Chadwick Boseman's parents sue his widow over inheritance and rights to the actor's name
Kyiv • UNN
The parents of the late actor Chadwick Boseman have filed a lawsuit against his widow, accusing her of hiding assets and mismanaging the inheritance. They demand her removal from estate management and a ban on sole control.
The parents of the late actor Chadwick Boseman have filed a lawsuit against his widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, accusing her of mismanaging the estate and concealing assets. This was reported by The Hollywood Reporter, writes UNN.
Details
In the lawsuit, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman are asking to remove the actor's widow from managing his estate, find her in contempt of court, and prohibit her from unilaterally controlling the assets.
Chadwick Boseman died in August 2020 from colon cancer without leaving a will. According to California law, his estate was divided equally between the widow and his parents – each side received 50%, which corresponds to 25% for each parent.
Family claims hidden assets
The petition alleges that Simone Ledward Boseman has not yet completed the distribution of the estate and has not filed documents to close the administration of the inheritance. The actor's parents also claim that she concealed part of the assets, including residual payments from SAG-AFTRA, a bank account, and a $40,000 insurance policy that, by court order, was supposed to go to the actor's mother.
The total value of the estate is estimated at approximately $3.8 million. It includes cash, retirement accounts, an insurance policy, as well as Chadwick Boseman Inc., which owns the rights to the actor's name and his intellectual property.
Dispute concerns company and copyrights
A separate conflict has arisen over the management of Chadwick Boseman Inc., which is equally owned by the widow and the actor's parents. The lawsuit states that Simone Ledward Boseman appointed herself CEO without holding a board of directors meeting and did not allow other co-owners to participate in decision-making.
According to the plaintiffs, she independently entered into agreements regarding the use of Chadwick Boseman's name rights, including a contract for a documentary about his life and an agreement for the adaptation of the script "Deep Azure," written by the actor.
The parents also demand that the court require Simone Ledward Boseman to provide a full report of all financial transactions involving the estate conducted since her appointment as administrator of the inheritance in 2020.