Chadwick Boseman’s widow slams lawsuit from late actor’s family as heartless ‘PR stunt’

Chadwick Boseman’s widow is fighting back against the late “Black Panther” star’s brothers.

According to new court docs obtained by Page Six, Taylor Simone Ledward slammed Boseman’s two older brothers, Derrick and Kevin, alleging their legal effort to get her removed as the administrator of Boseman’s estate is a “public-relations stunt to smear [her] in the tabloid press.”

In the docs, filed Thursday in Los Angeles court, Ledward refuted previous allegations by Derrick and Kevin after the family members alleged in a July lawsuit that the late star’s wife didn’t properly distribute her husband’s estate as ordered by a court back in 2022.

The siblings filed the lawsuit on behalf of their parents, Leroy and Carolyn. But Boseman’s widow says she’s distributed every penny — except for an account that was blocked by the brothers themselves — and that she’s been extra generous with Boseman’s family members.

In a fiery legal response, Ledward’s lawyer Adam Streisand wrote in court docs, “Simone has not only complied with the Order, but as a product solely of her own extraordinary generosity, she has gone well beyond what was required of her.”

“Simone’s generosity has been both financial and collaborative. She has always included the Boseman family in her efforts to ensure Chadwick’s memory would endure and flourish long after her husband’s tragic and untimely death,” the papers further state.

“This is how the family repays her: a Petition replete with falsehoods under oath, purposefully used as a public-relations stunt to smear Simone in the tabloid press, not to mention the collateral damage it has caused to her husband’s legacy.”

Streisand also called this a “baseless attack” on Ledward “by Chadwick’s brothers (who are not among Chadwick’s legal heirs) cloaked with authority by their ailing parents (who, along with Simone, are the rightful heirs),” urging, “[This lawsuit] must be denied.”

As Page Six previously reported, Boseman died without a will at the age of 43 on Aug. 28, 2020, following a private and years-long battle with colon cancer.

The new court docs claim that Boseman’s brothers had previously threatened Ledward with litigation when she was “struggling with her grief” on the year anniversary of the star’s 2020 death.

“Five years later, without even a hint of concern or complaint, the brothers’ lawsuit — including many of its false allegations — was somehow reported in detail by TMZ before Simone knew a thing about it,” the docs continue.

The suit claims that Ledward has “distributed all of the assets of Chadwick’s Estate save one account Petitioners themselves blocked from distribution,” including $151,558.00 in a Bank of America account, 100 Shares of Chadwick Boseman, Inc. valued at $3,396,969.00, a $40,000 life insurance policy, another bank account with $241,180.75 and even “Unclaimed property, valued at $0.88.”

The documents reflect that a $300,000 IRA has not been distributed because, as Boseman’s widow claims, the funds were blocked by the brother’s previous legal action.

Meanwhile, per the court papers, “Simone voluntarily gifted more than $300,000 of her own funds to Derrick’s four children. Simone’s generosity is hardly consistent with an administrator who is blocking the final distribution of the Estate to deprive Petitioners’ parents of what they’re entitled to, as Petitioners would have this Court believe.”

The docs also state that Ledward “has also worked to honor Chadwick’s legacy — establishing the Chadwick Boseman Foundation for the Arts, licensing a critically acclaimed production of Chadwick’s play ‘Deep Azure’ at the Shakespeare’s Globe in London, and securing a documentary deal — all with Petitioners’ knowledge and active participation, and on terms structured to benefit both sides of the family equally.”

Derrick and Kevin alleged in their suit docs that Ledward — who inherited 50% of the actor’s estate — was expected to distribute the other half equally between Chadwick’s parents, with each of them receiving 25% and that “nearly four years later, [Taylor] has still not distributed the estate.”

“To be clear, no Estate asset has been lost, wasted, or mismanaged,” states Ledward’s response, noting that “Simone has administered the Estate transparently and in consultation with Petitioners at every meaningful step, without any requirement or obligation to do so, and will distribute the funds from the CNB IRA that CNB held back only because Petitioners demanded it. Petitioners’ claims of concealment and mismanagement do not withstand scrutiny.”

The documents also reveal that “Since Chadwick’s death, the Estate has received approximately $300,000 in residuals from SAG-AFTRA. Under the terms of the Order, these residuals are to be distributed 25% to each of Chadwick’s parents, and 50% to Simone. Pursuant to Chadwick’s parents’ request, Simone has distributed $75,000 in residuals to each of Derrick and Kevin (for a total of $150,000) for the 2020–2024 period.”

The court papers also reveal Ledward’s wedding to Boseman soon before his death.

“Simone stood by Chadwick’s side and cared for him throughout his battle with cancer. It was no surprise that, notwithstanding the end of his life was near, Chadwick wanted Simone to be his wife,” the docs state.

“Accordingly, they married on Aug. 21, 2020, just six days before Chadwick’s passing. Chadwick’s brother, Derrick, officiated the wedding.”

We’ve reached out to an attorney for Boseman’s brothers for comment.