Chadwick Boseman estate fight intensifies as brothers challenge widow’s role in court
Nearly six years on, Chadwick Boseman’s brothers have lodged new court papers over how his estate is being run.
Well, Chadwick Boseman’s name is back in the news, and not for anything fans would have wished for. Nearly six years after his death, his family’s managed to get themselves tangled up in a proper row over his estate, with his brothers now officially challenging his widow’s role as the one running things.
The Estate Gets Messy
To set the scene: Chadwick died in August 2020 from colon cancer, without a will. He’d married Taylor Simone Ledward just days before his death, leaving her as the estate’s court-appointed administrator — but his brothers, Kevin and Derrick Boseman, claim they’ve lost patience with how Ledward’s handled things.
The brothers have just filed a petition in court wanting Ledward kicked out as administrator. Their main complaint? She’s kept total control of the estate and hasn’t, they say, properly distributed assets to Chadwick’s parents — Leroy and Carolyn Boseman — who are, according to the court documents, meant to receive 25% of everything. Ledward is supposed to get 50%, by California law, since there was no will and the quick marriage. That’s all well and good, except the brothers say she hasn’t coughed up what’s owed.
Less than $40,000 in insurance payouts has, the brothers allege, never been distributed.
But the missing policy is just the start. Kevin and Derrick argue that there’s more at stake: live royalties, residuals (including SAG-AFTRA money), intellectual property, Chadwick’s image rights, some real estate, unnamed personal property, and at least one other bank account — all of which, they say, haven’t been made transparent, let alone split up fairly.
One choice line from the filing: the 'lack of transparency creates the appearance that she is concealing assets from Decedent’s family and from the Court.'
Call for Change
The paperwork also claims Ledward has gone so far as to block legitimate business opportunities linked to Chadwick’s name and image, potentially depriving his elderly parents of income. For all these reasons, Kevin and Derrick want someone neutral at the helm going forward. Their pick: Jason Rubin, a pro fiduciary and forensic accountant who specialises in sorting out messy estates. The implication is clear — it’s time for someone who isn’t personally connected to run things by the book.
No comment yet from Ledward or her legal team. The legal wrangling, meanwhile, looks set to drag Chadwick’s legacy back into the public eye, for reasons that have nothing to do with his work on screen.