Chadwick Boseman’s brothers, Kevin and Derrick Boseman, have filed a petition to have the late Black Panther star’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman, removed as administrator of his $3.8 million estate. According to court documents obtained by People, the brothers allege that Taylor has failed to properly distribute Chadwick’s estate in the years since his death in 2020. They also claim she has “blocked” their family from “pursuing lucrative business opportunities that might benefit” their parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman. Ultimately, after the Marvel actor died in August 2020, the family discovered that he didn’t leave a will behind. As such, California intestacy law determined how his probate estate would be divided, with Taylor entitled to 50% and his parents, Leroy and Carolyn, entitled to 25% each. A Los Angeles court reportedly issued a final order in 2022 directing Taylor to distribute the estate in line with those shares, something Kevin and Derrick now allege she has failed to fully do. What Chadwick Boseman’s brothers are accusing Taylor Simone Ledward of Credit: Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock The new petition, which was filed on Friday, July 17th, reads, “She [Taylor] continues to exercise complete control over his estate without input from Leroy and Carolyn.” Among the additional allegations is that a $40,000 long-term care policy intended for Chadwick’s mother has never been transferred, while one of the actor’s bank accounts and his IRA allegedly remain “inexplicably open” years after his death. Kevin and Derrick also claim there are additional estate assets that have not been properly accounted for, including SAG-AFTRA royalties and residual payments, image and intellectual property rights, real estate and personal property. The filing alleges Taylor’s “lack of transparency” has created the appearance that assets are being hidden from both Chadwick’s family and the court. Chadwick died on August 28, 2020, aged 43, following a private four-year battle with colon cancer. Just six days earlier, he had married Taylor, although the pair had been in a relationship for around five years. Since he died without leaving a will and had no children, California law determined how the estate would be distributed, with Taylor being appointed administrator. In the latest filing, Kevin and Derrick are asking the court to appoint forensic accountant Jason Rubin as the new administrator. Neither Taylor nor attorneys representing either side have publicly responded to the allegations at the time of writing. Why didn’t Chadwick Boseman leave a will? Credit: Disney This is a question that has hung over the ongoing estate battle, but ultimately there are no clear cut answers. Estate planning attorney, Daniel Timins, shared a theory back in 2020 on the matter, writing, “My feeling is that Boseman made a conscious decision to not bother creating a Will, since its relevance was a mere afterthought.” “Facing the fact that he was a childless man dying in his early forties, he likely set up his estate for simple transfers outside the public’s eye and likely forgot about the spare change that would transfer to his wife anyway,” he continued. “As such, the left-over $939,000 passed by his estate was probably an after-thought, and obviously not the only money he left his wife.” But, as said, there has never been an official explanation as to why Chadwick did not leave a will, and Timins’ comments were purely his own theory based on the information available at the time. Since then, court filings have indicated the probate estate is valued at around $3.8 million and the case is ongoing. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: AMPAS/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
