ATLANTA —The widow of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has filed a lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court against his mother, seeking more than $1.2 million from a family trust one year after the actor’s tragic death.
Tenisha Warner filed the lawsuit on Monday — the anniversary of her husband’s death — naming Pamela Warner as the successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust, which the late actor established in 1996. Court documents allege that Malcolm-Jamal Warner did not fulfill several obligations outlined in the couple’s premarital agreement signed shortly before their 2022 wedding.
Malcolm Jamal Warner Family Trust Dispute: Widow Sues Mother for $1.2M
According to the filing, those obligations included maintaining a $1 million term life insurance policy naming Tenisha as the beneficiary, along with other financial provisions such as annual payments, Roth IRA contributions, and compensation for her role as his chief of staff. Tenisha Warner is seeking approximately $1,276,042 plus attorney fees and interest. She also requests that the court freeze any distributions from the trust during the litigation.
Warner, who had ties to the Atlanta area and was sometimes described locally as an Atlanta actor, drowned at age 54 on July 20, 2025, while on a family vacation in Costa Rica. He was caught in a strong rip current while swimming with his young daughter, who was rescued. The couple shared a 9-year-old daughter, MacKenzie…