The Notorious B.I.G.'s mother and widow co-owned his catalog; after the mother died, her trustee sued the widow and won

Christopher Wallace was shot dead in Los Angeles at 24^†. He left no will^†. His mother, Voletta Wallace, and his widow, Faith Evans, took charge of his legacy. In 2002 they sued the City of Los Angeles for wrongful death, alleging that LAPD officers and Marion "Suge" Knight were involved in the killing. The city denied it. A 2005 trial ended in a mistrial after the family's lawyers found the city had withheld LAPD documents, and a judge ordered the city to pay more than $1 million in sanctions. The suit was dismissed by agreement on 5 April 2010, with the right to refile. Bad Boy later gave Voletta Wallace rights that raised her share of his catalog to 85 percent, and in 2020 she acquired the last 15 percent. She and Evans co-owned Notorious B.I.G. LLC. Voletta Wallace died at home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, in February 2025, aged 78. In March 2025 Primary Wave took a 50 percent stake in the catalog and likeness, a deal reported at $100 million. Wayne Barrow, trustee of her trust and executor of her estate, sued Evans in the Delaware Court of Chancery in July 2025, alleging she ran the LLC alone and ignored the 50-50 split. On 7 August 2026 Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick ruled that the trust is a member of the LLC. A separate Pennsylvania suit by Biggie's son CJ Wallace, challenging Barrow as trustee and executor, was pending in August 2026.