Chadwick Boseman’s family is sharing more information about their legal dispute.
Days after the late Black Panther actor’s brothers Derrick Boseman and Kevin Boseman filed a lawsuit on behalf of their parents Leroy Boseman and Carolyn Boseman to suspend and remove Chadwick’s widow Taylor Simone Ledward as the administrator of his estate, Derrick and Kevin are explaining the reason why.
“For years, our parents have sought clarity regarding matters connected to the estate of our brother, Chadwick Boseman, including his intellectual property and legacy,” the brothers began in a July 23 statement to People. “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.”
According to Derrick and Kevin, their family was “unaware, until recently, that nearly four years after the Court’s October 4, 2022 Order for Final Distribution, the Administrator had not closed the probate estate.”
“Our petition seeks enforcement of the Court’s Order and the relief requested in the filing,” they continued. “Because this matter is now before the Court, we will respect the legal process while remaining focused on the facts set forth in the petition.”
E! News has reached out to reps for Derrick and Kevin as well as to Taylor's attorneys for comment but has not heard back.
The family’s lawsuit comes nearly six years after Chadwick died of colon cancer at the age of 43. In documents obtained by E! News, the Boseman brothers alleged that Taylor had not properly distributed his assets—including more than $3.8 million in cash and other assets—despite the 2022 court order to distribute 25 percent of his estate to each of Chadwick’s parents.
Kevin and Derrick also alleged in their filing that Taylor “failed to fully account” for the late Oscar nominee’s assets, noting his estate includes more assets such as “royalties and residuals, image and intellectual property rights, real property, a previously undisclosed bank account” and other personal property.
“These rights properly belong to Decedent’s heirs,” the filing stated, “but are ostensibly managed by Chadwick Boseman, Inc., a corporate entity completely controlled by [Taylor] and through which she continues to profit from Decedent’s fame.”
According to the suit, Kevin and Derrick claim that Chadwick’s widow, whom he wed in 2020, had “blocked” them from “pursuing lucrative business opportunities that might benefit Decedent’s elderly parents.”
The family alleged that Taylor’s handling of their late brother’s estate “creates the appearance that she is concealing assets from Decedent’s family and from the Court” and requested that the court compel her to properly distribute the late actor’s estate as well as remove her as the administrator of it.
Taylor had previously listed Chadwick’s total worth as including $151,000 in cash, $241,000 in an IRA account and $3.3 million worth of stock for Chadwick Boseman, Inc. According to the 2022 court order that was included in the filing, the court found that Taylor's list of his assets was "true and correct" and noted that she waived her administrator's fee.