Widow challenges estate plan in Malcolm-Jamal Warner family trust dispute
Tenisha Warner, the widow of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, has filed a petition challenging the late actor’s 1996 Warner Family Trust, alleging it heavily favors his mother with 70% of the assets and does not provide adequate support for her and their nine-year-old daughter, MacKenzie. She argues the trust is outdated and contradicts Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s intent to update his estate plan; she also claims Pamela Warner, as trustee, sold the couple’s Studio City home over her objection. The actor died July 20, 2025 in Costa Rica, and Pamela Warner has not publicly commented on the dispute, though she posted a tribute on Instagram. The case centers on conflicting interpretations of an old trust and related premarital provisions intended to protect the surviving spouse and child.