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Chadwick Boseman's Widow Fires Back at His Brothers' 'Smear' Lawsuit Over Black Panther Star's Millions
Six years after Chadwick Boseman died without a will, his brothers are suing his widow to strip her of control over his estate — and she's calling it a tabloid-baiting "PR stunt."
The peace over Chadwick Boseman's estate has shattered. Six years after the "Black Panther" star died of colon cancer at 43, his brothers Derrick and Kevin Boseman have filed suit on behalf of their parents to remove his widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, as administrator of his fortune — and Ledward is firing back hard.
According to court filings detailed by E! News, the brothers accuse Ledward of failing to "fully account" for all of Chadwick's assets nearly four years after an October 2022 court order finalized how his estate should be split, and claim her conduct "creates the appearance that she is concealing assets" — including royalties, image and intellectual property rights, and stakes in Chadwick Boseman, Inc. The brothers want a new administrator installed: attorney Jason Rubin.
Ledward's camp isn't having it. Her attorney, Adam Streisand, blasted the filing as a cynical play for headlines.
"THIS IS A PUBLIC-RELATIONS STUNT TO SMEAR SIMONE IN THE TABLOID PRESS."
Show Me the Money
Per documents reviewed by Reality Tea, Ledward's team laid out a detailed paper trail: $151,558 distributed from a Bank of America account, 100 shares of Chadwick Boseman, Inc. stock valued at roughly $3.4 million, a $40,000 life insurance payout, and another $241,180.75 in additional funds. Derrick and Kevin also each personally received $75,000 in SAG-AFTRA residuals between 2020 and 2024, and Ledward says she voluntarily gifted more than $300,000 of her own money directly to Derrick's four children — gestures her side says prove generosity, not concealment. One remaining pot, a $300,000 IRA, has stayed frozen specifically because of the brothers' litigation, according to the outlet.
Boseman died in August 2020 without a will, triggering a probate fight that TMZ reports has simmered for years: Ledward was awarded 50% of the estate, with his parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman, splitting the remaining half. Since then, Ledward has also launched the Chadwick Boseman Foundation for the Arts and struck a documentary deal tied to his legacy — moves the brothers' suit suggests she's using to control the narrative and the money.
Ledward is now formally opposing Rubin's appointment as replacement administrator, with her side citing unspecified prior allegations against him in other cases. No hearing date has been made public. For now, the fight over the Oscar-nominated actor's legacy — and the millions still tied up in it — is headed for a courtroom, not a truce.