Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s lawsuit dispute has reached court after his widow, Dr Tenisha Delilah Warner, sought more than $1.2 million from the Warner Family Trust over alleged unpaid marital obligations.
Tenisha filed a claim in DeKalb County Superior Court, Georgia, on July 20, the first anniversary of Warner’s death. A related filing submitted in Los Angeles County on July 17 listed a total claim of $1,276,042.46.
The filings allege that a May 2022 premarital agreement required Warner to maintain a $1 million life insurance policy naming Tenisha as the beneficiary. However, she claims the policy was never secured.
Tenisha is also seeking $50,542.46 for an alleged anniversary-payment obligation, $30,500 in Roth IRA contributions and $195,000 in unpaid salary for work she says she performed as Warner’s chief of staff and assistant. These remain allegations. A court has not adjudicated them.
Pamela Warner, the actor’s mother, is named in her capacity as successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust, established in 1996. Meanwhile, Tenisha has asked the court to block distributions from the trust pending litigation. She argues that Warner’s remaining estate may not cover the claimed amount.
Pamela Warner had not publicly responded to the allegations when ABC News and CBS News published their reports.
Read: Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Cause of Death: The Cosby Show Star Dies at 54
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known for playing Theo Huxtable in NBC’s “The Cosby Show,” died at age 54 on July 20, 2025. Costa Rican authorities said he drowned after a rip current caught him near Cocles beach in Limón province.
