Malcolm Warner is at the centre of a legal dispute after his widow, Tenisha Warner, filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1.2 million and asking a court to recognise her and the couple’s daughter as omitted heirs to the late actor’s trust.

Tenisha Warner filed the lawsuit on Monday in DeKalb County Superior Court in Decatur, Georgia, marking the first anniversary of the actor’s death.

Trust dispute reaches court

Malcolm-Jamal Warner died at the age of 54 after an accidental drowning while on holiday with his family in Costa Rica on 20 July 2025.

The actor, best known for playing Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992, created a trust in 1996. He established the trust years before marrying Tenisha Warner and before the birth of their daughter, MacKenzie.

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Widow seeks recognition as heir

According to court documents, the trust distributes its assets to other family members.

Most of the estate is allocated to Pamela Warner, Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mother, while additional shares are assigned to his father and half-sister.

Tenisha Warner argues that she and her daughter were omitted from the trust and should be recognised as legal heirs.

She is seeking at least $1,276,000 and a court declaration recognising their rights to the estate.

Widow says legal action became necessary

In a statement released through her legal counsel, Tenisha Warner said she first tried to resolve the estate privately.

She said Malcolm-Jamal Warner intended to provide financial security for his wife and daughter.

Tenisha Warner also said she has been raising their nine-year-old daughter alone since the actor’s death.

She added that filing the lawsuit became necessary to protect their legal rights before any applicable deadlines expired.

Estate planning questioned

The lawsuit also alleges that Malcolm-Jamal Warner did not complete several financial arrangements for his wife and daughter before his death.

The case now asks the court to determine whether Tenisha Warner and her daughter should receive a share of the late actor’s estate despite the existing trust.