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A legal dispute has emerged between Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow, Tenisha Warner, and his mother, Pamela Warner.
In a lawsuit filed in DeKalb County Superior Court in Georgia on Monday, July 20 — the first anniversary of The Cosby Show alum's tragic death — Tenisha claims that she is owed $1.2 million in unpaid debts connected to the late actor's family trust.
According to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and TMZ, the late actor signed a premarital agreement in May 2022. She alleges that Malcolm, best known for playing Theo Huxtable on the beloved '80s family sitcom, agreed to secure a $1 million life insurance policy naming her as the sole beneficiary, but claims he failed to obtain the policy.
According to additional documents filed in Los Angeles County last week, obtained by PEOPLE, Tenisha claims she is owed a total of $1,276,042.46, including $1 million in life insurance obligations, $50,542.46 for an anniversary payment obligation laid out in their agreement, $30,500 for a Roth IRA obligation, and $195,000 in salary Tenisha claims she's owed for working as her late husband's "chief of staff."
As for why Tenisha is suing her former mother-in-law, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she believes Malcolm's estate does not have enough assets to cover the alleged debt. The actor, who died at 54 last year after an accidental drowning while vacationing in Costa Rica, established The Warner Family Trust in 1996, which is now managed by Pamela, and Tenisha is asking the court to allow her to recover the money from the trust.
In addition to the alleged unpaid debts, Tenisha is requesting interest, legal fees, and an order that would stop Pamela from transferring or distributing trust assets until the case is resolved.
Sharing a statement with PEOPLEfollowing the filing, Tenisha said after attempting to handle matters privately, she had "no choice" but to pursue legal action to settle Malcolm's estate.
"For the last year, I have attempted to privately settle my beloved husband's complicated estate and honor his last wishes," Tenisha told the outlet. "Malcolm had every intention to provide for our 9-year-old daughter and me. He was close to finalizing a new estate plan to replace the stale plan created in 1996 when he was 26 years old, 20 years before we met and well before we gave birth to our beautiful daughter."
While Tenisha noted that the plans were nearly solidified to include both her and their daughter, she said Malcolm was ultimately "unable" update his estate "before we lost him."
"I have been struggling to care for our daughter as a single mom and now as her sole provider," she continued. "Legally, I had no choice but to take action to protect our rights before any potential statute of limitations expired. We thank you for your support, love and understanding as we work through this painful process while honoring Malcolm's life on the first anniversary of his death."
