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Biggie’s Son Seeks to Void Grandmother’s Last Will and Oust Estate Manager

If the court agrees it would undo a late codicil that gave a former manager access to Primary Wave payouts, shifting control of ongoing catalog revenues.

Overview

  • CJ Wallace filed a Pennsylvania petition Thursday asking a judge to declare invalid a codicil signed Feb. 6, 2025 and to remove Wayne Barrow as executor of Voletta Wallace’s estate.
  • Wallace’s filing says Voletta was in declining health, taking multiple medications, and lacked testamentary capacity when the amendment was signed, and it asks for a handwriting expert to examine allegedly inconsistent signatures.
  • A Delaware Court of Chancery ruling on Aug. 7 found Barrow entitled to Voletta’s 25 percent share of Primary Wave distributions and directed withheld payments into a trust for the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation.
  • The dispute matters because a March 2025 Primary Wave deal created large, ongoing revenue streams tied to the company that manages Biggie’s catalog and Voletta held a 50 percent interest in that company.
  • The case is now a multi-jurisdictional fight that will turn on whether courts void the February codicil, who is legally appointed executor or trustee, and which party receives future catalog payouts.