filings. Ledward has not publicly responded to the claims, and attorneys representing both parties did not immediately respond to People‘s requests for comment.
The latest development centers on Chadwick’s estate after the actor died at the age of 43 following a private four-year battle with colon cancer.
Because Boseman passed away without leaving a will, California’s intestacy laws determined how his estate would be divided. According to the petition, Ledward, whom Chadwick married just days before his death in 2020, is entitled to 50 percent of the estate. The remaining portion is intended to benefit members of his immediate family, including his parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman, who the filing states are entitled to 25 percent.
Kevin and Derrick argue that those distributions have not been completed despite years having passed.
In the petition, they claim:
“She [Ledward] continues to exercise complete control over his estate without input from Leroy and Carolyn,”
The filing further alleges that although a court issued what it describes as a “Final Order” in 2022 directing Ledward to distribute various estate assets—including a $40,000 Life Long-Term Care Policy to Chadwick’s mother, Carolyn—that transfer has not yet occurred.
Kevin and Derrick also contend that their family has been excluded from decisions involving the estate.
According to the petition, Ledward allegedly “continues to exert unilateral control over Decedent’s estate, denying Decedent’s family long overdue closure or participation in decision-making regarding matters affecting Leroy and Carolyn’s interests in Decedent’s estate.”
The legal filing raises additional questions about assets the brothers believe remain unresolved.
Among the items referenced are royalties, residual payments, image and intellectual property rights, real estate holdings, personal property and what the petition describes as a previously undisclosed bank account at City National Bank.
The brothers claim those assets have not been fully accounted for.
They further allege that Ledward’s “lack of transparency creates the appearance that she is concealing assets from Decedent’s family and from the Court.”
According to the filing, Chadwick’s IRA and one of his bank accounts also remain open, while the contents of those accounts have allegedly not been disclosed to family members.
The petition additionally claims that “numerous residual payments from SAG-AFTRA dating between 2020 and the present” have not been accounted for and that certain personal property belonging to Boseman has never been properly inventoried or distributed.
Another allegation involves the actor’s intellectual property and likeness.
Kevin and Derrick argue that Ledward “failed to distribute Decedent’s image and intellectual property rights by exerting unilateral control” so that she “continues to profit from Decedent’s fame.”
The filing also alleges that she has “blocked” Chadwick’s family from “pursuing lucrative business opportunities that might benefit Decedent’s elderly parents.”
As part of their petition, the brothers are asking the court to replace Ledward with Jason Rubin, a private professional fiduciary and forensic accountant, as administrator of the estate.
The dispute marks a significant development in the ongoing administration of Boseman’s legacy.
Since his death in 2020, the actor has remained one of Hollywood’s most beloved figures, remembered not only for iconic performances in films including Black Panther, 42, Marshall and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, but also for the extraordinary dignity with which he privately battled cancer while continuing to work.
His passing shocked fans around the world, particularly because only a small circle of family and close friends knew about his illness.
