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Malcolm-Jamal Warner's mother is being sued by his widow over access to his family trust based on the prenuptial agreement.
Tenisha Warner filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking more than $1.2 million from Warner's mother, Pamela Warner, who overlooks the trust.
The complaint was filed on the first anniversary of the Malcolm & Eddie star in DeKalb County Superior Court in Decatur Ga., where Warner and his family lived.
Agreement between Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Tenisha Warner
According to court documents, under the prenuptial agreement the pair signed before their 2017 marriage, Warner agreed to provide several financial benefits to his wife.
Those responsibility reportedly included securing a $1 million life insurance policy naming her as the sole beneficiary, paying her $5,000 per month for serving as his "chief of staff," providing an annual $16,000 anniversary payment, funding a tax-free retirement account in her name, and maintaining college funds for their children.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death
Warned passed away at the age of 54. He died in an accidental drowning while on holiday with his family in Costa Rico on July 20, 2025.
He was best known for playing Theodore Huxtable, the son of Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable on the hit NBC sitcom The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992.
Aside from The Cosby Show, Malcolm-Jamal Warner joined Eddie Griffin to lead the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie from 1996 to 2000.
He was also well known for his role as Alex Reed on Reed Between the Lines, which he starred in alongside Tracee Ellis Ross from 2011 to 2015.
'I had no choice'
In a statement to CBC News, Tenisha Warner said she tried to resolve her husband's "complicated estate" privately while honouring his last wishes concerning their daughter, MacKenzie.
"Malcolm had every intention to provide for our nine-year-old daughter and me," the statement noted.
It added, "I have been struggling to care for our daughter as a single mom and now as her sole provider. Legally, I had no choice but to take action to protect our rights before any potential statute of limitations expired."
