Widow sues mother-in-law over $1.2 million estate claim
Tenisha Delilah Warner has filed a lawsuit in Georgia seeking more than $1.2 million she says is owed under a premarital agreement, naming her mother-in-law as trustee of the family trust.
Tenisha Delilah Warner, the widow of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, filed a civil suit on July 20 in DeKalb County Superior Court, Georgia, alleging that she is owed over $1.2 million under a premarital agreement. The claim includes a $1 million life-insurance policy that was never established, annual tax-free payments of $16,000, contributions to a Roth IRA, and a $5,000 monthly salary for work as her husband's chief of staff and assistant. Warner has named her mother-in-law, Pamela Warner, in the action because she serves as successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust and seeks a court order to freeze trust assets while the case proceeds.
"For the last year, I have attempted to privately settle my beloved husband’s complicated estate and honor his last wishes," Warner said in a statement to ABC News. "He was close to finalizing a new estate plan to replace the stale plan created in 1996… 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."
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known for his role as Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," died on July 20, 2025, after being caught in a rip current while swimming on a family vacation in Costa Rica. Pamela Warner posted a tribute on Instagram on the anniversary of his death, describing him as a confidant and expressing personal reflections.
ABC News contacted Pamela Warner for comment, but she has not responded.